COI C149
Before the fight, as they travel through the ruins. Tabitha gives them her personal items. According to Yui, it cannot be used to anyone but her. The special kind of magic item only works under her own contact through her mana signatures. The two tried it at first and didn’t happen. Even the card holder can’t pull out a single card from the deck. Illtended and Altair watch them tried their best to use it, but no avail. Giving them the expression how it is invaluable that the personal items can be.
The Faye asks Tabitha “Can I look at your deck, both mage and support?”
She looks for a specific card that coordinates well one another. To find the specific cards and able to have it used without Tabitha’s recognition, and there she finds it. Mage card ‘We Are One’ and the support card ‘We are one’, the same name but different effects. It is an area of effect card that shares the ground around her. Both mana and physical as one, it will be given the chance to allow them to use her item. But there are negative constraints to all of this. All of them will share split the damages when it is activated.
The more downsides are the rest don’t know what is going to happen to them when it comes to other means like statuses, constraints, and disruptions throughout their fight. Faye already said to her about the warning, but Tabitha already used it as they discuss. Making the two dares to act as an opportunity. Faye helped Oue to make the deck, and those separated cards won’t be used during the fight. It only works in prebattle. Tabitha didn’t know that prebattle cards lasts until the first battle is over. The term of ‘battle’ means until all threats are gone in a significant location it started.
Faye and Syri had made their battle a lot difficult all of the sudden. Tabitha didn’t use the Demonologist deck since it is randomly appeared when she faces demons. The last few random decks she got are against monsters. Either to tame, to hunt, or to exterminate, all of which are highly preferable for her when regards to loot them. Yet they brought the presence of the demons’ puppet. Only one with many monsters around it. They look around the dome as it expands, then try to look at the outside but the views blocks by the card’s magic.
Yet, they feel no fear. It is because of the Demonologist deck places pride on their heads as fear and doubts were nullified. Including the monsters in front of them, all of them are showing no resistance and went on pure malice to the people it sees. Altair and Illtended feel something not right, but their minds are flowing with bravery and confidence as if they already feel like they are winning. Outnumbered from what they see, and thrills are inside of them nonstop. Archivist is setting himself at the front and Tabitha is start playing her cards. This battle will be difficult with the ‘We are one’ cards.
The most terrifying moment as the monster comes in, the demonologist deck had added more than just a simple monster.
“I am awakened”
It speaks and its body shatters and inside of its core opens up the true body of this puppet. It speaks, it walks in two feet, and a race the citizens never met before. Beast like creature identical for a were wolf, but the face in silhouette is no wolf. An anthropomorphic creature steps as it sees its enemies. Archivist never face this monster before, while the two Enders know about its myths. Tabitha can’t believe that those two used her cards so recklessly, the felt of regret for helping them to use her cards become immeasurable.
They couldn’t complain as the monsters are coming to them. Two fronts, Illtended and Archivist, and four backlines, Tabitha, Altair, Faye, and Syri, are group up together to fight they shouldn’t have face. The monsters from the brown red cloud. The silhouette of the monster disappears and shown to have carnivorous fangs, unbalanced hideous horns, torso mix with different fur colors, legs and feet are hybrid mix between claws and hooves. They can’t describe it too well as Altair says to them.
“This abomination, I can’t even say if it is a chimera. Everyone! sticked together and we . . .”
The monster horde comes at them all around. The chimera walks slowly as it is just awakened from its slumber, the demon core within it had made so much lost potential how it kept itself from harm. It’s ruined body already given away to those who knew. The war had deformed this monster and still can’t able to recover from what happened. Its mind is clear, but its body have been so much punishment because of the heroes. The scars are too severe as it looks like a horrifying defected monster. It watches the monsters going after them.
Mindless horde in the end, the chimera couldn’t grasp where it is and why the horde is small. It senses still blur, and thought this is not its master’s doing. In the end, something went wrong and the enemy side surely is winning. It touches its body and the core being recompressed again.
“This is not my time here, they don’t deserve to take my gifts from my master”
The chimera sealed its spells, auras, and abilities on its own. They must not have the advantage to know they brought their subordinates here. During the last moment before it sealed itself, it tries to reach out to them. Nothing but interferences, and now it went wild.
The chimera is charging along with the horde. Illtended brings out his inventory as he switches his role. He turns himself into a tank and shouted out around him with ‘taunt’. The monsters redirect their attack to him. Archivist jumps in to his side as he bends his magic to raise his mobility. Both of them slides away from the dense packed charging in. Hitting the monsters to each other from the back, the dense monsters able to pushes them forward and crushing themselves as the cards engulfed them with immense magic.
Altair carefully watching them over from afar as they brought all the monsters to their position. Quickly looking at the others at his back as they play their cards, meanwhile on his side is Syri channeling her spell as the mana she uses are light with minimal mana being used. She is cycling through the use of mana all around her, the dust dispersed leaving the fumes of the brown red cloud floating in the air. The wand is channeling to her control with minimal effort, yet, she needs to wave it around herself to control around her.
The spells are already on hold and waiting for her to release it. Limited in range as it only reaches as the wand’s reach, she waves it around and forming it into a ball. Waving the wand around like a gymnastic ribbon, its lining is forming up and the thread end is following from the light dense brown red cloud. Altair says to her
“When will you use your spell? They are getting surrounded”
“This wand is not strong enough to take the monsters down, it is just disrupting them”
Altair looks at the back as Tabitha is using her cards to make protective barriers to the backlines. Meanwhile Faye is timing her cards right to throw at her enemies, he sees the cards flying over them as it lands on the field almost hitting the two frontlines. The monsters were affected and gradually become more aggressive than usual.
“What is she doing? She is buffing the monsters straight up”
“I could say the same thing, but just trust them for a bit. We may look like citizens, but we ventured through Rune Isles. There is no such thing to kill them one at a time”
Tabitha reads her UI what cards that Faye throws. All consequential cards with negative effects, raising their stats in an unbelievable rate but in returns to lose all durability and resistance to all incoming attacks. She continues to compiling it up to the negatives as it will gain more damage. While Tabitha plays her cards well, she plays her first offensive card to the field. It flies through the mosh pit of monsters trying to get them with its massive numbers. More and more of them are coming out as the last monsters freed from the bomb’s effects.
Illtended looks at his UI and sees that Tabitha buffs him with air magic. A swirling wind moves around him as it pulls the monster in like a tornado. He switches his tank role to a two-handed damage dealer. Using his abilities to spin around whirling with his massive axe, Archivist jumps on top of him with his coin to make a steady platform and attacks anything that falls inside the tornado. Monsters, sensitive to the slightest damage and resist to nothing against the raging wind. Gulped down like they are specs of dust, and already shreds like thin glass as the axes touches them.
Monsters fell from above as it being sucked, only a few punches to the air as it blasted away to dust. Circling around are its ashes, the monsters are appearing are the wraiths. The dense brown red cloud is being formed together, thick enough for the wraiths to appear from the monster’s body. They tried to get out from Illtended’s reach, but the densely cloud formed near him trapped them altogether. The frontlines watch the monsters in full spinning, receiving the buff and completely decimating all around them.
The spinning keeps going as the entire horde being obliterated. One last beast comes in and braces his attack. It was the chimera entered the fight with its indestructible horns. Faye casts down another card on the field, its deformed body shifted as it dodges away. The frontlines saw how it moves horribly, seeing its body twist and move in a wrong way. Its shoulders, back, and legs moved so bizarre. The back moves without its torso swaying away, the legs spin and even pulled itself up, then its arm rolls its shoulder blade seeing its bones moving in its skin.
It dodges enough for it to escape from the card’s effects. Illtended enhances his axe to break through the its indestructible horns, the broken bone shift, he watches as it heads turn around in a full 180 degrees clearing away the cleave. His axe misses and Archivist jumps up and slam his feet on its head. The head bopped down but they didn’t hear the sound of a crack. They pulled back as its arms swings around. The chimera adjusted its body as they watch its limbs putting back together.
Illtended said to Archivist “Man, what kind of monster did the demon has?”
“Very old, if we are going to be able to get ourselves from this mess. I could spare a time to explain all of this”
“Free lunch?”
On that moment, Archivist grabs him and throw over the monster and Illtended saw the monster charges at Archivist while he is above. He stretches the reach of his axe and land a hit on its spine. The chimera drops down sliding as Archivist passes through it. The two regrouped and Archivist replies
“Including the girls over there”
Illtended looks at them a bit then turns to him “I seem I have buddy in arms for the day”
The two see eye to eye one another, they ready once more to face the chimera.
Altair sees the two are not able to damage the chimera. Its bones are invulnerable and the cards they play show no effects as it dodges somehow in the most deformed movements.
“Aright Syri, I think they need help”
“Need their help, I am waving around this wand for them to stay back. They look like they are doing fine”
Altair gets in their UI chat, only with Illtended, to see that situation they are in.
“Are you in need of help?”
“No, but we sure need more damage here. The cards are not hitting it. It moves in the most disgusting way . . . Gross, it uses its spine to move like a snake and its limbs like an octopus. Indestructible horns, why not do it rather flex it”
Illtended is seems to be fine, the time for him to chat is enough to show himself that he is not even struggling there. Altair says to Syri
“They seem to be able to handle themselves”
“Sure, then why they can’t take them out or Tabitha and Faye are not taking it seriously to cast it?”
Syri is not calm to see how a monster is not showing any damage. Altair believed that this must be an expression she got when adventuring Rune Isles. He doesn’t want to feel the same, but this is the demon’s puppet. The core reveal itself and transform into that thing.
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After a certain time, Archivist and Illtended were able to get a hit. Cuts and no blood spilling out, its wounds show glowing fluid leaking out. The bones moved as it stepping out from its flesh. Separating the bones and the skin, Faye calls out to Tabitha
“You have that special card in your hand”
“Yeah, do you think it is the right time to use it?”
“The demon is splitting in twos. I don’t think Archivist and Illtended will handle it”
Tabitha first throws the other cards at the monster as it is being split into two while evading everything they had.
Faye helps along as the monster endures. The chimera able to dodge it all without even a single touch with their cards. They see Syri getting irritated and sends down her spells. The waves of her wand orchestrated amazingly as the monster being barraged into its direction. The chimera dodges it too, but the projectiles continue to chase it without faults. Leaving to no space to move, the bones is being pulled down. Syri continues to channel the magic around her.
Syri raises her wand high and the trails of the magic circle is starting to flow on top of the chimera. She casts it down on the ground and the monster falls down. The chimera couldn’t move as her magic is wrapping around it. Constraining the monster without a problem, until its pieces of bones break apart and slips free with pieces sliding through. The skin slither itself out from the constraints. This moment of realization, Tabitha had to use her card. She places it down on the ground. The dome stops and begins to rewind back. The motion only effects on the monster. Tabitha’s mage card has one disadvantage though, it resets everything they had done after.
It flashes the monster back before the cuts ever hits. Then stops, under stasis as Altair sees what happened and turn to Syri as she is looking at the back said
“Finally, you used Oue’s special cards. What takes you too long?”
Faye couldn’t explain and only talks back “I was hoping we could beat it down with only her equipment”
“Her wand I used has slight used of magic with powerful impact. It doesn’t hurt it one bit. Even we could able to beat it down with neutral mana or with that guy’s rune axe. The bones and flesh didn’t give a dent if it split itself”
Illtended stares at the stasis chimera. A powerful card being played, neutralized before it starts to get rough. Archivist thought they could beat it until he realizes it able to dodge magic with that kind of body. Altair didn’t even have a chance to heal them, Archivist did very well to help Illtended dodge and meanwhile Tabitha and Faye to boost them up accordingly. He thought he would be having trouble to deal with their wounds during the fight. Syri on his side is impressed how the cards are. Very powerful, used by an inexperienced mage.
Altair though, still doubting from this experience, he asked Syri “As a healer, do you think I should be able to do anything?”
“You are the most important than the rest of us. If we keep the fight longer, then you should know your role, right?”
Altair nods “Yeah, then the fight continue after this stasis”
“We won’t, look!”
The monster’s stasis body is starting to return in motion. The body though, it changes back to its form. The core inside of it starting to absorb the body. Sealing itself like it wanted to retreat.
The magic circle stops as the sign show no more monsters inside. The team never thought they would be able to beat it without a single scratch. Now that the guild members look at them unharmed and Syri pointed at Altair and said,
“We have a healer here. If you guys are suspicious of us without any wounds”
The Agatheans believe it easily, while the citizens never expect him to heal their equipment too. It was impossible unless it is an ultimate. Altair couldn’t explain what happened and Syri is just joking, he asked them
“Why did the monster revert back to its core? Was it the card Tabitha used?”
Faye shakes her head as she is picking up the pieces left over by the monsters. “A talking demons’ puppet, meaning it thinks just like us and did the easy way. It is like someone wakes it up just to kill it. The best way for it to return back to its core is to do it itself. Mindless monsters never thought about it because of its body reacting through natural instinct. In the end, it got away. Well now, I’ve been disappointed more than I could barely imagined”
Altair didn’t like how she react “Disappointed? We are facing a monster that we don’t even know”
“But me and Syri knew, and it was able to escape from our grasp. Tabitha’s cards and her wand did amazing work, but it needs someone to guide her powers correctly. I can see why Oue made this since she won’t be destroying anyone except you, Archivist”
Altair didn’t like her evading his question and said to Tabitha “Anyway, do you still want them with you?”
Tabitha shared a bind with Archivist, then gives a sigh “Yeah. Sorry Altair, they are Enders. Have you had the same feeling too that your personal items were prohibited?”
Ruby mentioned about it in the first night of their patrol. The most complaints and the loudest was Rusic, the dwarf, and he understands why. Their runes are powerful to beyond belief. Lethal enough to harm them and overpowering their best abilities except their ultimate abilities. If the dwarf and his team had done freely during their job, it showed much a better result than a failure because of the regulation. Those two women were having the same fate as them, Altair don’t want something like that to happen neither would be for them if they go against each other.
Archivist touches the core before it eventually disappears “Prohibited or not, can your own people able to face it yourselves? I heard tales among the volunteers from Stranding Island. They were limited to the point of being crowds than exterminators”
Illtended checks the battle log in his UI to see how they were doing. Arranging it to properly set to them taken actions. Altair is deliberately didn’t act since the start, since Tabitha and Faye were buffing everyone, literally everyone including the monsters themselves.
“I see what you are saying, Archivist. This is full on Tabitha’s items being used. What would it be easier if we let them use theirs?”
Altair thought it too, but there is a reason why didn’t do it. “Assuming you two are allowed to bring your best equipment, what item would you bring?”
Archivist answered first “My hood”
Syri looks at Archivist when he said it. Hood to cover their faces, and seeing him wearing a mask, she guessed
“The cloth of shifts”
None of the citizens know about it, even Tabitha herself never thought his hood to be special. Archivist’s mask shows an innocent look with a question mark on it, eyeing to everyone.
When he is about to answer, the sounds of tummy growling from Illtended, and the others just nodding together. Not even saying a word at this time as they begin to move on. They eventually saw Haw alone as he finishes something over there. He turns around as he is using a tool vacuuming the air, on his back is an improvised mana battery. Inside the cylinder is a fog that it is something there, a wraith. They waved at him as he later joined them. Not joining along to go through the ruins, but the same direction to where to eat. They go to the wooden camp on the highway in Akiba’s Trip near Chojima District.
Where they take their break, Haw hears their conversation as they talked about before. Illtended extended the topic.
“First thing first, let’s discuss this with Haw too. Archivist, since you know what to get for lunch. You also promised me for a free lunch”
Tabitha twitches to hear him offer a free lunch. Where she uses the bind to reach him. She whispers to herself as he already goes to the caterings.
“You never ask, Hmph, then I’ll ask say it to you as many times we eat”
Illtended continues “Let’s first connecting some stories here. Haw, the last time I saw you is back with the barbecue restaurant. The time you we but that special mixer’s set ingredients . . .”
Faye and Syri look at Illtended both daggering straight at him. He feels like something he had said had caused trouble. Haw brushes them off. Both of them know the phrases are meant to try and buy trick. Only experienced chefs or food makers could able to differentiate the best from the worse quality of food. Saying it on the spot means Haw really can cook.
“. . . Ok, back to the story. Haw here had experience with that kind of demons, right? You know you mention it about monsters you face in east mountain, the undergrown, ah let’s make it brief, shall we?”
Haw nods as they are waiting for the meal to come. Altair didn’t know Illtended knows something about Haw dealing with east mountain.
“The monsters we faced now. Can you clearly know something about it?”
He provides him a video using his own device. Haw never been so surprised to see how the first one is getting the core, and the other facing the awakening.
Then second one is the two Enders are involved, somehow, and did manage to awaken the demons’ puppet’s soul.
“Tabitha . . .”
“Yeah, what is it Haw?”
“Did Myrrkei told you something about this?”
“No, but he did convince me to visit here after having taken my time on my research. I have something to deal with first before my efforts are in vain”
“And I thought you were here to help your city. I can’t ask any more than this. You two, you already know the city will regulate your items. I made those items partially made without being detected by their screening. Even you know how to use the cards too”
Faye agreed “Yeah, those decks were separated for a reason. I admit, I used ‘we are one’ card. I was expecting one of us going to share the pain”
Tabitha have regretted to give her one of the decks. Still, she did shows her something she never used before, the prebattle cards. Meanwhile Illtended leans on to Altair
“The cards did improve me, but it feels like it can allow my other magic to flourish with her cards”
“I guess there is weird interaction going on”
Haw answers “That card is indeed strong, but not easily controlled by anyone. Oue tries to evade the regulation. She added to make it loosely for their magic to ‘share’ in order to hide its true power”
Syri understood the trick “Oue can be sneaky too. She wasn’t here for long and able to go through the regulation. I guess your guild’s reports helped her on this”
“I suspect it must be Myrrkei, the explorer, he had his ways to get into their services. A man of research clearly had done great things in exchanging knowledge. It makes me wonder who else from Kinteinnou region provide Oue the resources?”
Tabitha hears them going off topic “It’s fine and all talking about this city, but would you please continue what Illtended say about the east mountain”
The Enders apologizes as Haw focuses back to the main topic. “We apologize, now about the monsters you find. Those monsters are resembled as demons’ puppets. I have faced those monsters before. Heavily equipped with its mass numbers and its intellectual creatures hidden within the horde. The treasures it held are originated from Circoston’s desert. Even the remains held scavenge materials hidden from their magic. I gave you the locations because those monsters are suited for your partner’s expertise. Except for the last one, that is clearly fully awakened that I don’t want to face again”
Altair looks at them, showing no regrets. How they did and the ways they played out in the battle is like a breeze. The battle log didn’t lie that the most active performance was Faye synergizing Tabitha’s cards to weaken the monsters’ defenses. Haw continues
“Like Tabitha requested from me, to face the monsters as she trains. I could not believe for you people actually awakened them. Bad fortunes to see that the monster in chimera form and revert back to its core. It knows it is in the disadvantage”
Illtended asks “Comparing between in the east mountain and here, what it actually supposed to do?”
“Packing themselves with the others as demons’ puppets. It was stressful to move places to places as they chased me relentlessly”
Altair thought it much “Then you guys held the core, right?”
“The elves were the one responsible to keep it away. We didn’t care much about those things since what lies inside is more valuable than neutral mana. Either way the demon has low amount of strong mana. Proven to them that they are the lesser demons”
“How about the demon who are stronger than them?”
The Enders look at him with a straight face, Haw speaks it for them “Then we shouldn’t be here in the first place”
Tabitha watches Faye and Syri didn’t say anything and let Haw do the talking. The three actually look at each other eye to eye as if they knew each other. On the contrary, Faye and Syri are expecting much as other Enders with experienced in this city. Luxury or information, Haw is definitely had his fill as their guide involuntarily. Their expectation lingers only the things they needed to be done. Tabitha joined them with open arms. The two Enders see this as their payment with him, while Haw sees at the video that they are her teacher from Oue’s perception.
Archivist brings out the food. Everything goes orderly as the massive size of the dish as the main course. A fresh monster meat during the 3rd moon cycle, they eat it and enjoy the taste of both Agathean and Tai cuisine. Archivist continues the conversation.
“Haw, about the demon faded away. I already know because the bomb effects disperse it and on the other one didn’t when bring it to the station. What else we need to worry about after?”
“Ah yes, the aftermath. There’s nothing to worry about it except your city keeping an eye on it. Cores are difficult to carry and always getting out at the open”
Haw looks at the goblins passing by, others shared the glimpse where he sees. The sounds coming from the city barrier once again wails near them.
“D-u-u-u-ck”
Echoes for more of its mysterious ways. This is the first time for the two Enders woman to hear it and said
“Shamanism, I can hear it as if they are already making their dens there”
Altair responds “I don’t know, why is it we can’t even find them nor their dens?”
“These are goblins we are talking about, not demons’ realms. You should be more careful to see them underground. I am not certain, since we just got here”
Meanwhile, Ironno and Rusic walks out from the hole. Another saferoom is made beneath the surface, deeper than anyone had not yet witnessed it. They found a group of Enders coming this way holding their banners. Rusic sees their outfit, going the same fate of their restricted tools and equipment.
“Sigh* Do the city think the dangers we are going to pull through? Ironno, we will soon be able to get our things and those people sharing our humiliation”
“I have no interest on that, Rusic. Yet, during the 4th moon cycle . . .”
One of the Enders approaches him “These ruins are filled with demonic and archscience presence, where’s the curious ones”
Rusic cuts that gibberish wordings “Oh shut it, they are down there, you headless fools”
The Enders look at the hole they have come out from. No presence of the spirits roaming under. They are not convinced until Ironno throws some junks on the ground. Doll like figure made out from the junk, the obvious heads marks show the body and the symbol of the rituals. It is clearly them. Then they asked
“Did the city knew about it?”
“D-u-u-u-u-ck”
Rusic couldn’t scuff more as the sounds of the wailing echoes through them. “Yeah lad, you already starting to learn for every moment you asked. But I warned you though, my partner here brought some goblin toys here. You already know what’s going on down there. Under those banners you are holding, I guess something you are in need for this city. Just keep going until the city found something for you all”
The Enders had said enough be on their way, Rusic looks at their casual clothes made him more in despair than he had thought.
Beneath them, only the spirits possessing their voodoo dolls. Collected through the debris all around them, gathering near the saferoom made it difficult for them to go closer to it. The ‘duck’ continues to echoes through here as the spirit is being appeared from the sheer presence of the demon’s power. The last demonic presence is able to linger. One of the spirits sneakily enters the den. Able to grab the remaining bones from the chimera, crafted in ivory bones. The spirit is starting to chant the corpse of the ratman. It spoke
“Pakyun shaka lum-ah riga dah. Bom-sha-ka-lum-ka-lum Ka-yum Pa-ka-lum Pang-shu sha-ka-lama . . . (repeatedly)"