COI C89
Tabitha stayed in Raker Mawn tower, where she sits down and uses her device. The situation reports throughout the Enders Bridge where work gathered around, the sphere is still continuing those two cities fighting for what they desired. The citizens are looking for alternative answers of this world’s secrets, meanwhile the Enders are fighting them to see of their status. Happily, though with her device getting improved by the day, with Enders help to improve her own version of upgrades, customs and traditional ceremonial magic with Archivist. She was a bit surprised later on why Kiege wanted her to connect with her, but cuts off the idea having Archivist having it with her.
Now in full three screens on the gallery where she and Archivist were publicly performed their pact together, she is with the spokesman who was preaching through the days since she relatively remembered him during her first-time meeting with Lady Constantine.
“Hmm, tech stuff, interesting . . . But seriously though, why me?”
“I didn’t know too why I want your help, but my friends know that you are also an immortal”
“Yeah”
“And immortals saw many eras”
“Admittable like a repented man seeks answers”
“Eras where there was an advanced civilization”
“Advanced is subjective now once secrets and scarcity found alternatives”
The spokesman continues letting his questionable modesty, but he is not rude. Tabitha continues “You also made another screen where are the dungeons are through a mini map”
“True, I was young and made videogames back in my mortal self”
Those two were the only people inside the tower, there should be the elder lady inside the tower but it is easy to know where the sounds of her great and grandchildren entered before and listen their behaving voice. Except for one, the toddler girl walks to them looking at the screen. The spokesman sees her and pat her head, then she stubbornly carried up to his lap and touching Tabitha’s arm.
“What is it . . . Oh it’s the girl I met with the elder lady. Why is she sitting with you?”
“This child starts to get daring, her siblings might influence her adventures”
The girl looks at the screen where only dots and flashes on the map, disinterested how it looks as she was curious from the flashing lights before. She squirms back down and leaves them be. The spokesman felt relief
“Such a curious little rascal”
They returned to the screen and sees what Kiege is up to. She is out and no magic is reached because of the Jigeram’s light, the only thing that traces her is the Archscience equipment she carries. Effective but convenient, she heads forward where the dungeons lie.
Outside of Enders Bridge to the east or the west coast of Kinteinnou region. The operator who is handling the resources to Isekai City is supervising the almost finish construction of the train station. He looks across the distance and saw the rails are coming into place. Hardened the ground with runes and install the rails with threatening auras with shamanistic wooden planks. Protects it from the ground’s harsh conditions and away from the creatures that tried to block it. Now he sees the train itself slowly coming through as they hastily need to finish it.
The Jigeram’s light comes through the first week, already hemorrhaging the money the city had for this infrastructure. It is the time for them to be productive once more through the industries. From what he learned are true, the runes would be befitting against it during this moon cycle and after. There is also one other thing, he talks to one of the Enders constructors as he wonders the starts of the repeated moon cycles.
“How bad was when the Jigeram reached here completely and away from Alga?”
“You could see why most densely populated areas hid inside the forest or underground. The fear wasn’t the light, it was the animals degraded after Alga’s light. Yet here in this city is the sieges . . .”
The sounds of the horns calling among the workers another command calling out to them. The operators learned a bit from the horn’s specific sound, he is confused as the train rails are not yet completely built. The stocks of ores and other special refine metals are ready for shipment, the scarcities of how it is immune to be used from their magic or even teleported to Isekai City. Its exposure to Rune Isles had made it absolutely immune from the very start of magic transport. However, it is the resources would bring up the economy that the world had lost before. It raises their actions as the project need in a hurry.
Adventurers within the forest had met the elves, during the last few days and something dangerous is coming through from the underground. Either they are willing to act as militias or the payment for the lives or the fall of their city will be sure to come. The situation is urgent, an emergency as payment will be delivered soon or what they thought. The adventurers with less experience fighting while exposed to the moon had put them in low morale. None of the examples have successfully beaten the monsters. Sun’s Skies adventurers were there most of the time but they were not doing extermination.
Gordon Truefan and the rest of his S ranks team had made it out to the surface, exhausted and having troubles when the dead body’s return. One of the adventurers said
“First time seeing an eldritch warning but it was just a guy spewing out roots from his body”
“Heavy Breathing* You try to drown yourselves coming from its mouth. The dust suddenly breaks us down so fast. Breathe*”
Gordon breaks their argument “We have rune items and shamanistic equipment, how lucky we made it through if without all that when we are retreating to the Enders safe room”
They admitted it after their experience, a truly form monster influenced by the demon. The description tells to be undead being preserved, now the look it had is being sealed from its mouth. Something had happened to it, when it was chasing those missing adventurers. Saint Heroes adventurers and the other S rank groups are coming to their aid. They are not confident enough to face it but they have the equipment they need to go against it. There is also a woman carrying a doll, hard to understand why she always carrying it like some pet. It’s aura of rituals are rapidly blazing through itself.
“Puma” The doll speaks the same word for how long the city guild listens through since the festival. The plan supposed to bring the spirit of the horde chief to stop the monster. It looks menacing but it looks like it is nothing but an angry looking doll. SIlfa has no comment of her choice to have the doll on her arms. Gordon said to her
“I am hoping it improved to act like a goblin instead being a pet”
“You are hoping? Remember Sork or anyone who is a goblin could expect to follow courtesy?”
“You are its master”
“Don’t make stuff up as your summons are created instead”
“Puma”
The Sun’s skies adventurers left after they have experienced enough to face the monster. Moreover, they have some urgent update that the monster is becoming to look different after what the adventurers saw in the first day. Gordon warns them
“Oh yeah, the monster they report it from the other day. Beware of that thing, it is transforming. It can now used magic with its roots. So, remember to continue the new plan”
“Lead it out from the invasion and trapped it here in the dungeon”
“Yup, and the last time we saw it was in the massive sinkhole, good luck”
They left as Altair comes by and see them look exhausted, the runes did good to protect those guys from the exposure. The only problem is their mana being continuously drain out from the roots’ abilities. He had no idea it gets even worse, from the detail he had from the UI is gone. Only thing he sees about him was his stats are low and causing some symptoms. Ruby speeds up to him and pulled him to them, where the people are all together are the one who had learned mana control. They were nervous of losing their UI’s full functions but they were improvising rather well during their stay at the island.
Ruby says to them “We have one actual support here”
Gemina nodded “Agreed, Heist and his friends, even though they too have the control but they have much to do elsewhere”
Silfa comes in as she joins the discussion “Like we all talk about here. Our magic controls are base mostly our roles. We can improve much as ‘leveling up’ our powers”
“I just can’t believe we have to use the RPG leveling mechanic”
“We need to manage our powers somehow, limited skills and abilities to match our control limits”
This will be their first time use it and they are nervous without the UI’s full content.
They tried to learn their new power control as it begins to burden them when time went by. Fatigue, stress, pain, and health were later show how they have physically need to watch out. Limiting their abilities to be charges of their new effective skills, it is unlikely for them to be able to use most of the time. Ruby explained the situation
“I don’t know if we have to use our mana control on that monster, but what I heard from the people at that island. It won’t be that hard if you stop leaking your mana all the time. Most monsters were strong due to the excess”
Gemina sighs as she says other part “. . . And then we don’t have a way against the dusts”
Haw walks out from the cave as he drags out more loot from the dungeon. Covered with dust and other withered roots, it is better not to assume but to look at the condition of the loots. Altair and the other S ranks identify it carefully.
“As an explorer, I detect an item and materials it had with unidentifiable stats inside”
“Smith here, I can see materials in low quality and durability. That’s new, my role improved a bit and I can identify that these loots can be salvageable. How about you Altair . . .? Altair!?”
Altair looks at it differently, his divine support role analyzed it. It wasn’t so sure until someone notice him.
“Oh!? I found dangerous substance hidden through the item. The dusts had already disintegrated it and I’m sure something is not good”
Haw comes by with another loots at hand “You’re right, there is that monster come and go. U’ecin has no luck finding it. I heard from him that it continued to touch its roots or dust coming from its mouth, spewing on the loots. It would be safer that non-magic users have to gather it. Demon or not, something like that managed to get those other adventurers to get the bait”
They watch him walks back in as they learn something new. Gemina on the other hand looks at him a bit concerning. She kept leaning down her head to see if he had those potions on his belt. Empty, but with her identify recognized his equipment from the police. She complains it to Ruby
“He still carrying the city’s safety precaution. I want to see him used their own potions”
Ruby is too disappointed as well “I know right. That’s probably why he is here instead going deep underground”
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Silfa calls out her group “Alright, everyone we have to escort that monster to the dungeon. Secret rooms such as all dungeons are good enough to trapped it and long enough to stall time when the time will happen”
The employer brought someone to them as the urgency gets worse. “I’m sorry that I’m late, but we brought an elf to deal against that demonic monster”
The elf comes in, throwing away what the adventurers expected to be one of those rangers, and see the elf who looks he is nothing but a local on his clothes. Wore like most journey men and the difference of his clothes dyed in dirt, they identify him showing worse than the normal elf as if they can’t search him right. The employer continues
“. . . I was saying, he is not much of a talker. More importantly, he is a type of person won’t go near any neutral mana magic”
Gemina reacts negatively “What!? We are facing a monster who had the same mana type!”
“I know, but the other elves are focusing on the underground network. Preparing to seal it off after taken out some of the key sources and routes where the monsters proceed to go through, and this elf right here would help us”
They look at the elf as his presence of his elven mana is weak and too low to be an elf. Gemina couldn’t held her frustration after hearing the other adventurers about the elf’s condition. Only thing left to try is elven magic, but this is not the time to fool around.
The elf stands before them, he knows the struggles they are in. It is him without any use of translator but the gods neither elven nor known. His faith deludes its meaning, as of now, he is using it for his own translation for such a long time when the day of the war was endless and almost all native life falls close to extinction. Therefore, he speaks slow and troublesome. Both foreign and to foreign to the adventurers were words mean something more or less. The elf said to them
“Problems are brewing hectic. I’ve heard among my brothers that something is not right. Sending me here to help, I believe we will be able to bring it there”
The employer added in, “I assume that you both know about the objectives. Gordon and the other Sun’s Skies adventurers had failed to escort it away. Now, that we know that undead monster is more of a threat than we had mistakenly judging for. I know it would be difficult to have him and his superstitious belief. As long as he is using his elven magic on you people, then there is nothing much I can offer but my luck to you”
He left them be as Silfa and the others gathered around him.
The elf is standing where he needs be as they are talking around each other in front of the elf.
“We don’t want to be a bother, but we can’t seem to feel strong like most elves show theirs”
Altair looks at him through the stats board and sees what’s up. He finds him to be incredibly peculiar, not based on the elf’s skills but the name given he read. It’s translated and the others saw it too, he asked him.
“Could you introduce yourself?”
The elf is slow and he stared blankly. They check on him if he even has a translator, and then he starts to reply.
“Apologies, but I am a little bit slow. I am not too keen to be with your kind, especially foreigner from a different world”
Gemina slightly flinches “It’s fine, your name?”
“Yeah, it’s Weissen Hardt”
The translation they have was a little off. It is the first time in their translator that a far common foreign words matches the way he said it. Gemina responds the name
“White and Woods?”
The elf hears her confusion. “No, it’s Weissen Hardt. You almost got it almost right from the start but not the rest”
Everyone tries to fix up the translation through their device as it kept making the result as ‘Weiss en Hardt’. They quietly change topic as they are in a hurry.
“I see, you people still curious about me. Trust that man who vouch for me, this is no easy work”
Silfa looks at her doll as it feels nothing of a threat coming from him. He is slow and they are focusing first the objectives, he is still an elf after all. Gemina tries to settle this
“I know much problem is happening near the barrier and your friends are helping to prevent the assault”
“Of course, but I heard that the demonic puppets are freely moving to your city. My brothers and sisters won’t last long from the endless horde”
The pause made them feel like they are not going to communicate properly. Gemina keeps it on her mind as she can’t believe a horde will coming to the city. The elves will ease the waves, while they have to defend the city from the rest of the monsters.
“If we are going to be like this, having that undead thing away from the attack. I want answers why that thing will be the only one stay out from the fight. I can’t follow orders giving only small information, then again. I don’t want to waste time”
The elf hears her loud and clear. He stands there for a good moment, he agrees without saying a word. Where the other adventurers already set foot on going through the cave. Haw gets out from the cave with the pile of loot are kept coming out. He sees the elf outside from the distance, the elf wore journey man in dirt as he looks familiar. Haw walks forward as he was stopped by one of the S rank adventurers.
“Excuse us, we are heading through”
The first group goes in as Haw checks on the elf again. Once he turned back to see him, he was eventually gone.
Without the moment to look for him, Haw had to prepare for the loot to be disposed of. The elf hid perfectly from Haw’s view, his movement blends in with the adventurers where both of them passing through. Altair is the one who will be on the elf’s side and give provides him the plan as they walk, meanwhile Silfa and the others are catching up to Gemina’s group. She said,
“I know elves are strong and prepared, but I don’t even sense his elven magic”
Ruby responds with a face of mystery “Just trust the guy. You and I never met a bad elf yet. I for one want to see him in action”
They regroup inside as they are heading to the safe room. Teleporting to the last known location, they appeared where the survivors hid. The tunnel shows the path where the remains of the roots already dried out, but the echoes hear through them are like any before they walk in. The sound of wooden scraps clapping louder and louder as it already started. Ruby and the other S ranks ready their speed stats up and engaged directly to the monster first. Equip with protection against the dust, they have a certain amount of time to guide the monster to the dungeon.
Sadly, it wasn’t the case. The monster has magic, the roots root up from the wall as it stretches its growth. She pulled out her weapon as soon as she was surprised from the sudden movement. Her team face the roots as it was stagnating, the sounds of the monster is coming their way. This moment should’ve been swift and the roots already spreading through. The monster appeared before them only its head, entangling with roots to the wall. It stops as the sign of withering roots start to appear.
One of the adventurers said to them “So, it is true. It won’t attack without any mana of it to leech”
“Don’t underestimate it, even we have mana control now, but there are ways that thing will absorb our mana”
One of them uses spell and shoots at the head. She fires it and the monster quickly take a bite of it, during in mid-air. The roots quickly surrounded the magic she recasts it in a different direction as it desperately needs to absorb it. She guides it further away directly to the dungeon. The head pulls itself away and follow the mana.
“Now I have seen everything”
“Not everything, it just the head. You know is just a basic spell”
“Same spell that almost being eaten by that skull”
Ruby and the others decide to move back as the monster follows the mana. They hear the echoes coming from the other direction as they heard from the other groups. The other team echoes through the tunnel
“Everyone, rally to the safe room. We have a situation here”
The monster’s body is here, stepping closer in its eldritch looking roots tendrils sprung out from its body. The roots follow it with feint magic while the roots feed on it.
They retreated, but Altair didn’t follow them and stays with the elf. “. . . The poor fool is desperate. Be on your guard if you wish to bring it there”
“What was he talking about?” Ruby joins them when he sees the elf starts to act.
The elf’s magic sends his wisps around them, the spark of dim glow floating, it’s beginning to move as fast as a shooting star. They are being teleported elsewhere, when a slight glimpse coming from Altair’s view. The head comes back and the roots bursting out from the walls as wooden pikes piercing through as they barely dodge it.
They appeared further away from the monster and closer to the dungeons. They no longer recognized the interior as the roots already being spreading here. Everyone is here as they were told to retreat, their rally point. The adventurers already purging the roots with dusts. They made it into chalks as they rub the dust on it to wither it, slowly. An item as weak than the actual dust, this is the best they could do to make right now. Ruby and the others made it here and saw Altair the elf. The one baited the skull said to them
“Did you see the skull retuning back where you are at? The roots trapped my spell and it return back to where we were”
“Sorry, we were teleported”
The elf goes back to the monster “I’ll be distracting the monster, use my wisp to call out to me when you are ready to seal it off. That fool soul is becoming more of a threat than I thought”
The waves of wisps follow him through like school of fish, its dim lights are becoming identical like the elven wind. Everyone can see his true power level. The wisps are carrying it for him. Gemina can sense the same presence like any other elves. Somehow, they felt strange, most elves’ presences are dense and pressured from their senses.
One wisp is left behind as he said. Ruby tries to identify it. Silfa stops her where the doll is busy making a ritual circle.
“Excuse me, but we are relying the elf and my doll now. There is no need to try to touch it, let the others identify it for us”
Ruby moves back away and the others saw the ritual circle is already been made. Silfa brings Altair to them about what he finds about the elf.
“The elf is powerful. The wisps have the same power level like the rest following him”
Gemina and Ruby were shock, a school of wisps have the same power level as the elf. They know that the elf is a summoner but that large amount is the equivalent to his strength. They shake their heads and look at the tunnel that leads inside the dungeons. Shaken with excitement to believe the numbers of wisp can do in a fight, Ruby’s feet want to go back while Gemina wants to wait here when the wisp starts to act. The adventurers called out to them
“Hey guys we have a problem. Roots are infesting the gate. We need to destroy it to get the monster trapped there”
They brought out their dusts, the roots soon slowly sipping back to the walls and dug deep away from them. One of the mages senses magic corruptions. She waves her staff to the others as they begin to raised their weapons. Spells cast on them to see through the dark and mana from the roots. A shockwave of pulses spread from the mage to see deep inside the walls. Threads of roots and magic being under controlled, there are some big circles they could not see clearly. The roots moved it as soon starts to fade away. When they tried to check it out, the roots sprung out around them and attack.
Ruby, Gemina, and the rest of the Saint Heroes quickly used their speed magic and dashes through the roots. They tried to cut them off, with their weapons smashing through, some of the roots break apart and spreading the dusts on them. They covered their faces from the dusts as something appeared before them. A mist of brown red cloud gassing them by surprised. They got caught from the fog and something hits them. An invisible creature attacked them in such sudden speed as they tried to counter it. The cloud corrupts their magic as the dense thick cloud is too much for them to handle.
Everyone of them fight back, then they got quickly blacken out where the roots are attacking them while the cloud distracts them. Adventurers are being taken out and roots collapse as it carried dust and the cloud is tanking the dust they used. No one try to scream for help nor tried to back out while they didn’t know the cloud leaking from different location blocked them. When they are about to use their failsafe, scrolls being spread around the tunnel being released and lit with fire.
The dense cloud dispersed and the roots collide and tried to feast on it. The dust returns to withered them at the same time consuming the scrolls. An Enders appeared from the wall trying to break free from the roots’ holdings. One person made it out as a familiar face appeared being covered by dirt. One of the adventurers left standing as he reaches out to him
“Haw?”
He fell down as his body being covered with curses. Haw bring them all out from the tunnel and carry them inside the secret saferoom. A wisp shoots forward over them with sudden flash of light. The roots stop growing as the wisp’s magic stops it.
Ironno manages to break through the roots and said to Haw “Gather them here, I need to purge this place. The demon is getting stronger”
The adventurers who tried to clear this tunnel to the dungeons were safely moved inside the saferoom. Where Silfa tries to contact them after seeing the cloud roaming in their ritual circle. The doll uses its rituals to destroy brown red cloud as numerous spirits were summoned to deal against that strange gaseous air. The wisp goes in leaving a sudden flash of light. Silfa tries to contact them
“. . . Hey! Is there anybody out there!? Damn it, it’s only us here. Altair, did they use their failsafe?”
“Almost, I think they were saved. Let’s hope it was Haw’s group”
Meanwhile the elf fights the dead body. The wisps are enough to deal its nuisance powers. The roots all gathered to him as it tries to feast on his familiars. The wisps endlessly appearing and disappearing like lights blinking. Easily beaten it to a pulp. He is waiting for them to bring it to the dungeon, his own elven seals won’t do to counter act its undying state. The dead body already acting alive and forced to keep itself from sealed away.
A tortured soul is screaming and the demonic marks trapped inside a dead body. The wisps witnessed the magic being formed and chased the demonic magic away from the adventurers. Ghostly formed creatures appeared near it as its dying wails are trying to force itself back alive. The elf breaks it down, it screeches. Wisps are leaving him as the roots grow closer to them. The dead body mourns in insanity. Words start to form and the dialect heard that the elf remembered it clearly. He continues to keep attacking it without restraints.
“Screech* Aah! Haaa! . . . Screech*” The scream starts to sound clearer. The elf hears his name from the wisp. Altair’s voice speaks out with his curiosity
“That horrible wailing. It’s English!? Sir Woods, is someone out there?”
The screech went silent as he is about to find out. The wisp’s response through the elf’s words. “No, don’t cloud your mind by this discovery. This is a demon’s trickery. Time will answer your question and mine”
The wisp went silent but the echoes of the fight persist on. Silfa and the other adventurers can’t ignore what it said.
“KILL ME! That fucking monster said it. I thought it was that foreigner who speak English, . . .”
Altair quickly responds “The elf said it was from a demon. Don’t start asking question as we are dealing something difficult”
The ritual is finish as the doll jumps around fanatically as the spirits followed it. The adventurers look at the tunnel to the dungeons as they hear nothing from them. The adventurers go over there, slowly and carefully. While the others wait as to guard this place for anything unusual.
The adventurer didn’t say after that, the awkward silent keep their wits high. They heard the sounds of the wood being chopped off, more like its being tore apart that didn’t use an axe. They step closer and continue to hear the roots crackling as they step in. Through the dark space as they see all around with scrolls being torn by the roots and the roots itself hang to dear life as it covered with dusts. They found Ironno shredding the roots into wither with the dusts. He pointed them to where they are
“They are there, prepare to fight if you want to help me go through the tunnels”
The elf’s wisps are slowly diminishing its numbers. All concentrating together into one. The elf hears its agonizing voice as the wisps block it’s mourning completely. The adventurers understand it, he speaks the language they called as
“English . . . You might share the same world. I would someday talk about you. I’ve never once forgot about your treacherous name . . . non-believer”
The elf’s wisps grip it tight out of personal malice. It responds and the wisps let it out so softly
“You are just as much as a monster as them . . .!”
The elf continues to wait as he listens it complains, the trapped soul.