COI C37
In Mihayara district, a secret zone kept hidden from the city itself. Either it be a gateway or a hideout, the strange things happened inside where the gangs or defectors are returned after their freedom of having power. They heard changes happened to the city with along news about games and entertainment returning to business. More and more info put them to go back, where the shield dome blocks the swarms, and somehow managed to get in by their own abilities. In the black and white zone, there was an incident and an intruder annoyed them where suspects were beaten and taken their gears. They thought it was the other gangs. Until now.
Shards scattered on the hallway where the defectors felt bleak, someone died without realizing it, and the man covered his face, who warned them before, investigated the shards.
"People said the authorities shouldn't do this, right?"
The other defectors mumbled to themselves as the man listened
"Yes, but I heard they are recruiting people from other cities"
"What the fuck! There is no way they could do that, is there?"
"The city's security systems made protection aura to everyone not to get killed"
"She's right, others got caught were protected except it won’t worked on people like us"
The covered man observed the shattered remains of their dead member, he stared at it and felt an overbearing aura.
". . . How did they managed to kill someone like this?"
They continue talking as someone is throwing shards of crystal remained at them.
"Catch!"
One of them caught it
"Hey! we are in the middle . . . Oh shit"
The one who caught it felt a strong amount of mana coming from it. The covered man explained to them
"Do you remember the 5 types of mana?"
Everyone surrounded him began to remind them what could be. He continued,
"Let's gather our new groups and leave"
They started to leave the secret room after he ordered them without hesitation.
Someone came to him and said
"Remember what you said to us? Even though you are not . . ."
"We must group up. It will take some time to understand why I did it. For now, I don't trust your city"
They rushed outside from the secret room and they quickly headed to their rally point.
"Get used to it newbie, we were outsiders of this city after coming to this world and even being called as traitors or outcasts. Trust him"
The other defectors leaned to the newbie and whispered
"You know he is not one of us, and we already taste reality before"
U'ecin and Rusic entered the other secret room, watching down a suspicious group moving away faster than they should search. U'ecin saw someone held a glowing crystal. The substance appeared to be any kind of crystal. From his view, he could assume that Haw used the bag. Rusic used his baton and poke U'ecin by the shoulder
"Care to help me getting my new loot or I'll be the only one to babysit you all again?"
U'ecin stops contemplating and help him as they walkthrough the other rooms.
"I don't know why you stay silent for a while, is there anything bothering you, lad?"
U'ecin is curious
"I'm starting to question more about Haw. For a Rusic who brawls a lot, did he bring some dangerous substances?"
"Hardly I know him, he never stays in stranding island and the last fight I just beaten him like a drunkard"
"Did he fight bare hands?"
"No, just those glass that gave magic, I think"
U'ecin didn't get what he needed to know, they continue moving until the someone opened the door. U'ecin grabbed Rusic's baton and throw at the opening door. Rusic dropped all what he is carving with and rushed to the door. Once the door opened, three gangs or traitors opened the door and quickly responded with their passive shields.
The rune baton ignored the shields, phase through it, and hit one of them. Rusic rushed in and grabbed the head who got hit by his baton. The two retaliate and casts their magic. Rusic kept punching while they are trying not to hit their friend. Their friend starts to lose conscious and they were forced to use it now. Lightning strikes on him and his armor absorb it without any problems, the static field reached U'ecin and paralyzed him. The two traitors didn't notice the other and focus first on Rusic
"This shorty withstand my magic!? . . . Wait, is someone there?"
"That person is already down, help Duke. He is getting beaten up"
Rusic kept punching him where they struggled to removed Rusic's grip, his mouth banged by his fist without any chance to say more than one syllable.
The two pulled out their weapons and hit Rusic's head. Rusic endured it and tries to grab them, they flash out and back where Rusic almost grabs them.
"Don't get a hold by that short man's hand"
"You should head back and warned the others"
The man flashes out further away as Rusic saw someone escaping. Rusic pulled out a carved item he stole before. A scarf reaching out to the man such a long distance, it tears itself into a lining and acts as a web, capturing the fleeing man. The other man tried to cut it and tore off the line. Rusic moves in and manages to grab him, but he flashes out.
The torn thread reattached itself and pulled the man from the long distance.
"Aaah!"
A scream wailed from him and dragged down on the ground. The man got caught and can't flashes out from the sash's grip, his partner appeared to him and cut the sash again. The sash pulled where he cuts it, where it slingshots itself back to Rusic. Rusic pulled up his baton and ran after the one who was not caught. The man casts a spell at Rusic.
"Damn dwarf, why not slide off"
It didn't reach him but lands on the ground. The ground turned to ice where Rusic slipped. The two broke free and flashes away, but the other one was left behind.
They managed to escape, the two run further.
"There's a dwarf in the secret rooms"
"We need to report before . . . Aggh!"
The man was picked up by his own partner. The other man can’t control his own body.
"Why did you!?"
"I can't move my body . . . The Fucking sash!"
The remaining lining of the sash is controlling his magic enchanted clothes. They saw his long sleeves are holding him without using his hands. His pants are wrapping around his legs into a leglock, this strange movement forced him into a painful stance. Crashing down on the ground, the sash tightly covered their mouths without any hassle. Rusic comes in and reattached the scarf.
Rusic pulled them and hide them to the corner. He began to take pieces of their gear and their clothes. He took first the unconscious man as they watch. Stripping their friend down to a point of realizing. Both of them squirm where their mouth covered
"What the actual fuck! It's the Perb! I don't want my first time to be this way. I couldn't believe he would be shapeshifting into a dwarf like this. fuck! fuck! fuck! I should've known after the last two team were taken down. fuck!"
Rusic finished the unconscious man and quickly struck down the other two. The same process from the previous enemies to loot, he then went back to U'ecin.
The gangs soon came and found them in such an embarrassing way.
"Same as the last ones . . ."
"OMG! It's even worse than the last time, Kyra"
The gang members saw the worse ones. The covered man came in and witnessed what he heard before.
"Are they dead t . . . o . . . o!? Oh Well!"
"WTH! this is not sarcasm. They took their gears and most of their clothes"
She turned around and it was their leader.
"I mean I didn't mean to"
The other woman back up for her
"Umf, It's ok. We still can't use to our new leader. Sir, more people are taken down. We need to tell them to stop the search"
The covered man pulled out his inventory, took a big cloth, and carried them away.
The women watched him carried three of them at the same time and ran off.
"Let's go before we all going to be like them"
"Wait for me! Kyra"
They reached to the rally point where different groups appearing left and right. Their banners, logos, or brands appeared in front of them. The covered man place down the three unconscious men to the ground. The group recognized them with their disbelief grew grim
"What a relief, it's not mine"
The three men were identified by their devices as they are from the Hit and Run gang, Devilishly Rats, and they are not from here. The other gang leader said
"Guess, it's must be yours then right, green dot?"
The covered man can't be seen his expression but only acted out through his head movement and said
"I guess, Recruits! Bring them to the portal, we're leaving"
The gang leader reacted
"What!? You're leaving? Is this about the intruders who messed up my boys?"
The green dot quickly packing up where the others from the outside arrived. The covered man replied
"Did you heard? One of my recruits is dead. I won't . . ."
"Oh it's just must be an accident. Anyway . . ."
The gang leader called out to the others while the other gangs began leaving through a portal.
"Anyone here wants to stay and get those fuckers? Or leave as a pussy?"
The gang members yelled
"NO!"
"Because we are!?"
"Scraypers! From Fuku City"
The shouts reached within the secret rooms where the police hid, U'ecin and Rusic are heading towards them. The covered man had nothing else to say and watch his gang leaving. The excitement from the sraypers took them into caution where their other gang members voluntarily raised their hands and said
"Where not the fighting type here, just smuggler mains. Can we leave first if one us dumb fucks made it worse like last time"
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After saying that, they left without hesitation. By the time many of the gang members left, only a handful stay and head out.
The police man hears someone is coming, already he took a peek and opened the door where U'ecin and Rusic rushed to get in.
"Whoa! You two, where have you been?"
U'ecin's burns from the electric shock were gone and Rusic brought more loot than he previous had. The police woman looks at them in suspicion
"Who are they?"
"The same people we supposed to supervise"
The policewoman didn't recognize them as they wore the gang members clothes to carry off what Rusic looted. U'ecin took a bit of the clothes until the policewoman noticed what they are wearing.
"Wait a minute? Where did you guys get those clothes? They never wore these before"
Rusic replied to her
"It's loot lass"
All of them reunited and neither both relief nor agitation towards their situation. The police are hoping to hide long enough for the other force to break in. Rusic threw the loot on the floor and said
"They will be coming soon, and your target already planning to leave"
The police man check outside through the window where one of them is using a portal. The policeman saw outside where only a handful of them are left. All partially identified and only one is blank.
"We already checked their identifications, it's enough for us to leave"
The policewoman argued
"Now how are we going to get out of here?"
The loot lied on the round where Rusic continue to carve them. Haw was called out by U'ecin and told the other police.
"You said it's impossible to leave right?"
The policewoman replied
"Yes you're right"
Her partner intervenes
"Wait, you said you can get out from here"
Haw nodded at them while need to have finishing touches for helping Rusic
"For us, we are willing to head out and face them. Capturing them is what we are ordered to do, right?"
The Enders already prepared as they were about to do. Their other side plan is to find the traces of familiar people who are against the city.
"Great, what are we supposed to do now?"
The gangs are approaching and their marching steps within the halls are getting louder. The police had the equipment to scan their enemies but the zone had special properties to prevent the specific detail and only themselves or others who are group up with them can be identify. Rusic pulled out the carved loot and give it to them.
"Here are the loots I remade, take anything that could make yourself useful"
The police check Rusic's loots for appraising, they identify the carved loot as . . . The policewoman asks her partner.
"No details but unidentified scriptures"
Rusic complied
"It's carvings, not wordings. Just try it and know what they are"
The sound of the doorknob turning whereas U'ecin and Rusic quickly closed the door tight. Haw moved the suspect away to the corner and told to the police
"If you are not ready, then we will head out first and come get us later"
The door starts to bang where luminous light appeared from the edges and corners of the door. The policewoman gulp when sees it and her partner already picking the items he tries to test. Everything the policeman touches, it shows the previous stats but not the runes.
The policeman mumbled the words on the stats and said to his partner
"I hope our sleepy buddy could wake up, I read something really confusing"
The policewoman read the stats where it only describes enhanced magic items into something else. A burst coming from the door where Rusic reluctantly pushed the intruders away. U'ecin said to them
"Get your picks, we're heading out"
U'ecin didn't used any Rusic's loot, with only his suppressed equipment to join the fight. They said
"WAIT! We can't even understand anything about this"
Haw throws his glass vile near the door and caused an icicle illusion. It sees through on the side but the other side is nothing.
Haw prepares everything what the alchemy set has
"From what I heard from your citizens, try testing everything you have. There is nothing for you to do either fight or flight"
He left where the loud sounds kept going. Enemies roar by their abilities
"DRAWN THEM ALL!"
After that, the noise ceased. The policewoman tried to check what happened and got hit by the crystal wall.
"Shit!"
She tried to move around and saw nothing outside. The policeman saw a bump into the transparent icicle wall and holds his laughter
"Hey! We need to get ready . . ."
Lights burst out from outside, where he turned to see.
"It's them, how!?"
He rushed back and to use every loot he could muster before joining them.
He turned to look while his partner comes to get the loot.
"The owners of these items were . . ."
The policewoman replied
"From the outside"
The Enders rushed themselves to continue what they are supposed to do. The woman was placed to the corner of the window to see the fight, she remembered what Haw said to her when he carried her here.
"You know then learn"
An unsubtle quote from him made her stops and think for a minute. She thought
"I'm guessing I won't be messing with them, but my . . . No, I'll just try the finger on the forehead signal. Meeting against them later on will be my slowest death"
Going through the piles, both of them try to use it all. Improvements were not even put into details and they were overwhelmed. The police man tries to use first are the weapons,
“Weapons . . . huh”
These are no ordinary weapons, he showed her the basic utility tools he could show off to her. It impressive to see one of the piles is a toilet paper, the made its own special magic property for being a tentacle. The police woman remained silence and used the toilet paper, the release of the rolls unleased the runes within. Revealing its actual usefulness.
“2nd alteration, can be used as a grappling hook”
The police have their absolute mad gang members to use anything they could as a weapon. It made them worry who are those suspects are.
“Are we fighting against kids?”
“I won’t trying to understand why they join, but probably those are people who are separated when coming here”
They turn and check to the suspects and their partner, there is nothing else to think about now about these innovative magic items. Their last hope for this that the people they caught are young adults and not teens.
Outside of the secret room, where they were teleported where the entire gang meet up. The covered man saw three horsin of Enders, he was about to leave but he gave the signal to his recruits and let them go first.
"What you see there are the people you’re going to meet outside, remember them as they breach this city’s realm"
The traitor said to the recruits as the leader lectures them.
"Leave now, I will be helping our new allies. We are not losing our allies that quickly"
The recruits begin to leave but some were reluctant as they see people from Rune Isles for the first time.
The gang leader looks at the three, without any effort to understand what roles they are. U'ecin stared only a short distance, the area remained black and white put him not seeing well from afar. Rusic's chosen loots are on his hands where his baton is now combined it with the other magic items. Haw is pinching the substances from the alchemist set, where the only things are left are the powders and Rune Isles' substances. The gang look ready and one of them already prepared but in weak stances, others just pose like some gangster at them. The gang leader began to speak.
"Any last words"
The three stood silenced. Surrounded and all focus that are close to them, the gang leader gives a long look and slowly turned to anger. Each passing time of silence, the excitement yelled from the gangs.
"I can't take it anymore!"
They opened their ranged weapons and fire. Rusic opened his looted items, place on the ground, a piece of talisman, and with his baton to slam it to the ground. The talisman breaks and the fog appeared and blocking their view. Haw took a pinch of the Rune Isle substance and throw in the air. The projectile line appeared and solidify, where the fog hidden by the shooters' view.
The spray of the projectiles already hit them, but the damages weren't strong enough to put them down. Enduring such attacks, finally the projectiles weaken as it exposed by the fog and the same time weakening its effects and damages. Rusic gives them his looted healing items, while U'ecin and Haw checked all the projectile lines were all traced to the shooters. The gangs raised their magic to blow away the fog, it persists but moved like some kind of cloud. The wind caught the other gang from the fog, once they are covered by it, the sounds of fighting are coming out.
Rusic quickly battered down his enemies once the fog reached them. They cast their magic but getting pulled from their trigger finger, the ranged weapons they are using were stringed by their used mana entangled between them and their magic. U'ecin pulled their fingers or hands to his direction, losing their casting.
"AH! . . ."
The sounds of struggle came so quickly quiets out. The gangs switch to melee and charges in. Their wind magic changes its direction upward, they charged in but there was nothing there. Looking confused and even the ones who got caught by the fog are gone. Surprised
"What the? Where are they?"
Meanwhile, Rusic carried all of them with his looted bag and stolen wings. Rusic tricked them where the fog being blown, it was the talisman nullify the magic where his runes overturned by its presence. With everyone trapped inside the looted bag, they were taken out quickly by U'ecin with them, taken their weapon during the incident. Silenced where the magic line reached their mouths. They thought
"How!?"
U'ecin watched them baffled where he used their weapons against them. Haw's Rune Isles' substance had played its role, solidifying the mana by leeching the source. Hasten the consumption to the mind, while taken their weapons to extend the flow of mana as their own.
U'ecin struck them down like paper, loosening his stance as if he misses, this new profound power has its flaws for him. He strikes without any chance for them to breathe. They were struck but no wounds or blood for him to see, believing the reality of their powers, and lose their conscience when they reached their limit. The weapons he wields soon to vanish where the true owners are out cold. It was done and Haw ceased to the extend. A small amount was enough for them to take down, and Haw look at U'ecin with caution pretext.
"There is no keeping secret what we saw here"
Rusic pulled them out from the bag where everyone is out and fall to the ground. The people below dodge away. The magic line solidified and pulled their hands back where they positioned. Rusic pulled it and slam them any chances he got with his loot, along with their hands wielding a weapon. They can't pull back from their own brute force. The magic line held a steady grip, and caused their mana to share with Rusic's runes. Together with Rusic's rune and their mana, he made a groundbreaking slam. The ground shakes and forcing them ruptured inside their mana flow. Causing a strange interaction between runes and neutral mana.
They are blown and fainted after that strange attack. The gang leader and the remaining gang to leave them astonish from what happen in a short minute.
"Are these weak people they are talking about?"
The mage and the gang leader only saw the fog but the knockback and shaking on the ground made them certain that those three are powerful. The covered man had enough of the fight where he hid.
"Leave now, I knew those magic items were going too good to those people"
They saw the fog move and remained stubborn as they witnessed their fallen gangs were out and not dead.
The gang leader saw the magic line from his men and said to the last few standing gangs.
"Go to the mask man, I don't want my girls be taken away"
They flustered
"Stop being a prince charming, you think we can't handle him"
"YES! . . ."
The covered man appeared where the fog stops.
". . . By the way those guys' hand are concerning"
The fog started to activate the magic line and pulled them in. A quick powerful pull, they can't resist and felt drained. The covered man dashes in to them with his double images to cut the line. The lines broke and a powerful backlash coming from the gangs. A scream of pain as their mana flow was severed.
U'ecin and the others saw covered man cutting off the magic line as if they face a familiar foe. The movements they saw and the images it appeared to cut it off leaving the side effect from destroying the mana flow. They stop and preparing for the next attack, or wait for those police to get out. Removing the mana flow, had made them forced into their own strategical approached and Rusic need a good beating to even taken them out. U'ecin said to Haw
"You realized that set had lethal dosage, handed it over to me"
"I already made my mistake with the bag, we shouldn't continue like this"
"Edan, we are going to leave this place without them. Besides, that man covering his face managed to hide us in this black and white zone"
"These substances are from Rune Isles, and I am assigned recruiting for our guild without suspicion"
U'ecin was clearly inside the city for the past week or so, chances are that he managed to get his hand on them. He stared at him then look at the direction to his belief. Rusic explained to Haw
"We have no choice lad, I can’t even decapitate them without a proper rune"
The three check on their surroundings, the images continue on and carried only remaining gangs, women, out from the fight.
The covered man is standing in front of the fog and with the gang leader siding with him. The gang leader said to the last standing woman. "Bring those bitches out of here, they don't deserve my mistakes"
"You son of a"
"NOW!!"
The gang woman got frighten by his sheer voice. She quickly follows what she is told to do and open the secret portal out. The fog throws out a gem at the portal and caused a disruption.
"NO! The portal"
The gang leader rushed to help her to kept it opened and the covered man already charged in to the fog.
"Leader! The portal is weakening me, save me"
He ignored her plea and the images brought the women into the portal. She started to faint, and the portal was switched to his control. He pushed her to the portal and they escaped. The disruption gem was switch on to him and endure its effects. His thought
"If we managed to get out of here, I'd be a laughing stock that I'm just here for the girls. Then at least none of my boys would be taken to the police. He went back in as he leaps towards them with the gem's side effects. The covered man is now inside the fog, showing his skills where they are not ready to face. Throwing of substances on him where he catches it and redirects to Rusic.
"Cursed hands! This is not"
The rune writings were erased by the substance. Covered man's agile moves and counters U'ecin's punches and grab him to the ground. Haw pulled out the flasks and quickly throws to the ground. The covered man sent his images to catch it before it breaks, and another image took away Haw's sets. Haw with no other skills left, he grabs the sets for any chance to open its dangerous compartments. More images appeared and brawl him to the ground. Rusic tried to use his runes for any chance to land a hit. The covered man got hit and continue to grab Rusic runes to disarm the chances of him getting severed.
Rusic's strong arm pulled him up and slam on the ground, but the covered man held firm. The gang leader appeared and landed on the ground. U'ecin stands up and tried to flee.
"Oh no you don't"
The gang leader jump on him, and U'ecin pulled out the needles and aim on the head. The gang leader blocks with his magic shield and the needle spilling out his mana. The small drop is enough for U'ecin to shatter his defensive abilities with his hidden weapon, a taser. The taser hits his head, giving him a shock and stun him. The gang leader was underestimating him, without realizing what he did to him. The taser is clearly from the authorities.
Gang leader's second wind, instantly restoring him, pulled him up and manages to grab U'ecin's head and slammed it to the ground. He then stomps his foot to his chest. U'ecin's ribs cracked and losing conscious with only a short moment his breath.
"Weak"
Down and out, the gang leader himself spoke to himself in a fist gripping moment.
"I have not come here to lose my boys"
Rusic's runes are fading away where the alchemist set is used against him. The fluid substance is melting the rune writings made his power weakening drastically. He finally realized who they are facing off. The covered man had his chances slides his kick to Rusic's knees and trip him down on the ground.
He raised his leg high and slam it down to Rusic's guts. Rusic can't endure the perfect hit, his weak spots are already exposed and the man kept focusing it. Rusic gritted his teeth and his body paralyzed after each blow. Rusic look at the man moving so familiar and the attacks he performed is identical like an old enemy had returned. He turned his eyes seeing Haw being dangled around by the movement of the images before him. Continuing the beating that Haw was supposed to fall down. Punched him down and beat him back up, an endless routine. Rusic spout out to covered man and said
"You Rebellious Yuts".
The gang leader stops as the covered man didn’t give them the finishing blow. Haw was already out, seeing so predictable that he has no physical combat experience. The two, the covered man and the gang leader, look at each other, face to mask face, the gang leader thought of beaten them. But his boys are need of help. Unconscious and look severely wounded, but their body has no sign of wound but their mana severed. Through his senses of magic, it felt like they are dead, but touching their pulses as they are alive with their powers recovering. The leader felt relief.
“I heard him calling you a rebellion, are you really one of us or?”
“There is no need, I have my own gang to take care of. They will be the ones who will decide who am I allowed to be”
“Yeah, it doesn’t sound my kind of people”
The two stared at each other, with no showing for having a nice conversation. The gang leader still has some grudges by the fallen Enders, he feels like killing after their pyrrhic victory. Losing his gangs, through their gears, equipment, and dignity. It wasn’t enough for him to satisfy as a victory as their enemy are only three of them.