COI C88
A few days passed after the incident, long days ahead for many people heading to the depths that leads to the surface near Isekai City’s border. The realization of the roots originated from the east mountain itself made everyone wonder why. The roots known to be geophyte plants, and they have no surface plant but can only found under 100m deep from the surface. The difference is as of now, the Alga’s light is diminishing and forced to rise up to the surface. Not knowing that the city barrier also includes underneath, reaching the barrier out of coincidence.
Myrrkei was not sure how to express his discovery, a barrier that phase through the ground. The foundation of the entire city should’ve been their assets of protecting their surface ground. They did great to have a more powerful barrier, but mana is still the resource and how these roots intend to survive. On the other note
“Through Haw’s old map and the new one added, thanks to the survivors who had the information at hand. We are sure that the roots were gathered by the presence of magic near here. It leads many monsters forced to go there as others eat those abysmal things”
Emerald reads his notes, gathering new information of many possibilities would happen. Already declared as many adventurers left with a big bounty on their hands. The last few days were troubling, but they seem to be happy enough to get more out of it just to find new places through the depths. She reads one of the possible outcomes
“Are sure it will happen? A demon subordinate will attack this place once they gathered the monsters it made to the surface”
“It’s been so long for all of us and even the elves dug through it. The Jigeram would be the one to settle their numbers, and that barrier can bring them there for nourishment”
She pulls out her device and sees the video of the barrier is already being walled with roots now, the dust outside is nothing crucial for their well-being, and looking at the caravan from Enders Bridge and Agatheus City are unloading the resources they needed. It is the race of time when the invasion will occur.
“My city got something in mind about them”
“That would be yours to secure your city, and as for me, I am already heading in”
Myrrkei walks down to the hole where the roots reside, withering down from the dust, one stomp shatters it down and fall with more struggled roots on his feet. He takes his breath.
“When that train ever reach to the city, the first batch should be the ‘dust’ we need. Monsters in this region are not capable to survive from it”
Emerald watched him closely as he steadily keeps stomping the withering roots, and while next the barrier where the rest of the roots are already clinging on it. Emerald and the other researchers find a reading where they stand. Dangerous reading, where they tried to move back, the roots started uprooted from the ground and stretching towards them. It almost reaches them to its tip but starts to chip off and sheds itself to dust.
The researcher was surprised by the sudden heart of roots to suddenly appeared right in front of them. Emerald looks at Myrrkei as he is standing on it, now bends he knees to check it. He stands up with his pen covered with dust.
“A new born, it’s already been 10 days. I guess this must mean something else. Do you agree?”
They don’t know what he meant and remained silent. They are glad he dealt it before it attacked. Myrrkei then instructs the other researchers
“Did the other survivor finally been found?”
“No Sir, I recommend asking them instead of us”
“Apologies, I have so much to learn about your roles”
It is hell to venture through the underground network to east mountain, remnants of crumbling routes through somewhat dangerous journey. The man and Voldemyr travelled through these dark passages and the things the citizen will go mad going up and down in the abyssal labyrinth. Not this one, he held his device as he still getting carried through. The horrors, the numbers, and the persistent hunt from the dead body, it was all under few days. Yet he had done so much information found beneath further under the dungeon.
He compares the outdated map, inside the dungeon. Now outside of it, all locations had been found with the recorded video reaches more than a minute. They were a handful bunch, painful, but handle well with Voldemyr’s help. Resting through the hours with no sunlight, his pleasing eyes are bearable and wished for the failsafe to function once again. Yet, it still there and the aura is spreading or persist it on him like a curse. He had the information and the pay will plentiful for him to live off a bit. However, he starts to doubt. How long he was here, and how many they already discovered without him knowing.
Voldemyr is on his side giving him the piece of ration from his bag. It is edible and dry to the least. The taste is unfamiliar and only the water he drinks keeps him clean off from the exposure. He sees Voldemyr’s map, they are close but not safe when they travel this far. No straight paths, corner to corner to move around like ants as many are connected for them to get lost. A surprising pain for his stagnated body. Carried this far was easy enough, but his legs are getting too long to be numb and hardly anything to keep him bearing pain on his broken leg.
“Is there anyone out there in east mountain?”
“A lot, many elves are probably at the surface. After seeing a demon puppet freed, I guess other demons thought it was their time to free theirs”
“Bite* Mmph, those demons, what can I expect from them? You mentioned they are not always looking horrifying”
“More like strong on their own right, they won’t show their true selves. They already lost before, and they try to use what they have for now. We might find one when that dead puppet keeps releasing its demonic presence”
“Gulp* Ah, I can feel the monster is coming for us now”
The roots are springing up from the wall where they rest their backs. It is here and they begin to leave.
Its voice echoes through the cave, the man already shut off the translation but still hears its voice. Its unnerving to his ears, while Voldemyr carefully takes his step as he carried him.
“Cilius hylte fle mor ed mana”
None of them understand what it said, but something did react across the wall. As they all pack up and go to the other side. The sounds of stone being grind as they see the wall starts to shift and crumbling down. The dead body falls down and something appeared, big and sturdy with its glow shining through its body.
Another demon’s puppet, Voldemyr moved back from it as it continues to pummel the dead body. Its crumbled body collapse while the thing continues. It quickly falls apart to dirt leaving a floating crystal behind, then it wonders away. The man managed to take the picture
“What is that?”
“That demons’ puppets I told you about”
“It’s big and attacking one of their own kind”
“You don’t get it what demons are in this world, don’t you?”
“We have our own fantasy characters but not from this world”
“I should’ve thought about it when your people should know about your threats. Yet, they are plentiful”
“You mean demons fighting demons”
“Does your world have the same kind fighting each other?”
The man paused a bit, it is the obvious reaction. His mind thought this world are in truce to each other now after the apocalypse, except for the goblins. Not in this world, he answers
“You’re right, hey!”
Voldemyr carried him further to the surface as they see more demon puppets are moving freely in this part of the level.
“No time to tell story, the elves are not here”
“How do you know?”
“There shouldn’t be any enemies when someone is heading through here. This is the complex route where most elves sealed them here”
Through the man’s scouting ability, he found more than he thought. It was yesterday, when he lost the dead body’s location. After trying to go around and find the heart of the roots, it eventually got there as they left. Soon, he thought they have the upper hand once it gets lost, but now there are more of them. The golem appeared without him knowing, when the dead body got attacked by it and leave. He takes aim, the monster is moving in around the tunnels as it circling through the walls and ceiling then forward to them. Voldemyr quickly ducks down as he almost shoots.
He turns his gaze and see what happened. Another demon’s puppet, coming their way. It paused in mid-air as it only moves its head. A bird like monster without its wings, its size is big as a raptor. Worn out feathers and its expression were lifeless, truly made and not a living creature. Its magic phases through in the line through its body as if it is being scanned itself. Its claws climb through the ceiling, the motion as it peck to the ground. Upward as it looks at them upside down. Its paused body begins to move again where Voldemyr stood still.
The dead body appeared before them then get hit from by the bird like demon. Voldemyr rushes forward as the man watch what happened. The bird thing switches its legs from the ceiling to the ground. Leaving the head in place and teleported its limbs where it needed to go efficiently, pierced through the dead body by its big heavy beak. The dead body fell down immediately and the bird’s wooden body impales it as it is dancing on it. A strange phenomenon. Voldemyr took a strong turn as the man sees the last bit of their fight, the bird thing teleported its body in reverse. It is chasing them.
Its loud magic kept teleporting its body except it heads in any direction as the head is its center. The reflex moves around as the head is steady and kept it motionless, letting only the body to proceed forward. Its beak aims at its prey as it only moves it to strike, in motion how it turns only directly forward, everything it do in a straight path. Neither the tunnels’ unleveled bumps, corners, and tight paths, its body keeps teleporting and changing its shape. Through the flash of light, manufactured feathers and unknown wooden frames were seen.
The man’s curious eyes witness a competitive monster as its body teleporting to any direction. He takes aim, and fires at the motionless beak. It bops its head where it used its magic, so fast as he can’t land a hit. More bolts coming through, other bolts for blocking its way. It strangely moved like a squid, squeezing through as it magics used to where the momentum in good speed. He quickly reaches to Voldemyr’s belt getting the explosives.
“Can I take these?”
“You want to test what happen, better take a video if you want to see a closer look”
The man gets curious, a big leap coming from Voldemyr as they reach to another underground landscape. Elven structures and grown vegetation, kept this place lit up. He throws the explosives as this is the right chance. While jumping to the air, the bird thing made it out and leap forward. Its flightless wings flap as if it has one, using the momentum of its body forward. The beak aims directly at them as it moves faster than them, the explosives triggered and dusts appeared underneath its feet. The bird rotates its head in a full vertical revolution, peck the crystallize limbs through and back to where its beak be. Without ceasing itself from slowing down, reaching closely to them.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Voldemyr lands on the vines and moved to the side, and brings up his dagger. The man sees the bird thing in motion so close to them, Voldemyr parries it and the man fires it. The bird teleports its body, leaving no space for its parried head bounces off the vines. It fell down as it continue to fall in mid-air, keeping flashing its body to find the reach for solid area to cling to. Voldemyr climbs up, where they are near a safe room of the elves. They entered a shrine with a special plant produces fresh food and purified dew on its leaves.
The man recorded it what happened and it was 10 seconds. Jumping through the air then land on the vines as it attacks, then finally fell to what ground down to the abyss. He managed to record all of that. He wonders
“Heavy breathing* What in the god damn hell was that?”
“First, mind your words. This is the elves sacred grounds”
“Sorry”
“Alright, that bird is always been here for a long time. It’s some sort of magic bird to only its body but the head is definitely merged with demonic weapon. Don’t think of it as a bird, you already seen how it moves”
He takes his device again watch the whole thing, it was short and even edit the video to have a closer look from it. The bird didn’t move its head no matter what, but the body keep changing where its feet can easily move forward. He paused where the part of its legs is in the opposite to each other, one from upper left side while the other is down at the right side. That’s when they got through the tight crack, he rewinds again where he and Voldemyr got through. They made it somehow where the veteran goes through first and yank him without getting drag from the edges.
The man gets himself another surprised moment. “How do you even go through those tight obstacles?”
“Multiple times, I have my experience with underground cracks and small spaces”
The two lied down and look at the elven tree, more likely fungus to what they see. However, the plant is rather unique as the man tries to touch one of the fruits. It decays as he touched it, he let it go and it quickly recovers.
“I’ve seen enough of this fantasy settings”
“. . .”
“I know you won’t understand what I mean, and I’m too new of this new environment”
“Don’t worry, as long as we understand each other as we fight, talking in miscellaneous topics are the least I am worried”
Remain hiding, the man checks the time how long did they travel. It’s been few hours since they ran . . . Voldemyr ran that far. Questions piled up, but quickly he dismissed it out of boring thoughts. He had no doubt that the stamina potion would be the example for his marathon while he carried him. Voldemyr stayed quiet for a bit as he took a peek outside, sparks conflict coming through here as they seem to have brought more monsters coming through here. This awkward silent put the man in suspense where the loud noises are nothing from the bird or the dead body. East mountain is truly hides something dangerous.
They get back to their plan. “It is a matter of time when we get back to the surface. These creatures are possessed with demonic influence. Where the elves are not here and the other wanderers are not leaving notes within this place. Look at here”
The man looks what behinds him as there are pieces of paper pinned with splinters as pins. He brings his device up and translate them all. It takes a bit of time, but the monsters outside are getting the place surrounded. Hoping for the veteran is not to be this stupid to head out, their last days were annoying with the same monster over and over again. Now those are new and he probably knew them.
The translation is done and begins to read it. “Everyone, relocate to the west and help Isekai City in its surrounding forest. Stay hidden in the meantime, our sisters were always getting surrounded by them for some reason”
The man hides his embarrassed face, “Why would everyone want to look at the elves and even crowding them up as if they are planning to escape? Even through in social media as they got exposed when they were distracting the elves during their work. That was something most won’t do”
He checks on the others.
“Humiskis and Highlights are indirectly planning something about the defense. The boyz are already left because of other problems they have, except in the fort. We won’t be attending the party as we decide to head back. This place is slowly returning to wilderness as the roots are going south”
The man raises his eyes not understanding the translation, most goblin terms are getting better but there are few mistakes here and there. Voldemyr on the other hand responds what he read.
“They were already gone for nearly a week. What were they doing in those time? They seem they are mobilizing”
He responds “Then can we still escape from all these monsters”
“Not anymore, I’ve seen one of the demon puppets freely move and go. Then I guessed we are stuck here with the rest of our rations”
“Are you even . . . I don’t want to hear it, dang it. When will it end? I hope this place is protected”
“It is protected, but how about you? Can you managed to get stranded here?”
“I guess, what else am I going to do here? Waiting will make me go mad and playing games with my phone offline made me bored faster. I need to pass the time or else I’m trapped out of boredom”
Volemyr laughs “Boredom!? That’s a strange say when you are surrounded with demons”
The man sarcastically laughs back “Heheh . . . eew”
Slowly saying it after with disgust, he has faults and nothing else worries for him is his scouting abilities, as he already tracked them all in a big radius. It looks like the monsters are heavily occupied chasing that dead body, now it finally fled back to where it came from, close to the dungeons. He still questions why all of the demon puppets were bullying it and more aggressively than them, on the other hand the bird thing is simple enough to fight it. After discovering its maneuverability and magic, it would be easy to take it down. The annoying part it would come back like the dead body did.
“Anyway, how do you deal against those monsters?”
“It’s a puppet, get the puppeteer but they hid beneath the ground. Too deep and unsatisfiable to go through to get them out, I came here to scout out what happened to the Horsin adventurers. I went through the broken crust beneath the west coast”
“There’s also a way there”
“Yes, if you know the damage in geography in a wide radius gathering the world’s land beneath the surface. Which the path I took needs to be in the depth between 500 or more meters down below”
“I can’t imagine if that even be real. Without the supports of the from multiple layers of the world’s crust. It should’ve sink down to the bottom to the core and mantle”
“I guess that’s why the forest continue to stretch its earthly roots throughout the region”
“A tree that held entire region stay in place to the surface, that size made me hard to believe”
“I am with you on that, but that’s what I thought when I dive down under the surface of Rune Isles. It is too complicated how far it has nothing below but stay afloat to the surface”
Voldemyr gives him the map how he got there to here.
Three sets of maps with different proportion in the geographical landscape. It would take this veteran, days, if he goes up, down, or all around the underground network. Voldemyr continues
“You’d be surprised how many hidden posts just like this that can teleport you one place to the other, but I don’t how to use them”
“Yeah, I guess so . . .”
A light comes from his belt where a piece of paper lit up, the man sees it as Voldemyr pulled it out. He opens it up and a message appeared.
“What is that?”
“A message, probably coming from my guild . . . Strange, she is going here alone”
“Who is she?”
“Someone who had ventured your city once, and quite strange that she going through here instead going to the fort. There was one of our members who left the city, days ago”
Voldemyr read the message as it has a favor, more so strange to read the details as the city’s situation is now in dire need of help. The city is being breached from east mountain. It is difficult to dealt with as it is going to be waves of monsters coming through there.
The message says “Ready yourself for the next few months to the last moon cycle, words got out among the elves that this is the opportunity they have waiting for. The trapped souls are desperate to gather where only the puppets are left in the overgrown mountain. The extinct animals are following to the route to the north path of Isekai City. This is the opportunity to have where the undergrown possessed rare ores. I hope you are one of the posts, because you won’t be getting out when you are in the vicinity under 100m deep”
Voldemyr asks the man. “How deep we are in?”
“Let me check . . . Wait a minute, we are already under 30m deep. We’re almost there!”
He looks around where the puppets are all here, 100m deep, his mind boggled and seem to be not convince. However, 30m deep, then this place should have a sealed elven gateway.
“I know where we are”
“Really?”
Voldemyr raises his hand, the glove on his hand touches the tree trunk. It opens a secret room as they go in. Once they are there, the man smells fresh air leaking through the ceiling. A sunlight barely reaches its ray through here. They are so close, as the man waits for Voldemyr what to do next. He opens a crate with something at hand.
Voldemyr said to him “You can go through here with your magic, I’ll be staying here and do some personal work”
The man’s device finally has signal and a few drops of dust coming through where the leak is. However, this tree post managed to withstood it for some reason. Without him noticing as he shakes his head and look at among the leaves. It carries droplets of clean water. He was amazed how complex it is as he saw a wooden made filtration system. The leaves are the filters and the water it gathered look clean, out of his curious take on it. He touches it and gives a little taste.
A strong bitter taste, a strange feeling coming from his body as he felt a bit light headed. He looks at the map where the east mountain is and while looking at it is the questionable river near it. His eyes can’t describe how far it managed to bring it here.
“The water is coming from the dwarves’ alcoholic river banks. Does the plants drink this stuff?”
“Through Alga’s light, yes”
Voldemyr sets up the materials he needs while the man goes up to the surface. Open through the wooden board as he is free from the cave. His silent scream for joy as his broken leg quickly heals without him realizing it. He can head back to the city now.
“Thank you! Oh, finally this shit is over”
“Again, with that word, I’m starting to believe you said it religiously”
The man finally laughs from the same nonsense after those few days travelling together. Voldemyr opens the crates as he pulled the ores out to his arms. The man returns his equipment and notice the materials he had. His eyes focused on it as the veteran prepares the forge. The man’s device on hand and with the internet managed to get through the forest. He remembers the job he had, if he brings the parts needed and resume his job. He will finally get his job back and continue training inside the city guild sphere.
His foot is now on the surface, where the area he looks and using survey abilities in between. The monsters are here, dangerous in both means hidden and attacking in different packs. The monsters are looking at him as he is passing through on by the secret entrance. It moved around him or away as the other monsters here have no interest on him during the dust fall. A strange feeling for him compared in the undergrown, actual animal behavior he thought. He decides to move backward going back inside the elven post.
Voldemyr sees him coming back here, looking to find a way to say to him. Neither had thought to have a chance to have proper conversation except about the goofy subjects and dangers had happened here. He didn’t say, but the man spokes out curiously
“I am wondering, where do you get these raw metals?”
“It’s been compiled for a long time now. It was started since the elves needed help”
“Could you mind to let me have a bit of it?”
“I don’t mind, would you mind if I help you want to do with it?”
The man paused a bit and everything he had mind would be selling it, but idea had before to make the parts was wishful thinking.
They cooperate one more time, where Voldemyr has no idea of his complex designs and machinery. He gets something wrong from his perspective.
“Interesting, you were not thinking of making equipment or repairs but manufacturing. I might able to forge it, but I need help to assemble it”
The man looks at the picture of the stall with the cooking stove, it is mostly making street foods with the all-purposed cook anything under one stove. If his memories served him right, he can make a multi-purpose stove with runes and magic.
If anything, to suffice, they probably have the technology and the knowledge they need to understand their modern technology. Voldemyr was not all experience in many of the world’s knowledge, he has the experience but not the expert of making a magic stove. Voldemyr read the design and the instruction, too simple as materials have magical properties. “I’m going nowhere if I continue to read this. I have to send the message to them if we get it to make it”
Somewhere from the far west side of the region, the person who send the message is still inside the underground post. Along with other two Raker Mawn members as they are ready as they received request from the elves. Kiege and Sanquin watch the woman already drew and wrote every little to the basic details. They look at her at her back already crouching down with her both hands draw and write, it’s her unique hobby in most things. If they see her doing this, it must be related on craftsmanship. Kiege said to her
“Voldemyr got someone commissioning to make a machine, right?”
Sanquin lead her magic vision close to her work “A machine that cooks, truly from Isekai City”
A woman as she is continue working, she too was surprised from the schematics and the materials needed to make it. But it will interact horribly with magic regards to temperatures. Adjusting a bit to make the commission easy, she stops a bit and remind herself about the other citizen
“Certainly so, and I would love to hear that self-fearing magic caster to be here and help us. It’s her home city is in danger”
Sanquin laughs of her childish words “Of all the people she fears, she fears you the most. Even I can’t go near her as she already knew my power”
Kiege didn’t laugh kept her face in an unsatisfiable expression “I guess her powers could see yours without any effort to hide it from her”
The woman finishes what she was asked for, though, she is curious of someone wanting it.
“Voldemyr has a knack on never know their names. He didn’t know our new member is a citizen for months including they trained together throughout her time in the sphere”
“It’s true ‘Oue’ . . .”
Sanquin mispronounced her name. Kiege helps her “It pronounces as Yui. I don’t how we still can’t pronounce your nam, Yui, it feels like you are foreigner”
Oue turns around then look at them as she tells her full first name “It’s Oue'jhnr”
Kiege quickly responds “Yui”
Oue flustered as Sanquin sees again her childish expression.
She turns around again and finishing the message back to Voldemyr, with the quick use of her magic, it sends as fast as like the device from Tabitha. Kiege continues
“If you guys are keeping yourself busy here, I’m heading out first. I have received telepathic message again and I need to get going”
Sanquin blissfully heard her and replied with her teasing gesture. “Oh my, she sends you alone without letting her special tool with you. Myrrkei did mention him to be her special bed mate”
Kiege responds happily with her grin showing openly, once she closes the door, her face turns disgusted and nothing for her to beat Sanquin’s playful comments on Tabitha and Archivist’s interaction.
Tabitha called her “The dead body you mentioned, it is returning back to the dungeons. You said Voldemyr was there with that monster”
“It was yesterday, sort of, it could’ve been problematic if it returned sooner. Anyway, we received his response. He is already at the surface and somehow it didn’t follow them there”
“I’m worried, from where you are now, I hope you and the others will help them. Right?”
“If I can”
“I hope so . . .”
Kiege going down to the tunnels where the signal is lost. She stared where the dusts are all piled up and crystallize. A battle was fought here and the withered roots are everywhere. Left overs behind across the area is filled with loots she as her whispering voice guessed it
“Citizens were here”