COI C204
Able to venture from the underground to reach the city, too fast and unrealistic. Guildmember had spread his telepathy through his guild from the Jigeram’s light. Once again to go against the terrible mana negating moonlight. Many enemies come here to scrap what they have find after the siege. Meddling the life of another city state, and already collecting the dusts as this man is here. Suited differently, but still carries his iconic crossbow and the height that is less than average. Enemies are everywhere, and no spot to see the fight ends or start, but left with a clean empty road.
The short footsteps resist the crystallization as the man walks like it is snow. The man runs deep into the fallen city barrier where the ampstalk tree fell. He looks to the west of the city. It is clear there is no attack over there. The enemies are mostly focusing in this industrial area. The battlefield though, ruined with remains that is not wipe clean after the battle. They retreat because of the exposure, and the people who collect the bodies were the allies of this city.
Now hidden inside where the brigands, the more experience and dangerous individuals. There was no sight of blood nor fresh bodies lying in crystals. They have managed to hide away the presence of this city’s finest securities. Or was it because their securities couldn’t go against this level of Jigeram’s light. The ruins next to the breached barrier had already show signs of work to be done. Once it is done, they will see secrets emerged hiding beneath their very streets.
The short man stops, tracks that looks promising at the same time dangerous to be found. Where he sees strange glow in this battlefield, he feels something not right. Enders were here, both a phenomenon and infamous. It still though, no bodies to be found. Only left he could possibly see is blood. Shamanism wonders about causing chaos to the other side. He took his steps where he heard by his guild, a station somewhere he was told without direction. Then something happened on the dusts. A trail of water going through, pure water.
The trail led to one of the saferooms. No, the trail leads to somewhere else. With his sharp eyes, he finds someone familiar. A man without any weapons on hand. A weapon will always identify which Enders he remembered thus far. Ironno with his pickaxe, Enders Rusic (dwarves) with his hammer, two infamous Enders, and Haw. He checks the ground and expect to be the infamous Enders. Criminals and seem to be able to carry their weapons without the prohibition. A trace of a sword and multiple threads with the other. The short man guessed for the worse.
“The younglings will be facing them. Tonight, they won’t”
Someone comes closer to him due to his occupied time on the tracks. Continuing dropping plastic bottles after bottles, the man who left some water on the ground reveals himself.
“Voldemyr, I knew you won’t be ignoring the mistakes”
“Haw Edan, you heard the man with the hat”
“I don’t know if he still wears it. A mass telepathy like that shows he is now linking with the entire guild. The kids are getting involved”
“That is why I am here. The training alone must be Enders altogether. Not by the mind. We must keep our secrets”
“Our resources for him are all belittle at the same time urgent for others. You know he was provided too much”
“It all because this city is becoming powerful and dangerous as we stay”
The obedient Haw against a veteran knows what training truly is. The circumstances are here between the two. Haw intends to help the shield student build his own strength. While he didn’t believe the boy wasn’t given anything to survive this world. He has his lore gathered by one of the citizens trapped through the roots and demons’ puppets themselves. He learned that what they lack and surprisingly able to prosper as they deserved to leave this world. The flaw of this city has its detrimental for the boy’s future. He saw it, the boy lacks to be the people of Horsin.
Beneath the dusts as the two endure the exposure. Both guaranteed of their lack of mana within them at the same time enduring the what the shards materialized on their skins. A destructive noise coming from the distance, it is best for the both of them to enter the safe room. Once they both in inside, there they meet the two of the other Raker Mawn Guild. None of these guild members who are involved with Daygen. Without any hesitation, they raised their weapons against them. Their own guild is causing a situation to turn against each other.
The two quickly explain to the them. “Hold! Guildmember have already told you through his telepathy and!”
A chain thrown at them. Haw takes the end while Voldemyr goes at them from behind. Their differences broke, united by honoring the guild master’s command. The chains stretch in between the two guild members. They remained calm and let the two takes action. The chain breaks shattering the hidden chain link possessing with magic spells.
They bring out a simple cloth and collect them before it unleashes its spell. Sealed inside by a cloth silence it before the broken chain links release. Both Haw and Voldemyr remained stubborn until the cloth eventually fully nullifies it. Giving a message to them both as they are proof of allowed to be here. The two guild members said again
“We are accompanied here by Guildmember, the guild master’s chosen companion into this city. This is not about us disobeying Lord Lori’es’ the usual moon cycle rally to the bridge. You two already know why you are armed against us”
True that they couldn’t respond. Voldemyr is here along with the other known manhunt Enders. They know they are here, but too close to the city is made it harder for them to chase those burdened brigands. He comes here because of the collaboration of other non-members. It is forbidden even its allies with at least one single Enders. He knows much more their psyche than they could possibly believe. They are vulnerable to the voices. The voice they will hear besides Guildmember himself.
“I can understand, Voldemyr, you already meet one of them and even before during their failure travels to east coast. But you must not ignore that we all have the same target as far as you know”
Voldemyr speaks who he had tracked outside of the saferoom “Hulyir and Ka’zei. Those are the two I assumed to be on my tracks”
Both of them turns around at the opposite side, looking at Haw. He complies with him in great fear. Lacks an expression for Haw, but the shakes still tremor on his hands. Both seem to know and faced them before.
Meanwhile for the students, Berserker is running deep into Taiyou Industries. They go through the industrial agriculture close to the Mihayara District. Rebuilt to maintain a steady amount of food supply for the citizens, and preserved their livestock and vegetations from their world. There are still people there guarding it with their lives. The workers of the industries spotted the boy and called out to him in rage.
“Hey KID! Get out from the dusts!”
Berserker was spotted and tries to go back to the fog. The angry workers tried to bring him inside, but the harsh dusts barely them getting out under few meters distance. They were not supposed to get out.
One troublesome kid goes out into the dusts without realizing he was there long enough to reach the limits of their exposure. They have concern to anyone who ventured out. The call to anyone to get that kid out from here. Berserker runs back to his team, pretending as if there is no problem. They are acting suspicious, but moves along as their mind is hearing the words of the Raker Mawn guild members. They are getting excited what powers they could have if they are professional as the Enders.
A call is answered from the workers. Silfa comes in last with Maser. He was caught off guard as he was following her younger sister. Thought to be a dangerous man. Allies of the city defense and neighbor reside to the island, Maser joined them by accident. Walking along as they are searching for them. Silfa questions him again
“Are you sure they are training? My Puma is ecstatic and the spirits are not that jolly from what I’m concerning of”
“Mine is a favor from Haw, and yet, personally. I want to know if they are ready”
Gemina is here who is with them before, and this man is the obvious in her eyes. The way that Joanne is trying her best to be as strong as her sister, and venturing through the most dangerous moon cycle. At the same time to be the best idea they could need of help to survive against it. They heard news about it with the low ranked adventurers. Gemina fasts forward with her elemental magic to Silfa’s side and said,
“Don’t you worry, it’s Miyusuki”
Silfa turns her head showing no interest of him. Her worries are not those kids, and all her mind straight focusing only her younger sister. In her UI, she is receiving Puma’s dialogue making a few messages for its master.
“Powers provided by a trusted being. Good spirits are trusting him. My boyz are entrusting her gift. Alone, into the vast deadlands”
Each phrase was different tone from the other. She reads it with her UI’s able to voice it through Puma’s voice. Her concerns grew that she is definitely alone.
“We should be watch over them . . .” Spoken like a big sister.
Joanne’s team has finished receiving whom they are shared their mind with. Now ready to go through the time limit and into the dusty wasteland. Where the glow still persists. Carefully took their shared mind to the test, challenging themselves, and guided to best of their abilities. Developing so slowly, they are confident as of now. Their enemies are still far away. The shield student wasn’t having an issue. He sees that his team is slowing down as they reach the first glow.
“Say? Are you guys getting light headed or something?”
“No shit, I am getting lessons in my head how to deal with the exposure” Berserker is thrilled with excitement. Balanced out from the pain with shards while passed through the wasteland.
“So far, it seems all of us got the idea too” Healer nodding to himself
“It’s kind of cool, in my head is someone as sweet as the old lady taken care of me from afar” Holly looks relief and cheery
“. . .” Joanne stood silence as she looks like she has the same expression as if her sister is already looking for her.
Miyusuki had already seen that expression and let it slide for a moment. The other three are still getting along to themselves through guildmember’s telepathy. Soon he is going to check what are these glowing things connecting to his gem. He took his first attempt into the glowing light. A voice whispers to him, neither were those three girls who trained him nor Guildmember himself. The words spoken foreign and his translation on his device fell poorly. The gem tempts him to continue as what purpose done, they given him the gem from the very start.
He remembers it clearly under the light rain of the dusts mix with the bomb. R-cord was there given to him for his own training. He shakes his head as he had forgotten what about it. Without even a single glance of his action already attempting his gem on the mysterious glow. It flashes, turns into a small ball of light matching the size of a bead then sucked into the gem, ending the glow. The object inside the gem consumed the light, and nothing happened.
The shield student was a bit disappointed. Yui is speaking through his head
“Fascinating”
“How so, Oue?”
“Ooh, I feel so love to hear you say that with that childish voice”
“Come on, I want to know what am I holding?”
“I intend to ignore it since I thought it was personal. While I can sense the stone is. You will forget about it, since Guildmember exposed you to the wrong contact”
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“Wrong contact? Oh yeah, we promised to have knowledge but forget afterwards” He doubts and frowned
“Unless, you can resist the mind wipe and keep the knowledge to yourself”
His expression quickly changes “Really? Is there magic involved? Wait, we could record and . . .”
“It might work, but easiness won’t stop him to erase your tricks along with it. Magic or not, your mind will be treated like a dream as you will unconsciously destroy it. And all of us contacting with you will also be a dream. There is one person who was able resist it. It’s your fellow guildmember from Isekai City”
“You mean Tabitha?”
“Yes, but she should be contacting you easily. I’m sure Guildmember knows. Hehee”
The slight laughter and Yui vanished, replaced by those two with her. The interactions between their minds are mixing with him and their personality. The obvious one to predict who always wanting to discredit Yui from getting too much of herself is Kiege. The faultiness is starting to get into his head, ironically again, from Yui. He can understand what it meant going through multiple thoughts at once and at the same time shares different mindsets that will boggles his mind in different ways.
Still, that little share of knowledge gives him the hint of this gem’s worth. “Both runes and shamanism put together. A terrifying magic it contains that only put together along with archscience, elven, and neutral mana . . .”
Slowly stopping to say more. What he is holding is a powerful item that he cannot realize that he is holding an important item for the future. Hearing them giving him warnings and he kept to himself, not letting others to know about it. Everything he needs to know only to himself. The gem whispers to him while all of this he had done made him tempted to find more.
Joanne senses someone is coming. Concentrating magic on her hand starts to flow rapidly before the dusts crystalized it. She realizes through the guidance of Spokesman with her mana control leads to her will power, under two minds together, and let him giving the paces she needs to use her abilities beneath the dusts. The dusts follow her magic getting crystallized after her release of her spell. Swiftly before being stoned, she casts her spell. She gets what she is searching for then says to her team.
“Let’s get going, I think we found those Enders who attacked us”
The team are not ready to face them. They plan only what else the enemies lie there. They have to stray away those Enders and other strong enemies in the wasteland. Healer and Berserker thought otherwise. Healer starts doing something his hands, bending the crystals together and spread it out. Berserker lays a few magic spells after the spread, then tracks outward giving him the small fragments of magic scent. Joanne and Holly watch their performance trying to figure out what did they done.
Joanne lied about who are they coming to them. Berserker smirks yet annoyed at the same time. The movement of his lips churn to the good and the bad, mix feelings that he can’t say much with ironic tone
“Sigh* Training . . .”
So moody, like a boy expects that this time they could train themselves, by themselves. He raises his voice, but no words are coming out except ripple visual soundwaves to the air. Healer steps in and stops Berserker being rude.
“Then use our training in the simulation. We should hide for now”
The shield student comes closer. Arsenal steps closer to Healer’s side.
He said to him “You know what we are doing, Ootadakimasu?”
Healer frowns at him from not saying the role name instead. Time wasn’t there side and he must react first before they are being spotted. He feels his feet is surging through his mana, painfully. Flowing deeper to the ground clearing away from the dusts with great strength. The dusts moves and the ground sinks them under. Healer made a miss to his control as his mind slightly leave the telepathy from Viste.
A noise fell them through and his team screams down under while the dusts are collected to top without bring crystalized. Healer is barely standing, and his knees are trembling leaking out mana that he never thought his body react like that. Berserker and the shield student come to his side holding him as he about to fall down.
Healer shouts “STOP!”
It was too late, they touch him. The shield student’s gauntlet vibrates then stops in motion as it siphons out the torrent of uncontrollable mana flow. Berserker reaches out then pushes into Healer and tripped himself away instead of bumping him. His mana feels like he was getting bent.
Arsenal was surprised and held hands on her mouth. The shock she witnesses where Healer is bending like Archivist in the water world, and now overwhelming them both of his friends. The gauntlet is trying to absorb him but it looks like it just cycling through like Healer is taking it back.
“Wow!”
Stunned by such ability, and all while the elderly voice hums her mind. Her expression changes from shock to in awe. Curiosity gets the best of her and the guidance in her conscience to go closer. She uses her mana to cast light near him. The light bends, then she stops where it only chips itself to a faded smoke flowing light.
The bended light turns watery glow then to air upward to the ceiling. Where the dusts can’t able to reach it. A silhouette of footprints appeared, small numbers of them, and Joanne expects to be them. Her older sister still didn’t want her to go along alone because of such opportunity with the Enders. She argued herself
“Why can’t she let me do my own thing? I am trying so hard being an adventurer”
Healer suddenly changes his stances. It spoofs her “Whoa! What’s going on in your head?”
The connections of the telepathy are doing well. Berserker with his anonymous is trying to break free from Healer’s bending. “It’s not fair that he uses teacher Archivist’s abilities”
The shield student finally breaks free from his gauntlet stopping in place in front of Healer “Phew* I don’t know whose mind you are using, but I’m sure there are more like Archivist”
“Yeah, well this is the guy reached out to me. He has some really grim fighting techniques”
Healer is getting a bit tired, his body to move like that especially he was instructed mentally to let his body to move with little mana. That’s where his body diminished, a sign of fatigue comes back to him, physical effort.
The footings from the above is gone. Healer let the dusts leak down as it starts falling like an hour glass. The dusts nearly reach to the Healer’s head, then it spreads without touching him nor his team. They elevate up to the surface as the dusts are filling below them as they are moving up. Joanne and the others watch Healer is acting more of a martial artist than they could describe with his hand gesturing like he is digging up and throwing to the ground. Then he bends up as if he tugs something big to the top. This is really impressive how he did it. His body is aching and healed with such coordination.
One strong tug and immediately they are out to the surface. Healer stand still and pulls out his healing potion, by just doing some bending had made his body aches from long postures and sudden movements that no amateurs could ever done in a single day. His mana leaks out tremendously and quickly crystalize around him. Trapped by his own mana release. The shield student broke it with his gauntlet. Freed with Healer’s expression returns to the shield student with discontent.
“It’s Healer, Shield. Cough*”
The shield student coughs with a laugh, Healer’s stubbornness is a like with him in a different way.
Evading in view from Joanne’s sister’s friends. They go to the opposite direction as they proceed to do their training. Time is getting short, and Berserker is getting twitching with excitement. They able to find someone hiding along with the glow. Agatheans, criminals from what their telepathy spoke of. With their own equipment to hide their identity, and preventing anyone to remember them as they forget after that. Their minds are piling up with suggestions and options. Berserker is being tempted.
His team starts to notice the obvious. Berserker’s anonymous is showing something grim to him. Mana starts to accommodate in his surroundings, the eyes never fooled to ones’ greatness of Rune Isles’ horrors. The young student took it to both of his hands, his dual weapons, urged the edges of his weapons in crystallized dust. Forbade to no circumstances, his mana can do so much now in his head. The edges of his dual weapons, his hand axes to only one. Berserker wields it, then the crystallized edges soon fall down to the ground with ability can’t hold it to his weapons.
He griefs “Fuck!”
His team was sweating. Never seen his mana can collaborate with dusts as phenomenal edges of both his weapons. The shield student laughs out of controllably, repeating the words in his head among the three voices.
“You hold his abilities!? You! Your name is Berserker and couldn’t control the rage of a man! What’s next? Trying to be a little weep and use tantrum on the ground and shake it”
He laughs without any contexts. Soon one by one, they hear it in their minds for references.
Berserker was both surprised and embarrassed “Wait a minute? I can do that!”
The anonymous tried to get Berserker to be as strong as any Enders they know. He wasn’t only showed any improvement, but the young boy is definitely had problems not knowing how to use his abilities into techniques. Treating what he wanted to do is to swing it and not properly took a stance or any weapon mastery. There is some, but he depends truly a large amount mana to have those skills to happen. The anonymous wasn’t disappointed, but amazed how the boy’s head is referencing too much of fiction battles like action movies.
The criminals from Agatheus City. Hiding inside Taiyou’s Industries area, building their hideouts under the dusts’ winds. The sound of the thunderous roar outside, another depressing rain while the glow bringing a light in their gazes. Tired and left with desperation to hide. They expect them to come, the notice among their ears is the dropping of crystals on the floor. It triggers their alarm. They tried to escape, but they found out those were citizens. They were glad that it was not them.
They were scavenging for sometimes now. The leftover of the demon faction put them at risk to loot what left in pieces. The Heroes Faction’s demon still acted out on the whim to get what they desired. The magic powers it contains from their collection to be brought to theirs. These criminals are their puppets; healthy and nourished, their souls locked and couldn’t be free. At will they belonged to them, knows nothing about them and assured themselves they couldn’t catch them. Except for the Enders for some reason.
Their entrance breached, too fast than the last time. What’s worse, they could taste Enders’ will among them. Unbelievable, they look around trying not to speak. The dangers they could predict against a hybrid of Enders and citizens. They sealed their mana, and expect the predictability of their enemies’ approach. The storm went in, both strong wind and rain together with dusts turned muddy crystals. These actions were not from the citizens at all. It was too fast, yet no brimming of their auras with obvious exposure through their senses.
Then it went silent. Fooled by the difference if they either be Enders or citizens. It felt too mixed and how they behave is not recognized by their masters’ warnings. The voice faint by one of them
“Men from Rune Isles”
A term that never been true to the minds of many Kinteinnou people. Enders have many people dissuade or even self-exiled to step foot of this place. Their hatred never stilled them for not getting through here, leaving mysteries for the people of this region whenever they fought them besides their outlaws.
“How?” They speak their last.
Puma and Fae-chan jump onto them, the criminals disappeared quickly and they left with crystallized dummies. They reappeared, they met Joanne and Berserker already attacking before they could react. Dual weapons slashes through their bodies ripping them apart. Berserker can see their tricks and set his stance, to the ripples of the mirage. He throws it with dusts and shattered what’s hidden from the illusion. The criminals smuggled items sprung open from its magical cases. Both from the city and the spoils from the siege.
It drops as the floor quakes. The criminals revealed themselves as their mana stretch deep and raised their mana potions to make their escape. Throwing it all to create a crystallized barrier. The potions cracked and leaks into a small trail. Joanne focuses on the potions and shatters it in the air. Blocking their view as it scattered in shards, they escaped.
“Damn it, my sister really meant they can’t be caught that easy. Holly!”
Gun fires through the crystals with only rain water. Acting like a laser just to cut through the crystallized wall. Joanne breaks through while Berserker goes over it.
The criminals tried to get their things quick before they lose it. Berserker strikes down. The trapped opens as he falls
“No fucking way!”
They use their scrolls to open a gateway. Throwing all of their things inside as it quickly closed up. Joanne breaks through from the back, trying to stop the gateway from closing. She tries to keep it open but the dusts consumed it before it even reopened. Failed even with the Raker Mawn guild’s guidance.
The criminals start to drained their own bodies away. Weakening themselves as their souls are released from their bodies. Escaping them in desperation, get away before the real engagement comes in. Healer and the shield student were at the back channeling Healer’s spell to get the dusts and the storm inside their hideout. The loud disappointment scream reaches out. Healer stops channeling his spell
“I guess we didn’t able to catch some bad guys”
“Just like the voices in our heads. Who is in the right mind for them to face us?”
Berserker comes out from the hideout and already starts the chase. “I’m not going to lose them!”
Joanne and Arsenal follow him. Healer was grabbed
“Holly?!!!”
Arsenal pulls him behind her. Then the shield student was grabbed by Berserker relentlessly.
“Are we really going to chase them?”
Joanne is near to his side “Berserker went nuts. He almost got his abilities going and so are we. There’s no stopping now”
Both Healer and the shield student were dumb founded by their sudden determination as their heads speaking to each other. They understand why, Healer has no interest of it.
“It’s going to be a dream anyway”
Berserker is collecting himself in the dusts. Already getting himself in a more dangerous situation. His senses grew dire and beastlike. The souls he was chasing are the criminals escaping. His eyes were keep looking in different direction. Until he finds the glow revealing wandering soul moving in the speed of light.
“Bingo”
Gathering his mind with his magic, the scroll by Ironno prevents the dusts to disrupt it. Breaking the passage of the souls to rematerialized back to their physical selves. They rolled against the dusts leaving mud into the watery glass puddles. Impaled like small needles, they stood up and fight back.
Berserker feels his body to move according what his head is trying to do. His RAP is trying to modify his stats to fit what the Enders in his head is trying to do. The dusts followed the open flow of his mana to his dual axes, throwing it senselessly as the crystals formed it together. The criminals were hit and crystalized at the same time. He drove them into his constant attacks getting hit and crystallized at the same time. His axes lose momentum and stuck in the air, crystallized. He takes his weapon and begin spinning causing a powerful blow repeating the process again.
Joanne made it first with the shield student. She immediately rises up to the air uses what magic he can do to coincide with the dusts. A dome is formed around them trapping the criminals inside, unleashing her abilities without hesitation. The criminals were beating to a pulp. Tearing their bodies apart, they thought they would not be going through the brutality that this world done. Now the citizens are becoming like them. Joanne pierced through to one of them. Impaled showing guts and blood spattered all over.
The shield student managed to get inside the dome. His gauntlet grabs one of them. Healer and Arsenal soon comes inside and saw the brutality.
“What is this?”
“Joanne! You’re killing someone! . . .?”
Arsenal thought she killed an Agathean in blood spilling down Joanne’s spear. But after seeing the pierced soul. The team was able to remove the secrets who they really are. Their heads hear one last voice. The scroll times up, and they left the dying criminals into the dusts.
Resetting what they could remember. Sealed away under the dome, the remains spilled everywhere and the glow kept them from vanishing into the dusty fog. The criminals’ voice spoke, no mouth to speak and no signs of life moving.
“Search those foolish minds, we cannot let them witness the secrets of our collections”
“They remember what we are, they cannot escape”
“Lady Hivites will know we are, we must track them down before they report this”
The students appeared inside the saferoom. Can’t remember, except feeling it was a dream. Berserker starts to forget his dreams and the fantasy that he could’ve done.
“Why didn’t let us remember it?!!”
Others thought so too, meanwhile Puma and Fae-chan weren’t affected by the memory wipe. They said to each other by the silent look. Deadlands’ name wasn’t even far and Fae-chan sees how they behave. Both nods as their team training is over for the night.