COI C205
Ironno prepares his scrolls for the next 3 hours for the next night. Self-learning is what he expected for them to learn, but he had to face so much critiques so far. Guildmember is with him along with the minds of others sensing their concerns.
“They are childish, amazingly childish”
Rare words to a guildmember to talk in short verses. Then his blabbering held strong.
“A team cannot escape from the habits of the simulation. It shouldn’t share by the likes of them from ours. Even though they have the other one. No Enders will provide a sense of reality because of needless adaptation to counter daily . . .”
Punished to hear with every word he says, the students are still with them trying to remember what they did. It was a thrill to them to know how they could do, but seldom did it thanks to their distraction of voices in their heads. His guild themselves are not treating kindly to them as they give so much until the wipe. They know, and they won’t give them the specific way to use the dusts to manipulate it effectively. Berserker was the truer ones than the rest. He can manipulate the dusts. It needs a certain amount of mana control will make into an ability.
“. . . Ironno, I know it will be Haw’s responsibility on their part, but you are the only one with realistic survivability than Haw’s. His commando strategy will always being aggressive combining the fact that they wore power armors. Of course, you’re focusing building defenses, how about learning their skills instead being self-taught. Clang*”
Guildmember hears it again in his thoughts. At the same moment, the two guild members returned with a message.
“The veteran is here”
Ironno sighs in relief “Finally, the real trainer is here”
Guildmember hears Voldemyr’s thoughts, shouting in every possible way to his head non-stop. Gathering with the other Raker Mawns’ teachings that quick to forget. Voldemyr reaches his voice to all non-servient under Daygen’s.
“You all wants to see how they use our powers. Or did you all trying baiting them out for the rest of manhunts like me to get it done quick?”
A slight of guilt coming from Juela. Her gullible nature proceeds to go through their conscience. This made him more disappointed.
Voldemyr had trespassed inside the ruins of Mihayara. Along with Haw by his side, the two have the very right to get this training done. The rain drenches them into the mud of the dusts, filled with little pieces of shards to thorn their every joints. They made a makeshift workshop as their journey to their saferoom, not using the convenience to fast travel, and step forth to the wilderness to ease Voldemyr’s bastard like comments.
Voldemyr strictly told Haw “Repeat the same training you did in your first day. Don’t let this laziness called self-training go through them. They don’t deserve the repetition that we all have”
Haw pulls out his new set of equipment for the trainers to fight against. A punishment rather than a reward. They received too much and lacks alongside with experience. The powers they use is indeed incredible, but useless at the end where Voldemyr witnessed the irony. He gives all the heavy things to Haw. While Haw took a few potions for him to carry it on his own. Voldemyr slaps Haw’s alternative drinks from Isekai City.
“Take this, you really need your profession. We must test them”
The team finally see Haw since before the last siege. Joanne froze such a sight to see him. The man told by many city guild adventurers. The iconic crossbow held firm with the gear attached to the latch. The mechanism going along with it is repeater modification. Fully made of runes that the adventurers notice it and tried to replicate, but they failed. She walks in front and bows to him.
“Voldemyr, it is an honor to see you in person”
He mimics her gestures “As I to see who knows me with respect. Raise your head, don’t be showing respect after what you have done in Haw’s absence”
Joanne hears his strict tone. Their first meeting left a disapproving tone. She stands up and whispers to Miyusuki
“Hey! Why is he mad, in all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know? This is the first time to meet this guy”
They push him towards them as they are confused as him. In front and his head lays lower below his height. Slightly downward as he could see Voldemyr’s face. This height reminds him with Oue. He can’t help himself and said to him without thinking.
“Are you related to Oue?”
His team was dumbfounded that they are facing a man with intimidating armed wear. The dusts can’t touch his leather armor, carrying rune weapons, from Voldemyr’s dirt and stains give off a dark blue terrifying presence, and this what displayed a fully equipped Enders before them. Voldemyr shakes his head slowly and intimidatingly. The shield student’s friends are reaching the back of their heads with fear and amazed at the same time. The strong presence of Voldemyr’s silence broke as he needs to speak to them.
“I am not here to chat, and I have entered your city bringing my prohibited equipment before you”
Joanne tries to speak out, but his strict hand gesture made her hesitant. He continues
“How long did they teach you such foolish practices?”
Foolishness, such a word never come to their heads. They thought this training is better than staying in the evacuation area. That line though wasn’t a lie. Healer realized it and said to the shield student.
“Now he said it. Did teacher Ironno taught something important than provide us only the protect us from the dusts?”
Ironno knows that Voldemyr is glaring at him. The typical attitude of a defender has no knowledge of other roles of the students. Giving only the utilities they need have shown nothing to improve. His patience still endured this lousy training they were given and said to them in a stern voice.
“Why not try to test in a trial from your experience against me and Haw then?”
The students stared right at him as if he is offering himself to be the training dummy. Joanne steps forward and asks him
“Sir! I mean, you think it is rather dangerous. Our training is over for the night and . . .”
Voldemyr brought out a magic orb from his bag. The cage chamber used by the huntsmen. With little adjustment that replicates the arena experience in Isekai City. Haw did his best to satisfy Voldemyr’s request in this orb. They analyzed it with their UI, and Berserker feels like a gift to try it out for fun instead understanding the test he needs to prove to him. He arrogantly said
“Well, we are being tested to fight him. I actually want to see him what he can do, but us having a trial with him, I mean, against him. I would love to try it out”
Overconfident bears to the boy’s attitude. Joanne is not acting confident than she should. Puma is next to her giving the same doubts as her.
Arsenal leans to Healer as she too is worried “Are we going to test ourselves?”
Healer looks at Voldemyr’s and Haw’s equipment set. Fully made Enders and freshly made from what he can see. Too clean for their tools and consumables used, those items they have, from what he expected, are crafted. He remembers teacher Haw teaching them how to craft. This familiar elegance showed that they are really going to fight.
“Sorry Arsenal, but I think I would like to try them on”
“What? Joanne! Shield! Are you guys are really going to let them fight the man who saves countless adventurers? They said he is dangerous than any of the S ranks”
Haw turns to Voldemyr for confirmation. The silence again, and nothing else but focus in his eyes on the student. Hiding away from the expression inside his helm. Ironno and Guildmember can’t stop him what he wanted to do. Guildmember’s telepathy reached to them.
“It is late, and these younglings need to return home. They must be . . . Ah, the shield student start to change his mind. Why . . .”
The shield student broke the telepathy and honestly said to Voldemyr. “I think it is better to try, right? We met the Enders. I think they are criminals”
“And here you are, luckily escaped before anything happened to you all. Those two Enders I tracked. They are hunting, no, they are poaching the lives of many people both local and the citizens”
Hulyir and Ka’zei, they are infamous for being the purge against the demon and the people who served them. They come here to purge the looting, along with the unfortunate citizens who come across.
The students heard him as if they are truly going to die if they weren’t use the scroll timer to escape. Berserker can’t help that they are being in the bad ends. Soon more of them starts to realize their accomplishments are not as successful as they remember. They keep on losing and the first time they made it real is now become a dream thanks to the guildmember’s sharing of thoughts. They realized that they too are not accomplishing anything. Arsenal sees them getting determined as she is being forced to join Voldemyr’s test.
Arsenal said “What do we gain to test ourselves against them?”
Haw answers her “To realized how prepared we are under the Jigeram’s light. We will be your examples when we are fully equipped with what the city forbade us to bring. This orb will hide the gore and other disfigured scene when we test you. Understand the reality that the recruit must face. He must learn this as your last hope is to survive in this world”
Everyone turns their heads to the shield student. His expression was a bit hesitant, but his body is reaching to the limits where Sanquin’s blessing is interacting his body.
Voldemyr exposes the hidden aura decaying the mana he had to reach the young boy’s head. The orb is channeling, revealing that they never thought to be seen. Joanne reads through her UI and what’s going on. The details were extra phenomenal.
“Miyusuki?! You’re actually have no mana left in you, but the readings made a small discovery that you are building up your own mana”
“I know, I know that. Haw told me about it, but I need to be fit first before . . .”
Voldemyr answers him “Before your body get exhausted after Sanquin will reunite your mana back”
“What?! I didn’t know that”
Guildmember can’t stop them revealing the true intention of Sanquin’s steps for the shield student. Their minds are protected. The shield’s student blessed by Sanquin herself and Voldemyr’s protected head gear.
Sanquin is reaching out to him and stop him trying to help her. “It’s fine, he is ready”
Voldemyr says to the shield student. “It is about time to learn under the Enders standards. If you wish to be gone to the beyond, then test it here. With your friends or without them. I won’t be leaving you all here to realize the amateurs you truly are”
The orb finished creating the chamber. It changes afterwards with the blink of their eyes. An arena, nostalgic for them to be inside again to do some duels. Now it is used for this trial. Berserker and the others had finally realized what they are missing with their training. The experience to the end. Losing is a life for them to end. This makes them cowardly and use and utilities they have to escape. Rescued too many times and no consequences to scar them.
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Voldemyr and Haw are not that lucky. Past adventurers made them who they are and all other else they survived it through. The students know Haw’s failures. The volunteering incident and the rumors of him being in the hospital during the last siege. That rumor was burning in hellfire. Ironno and the other Raker Mawns offer themselves to test them. Voldemyr stops them. Showing a specific magic item before them, they moved back a bit and let them do their test.
One of the student’s device rings. It was Joanne, embarrassed and ruined the moment. She quickly answers it
“Hey Sis! Don’t call me during my friend’s training”
“Yeah, you’re facing Voldemyr. Send me the location . . .”
Joanne hangs up and turned off her device. This knowledge that is about Voldemyr is here in the city will be a huge show for every adventurer trying to meet him. This is her chance to realize how worried her older sister to her and why she keeps her inside the city than experience the world outside.
Everyone is ready, both sides. 2 to 5, unfair from what they see. But Haw and Voldemyr didn’t complained.
Voldemyr begins teaching them “You’re here to learn how this going to be when fighting among people. Comparing fighting monsters and someone is more difficult than your usual competition. Now try what you usually do and found out what’s wrong during combat”
Voldemyr positions moved at the back and Haw slightly to the front, and the two them are fairly far back from the students.
Arsenal has the advantage and readies her gun. Haw throws his potions to the ground and rises both dusts and smoke. She fires her weapon passing through the smoke and shattering the dusts as it crystalized. Voldemyr and Haw ducks down and collecting the shards blown off from Arsenal firing range. They took a good number of itinto bolts and fired back. Arsenal dodges away and the others spread out from the explosive shard shots.
“How did they do that?”
Berserker sees what’s going on “That’s impressive, we should surround them, Shield. Let’s go!”
The shield student and the Berserker are taking the flanks. From each side as they passed through the smoke. They both step some puddles on their feet then forced to slip where they are about to stop. Haw throws a line to where the end of the thread to each side. The middle of the line is attached to Voldemyr crossbow, aims upward, then fired. The two is being latched by the line whereas it emitting mana clings the fluid on the ground. It traces and reaches on their feet and got caught. Their legs getting tugged then eventually pulled where the crossbow fired. They flung to the air where Joanne attacks in the middle for a surprise attack.
The line caught her and being wrapped around by the two, keep swinging around as the both of them are spinning around tying Joanne up. They fall to the ground and slides in front of them. Haw quickly reacts and throw some explosives close to them. The fuse lights up as their aura lit them. Its sensitive fuse quickly burns faster as it gets closer to them. The shield student reaches out his gauntlet and caught a few. It explodes in his gauntlet absorbing the damage, then more of them rolling by as he can’t reach it. The three closes their eyes as it almost explodes.
Healer throws crumbled papers to the ground absorbing the bombs from exploding. The mana it gathered is being siphoned away to his crumbled papers. Voldemyr fires the crumbled paper with his shard bolts. A precise shot and it crystallized the paper. Healer sees it crystallized and quickly directs the crumbled paper to them. The papers blasted out to the two Enders, almost reaching the edges of its pointy shrapnel of papers. Crystallized and it almost reaching to their faces. Haw catches its pieces and put it together.
After observing what he finds, Voldemyr quickly resets the match. The orb imitates the same segment of sequences when the fight is about to end or stops when needed. The three returns back from the very start. Voldemyr commented on their initiation.
“Impressive work, you did what you can do to take advantage with the smoke. But you seem not to realize the distance we have is the advantage. Using speed magic is great idea, but it is getting predictable in my experience when fighting against your traitors. Have you tried to use something else?”
Speed magic is now obsolete it seems. Joanne is the fastest and get caught by it. Healer and Arsenal was supposed to buff them when they are close in melee range. But they seem have failed that the primary attacker was Joanne. Getting caught so easily is making them try harder next time. Their plan didn’t work because the distance is too far apart, and the same smokescreen tactic will work for them when they decide to charge at them. Berserker switches to range weapon and try to use his throwing axes.
He makes a plan “Ok, Shield will be protecting us from his range attack. We will be just shooting in range like them”
Joanne raises her hand “Do you think it will work?”
“That guy is using a crossbow. I think we have the fire power, but he has the impact”
Healer thought about it “That man has a lot of stuff in his back down to his boots. I’m curious. What else is on him?”
Joanne warned them “Believe me, I have my sister’s telling story about him. He is always well prepared”
Berserker ignore her “Or maybe because back then they are using only neutral mana. We got runes on our sides”
He grins while they have their doubts. They stay cautious as they watch to the other side. Haw also has his equipment in check.
Second try, Voldemyr’s test sees they are not improving very well. The predictable tactics such as speed is already becoming a bore.
He whispers to Haw “If it wasn’t for the recruit continue pursuing for Sanquin’s standards. I may be the one who will be dragging out the boy outside of the city under this moon cycle”
“Even after the siege of this city?”
“It is better sheltered somewhere besides here. You know who I am talking about”
“I already know, I’m still be the one who will train him”
“Your partner did the lousy job without knowing their roles”
“We all are responsible”
“Even during that time, he is not capable to learn”
“I may not know you. For Ironno and I have suffered so much prohibition”
“Myrrkei told me about it. This place is indeed no escape to use your potential. Sigh* I admit my mistake. And their mistakes are better worse than mine”
They returned back to the fight. The atmosphere starts to change a little bit. This time the air turns sour. Voldemyr and Haw bring out the equipment they made to see how far they could able to handle them.
Healer stops for a moment as they show their real items. A grit to his teeth and his eyes stated the obvious. No easy tricks as they are in the least exposed chamber. Berserker and the shield student complain their friend hesitating.
“What are you doing, Healer? Your channeling is almost done”
“Yeah, me and Berserker were hoping something good with your buffs”
Healer had succeeded to use this spell in the simulation. It was one of the few successful spells was able to breakthrough against the simulated Enders. Yet, those two are wearing something he didn’t know.
Arsenal pointed out by using her identify. It pops out on her UI, Healer leans to her, and couldn’t believe what they have brought. They are wearing something that can manipulate their spells into their control. A magic item, a very scary one in his eyes along with Arsenal. Steadily trying to give distance for the both of them, into two groups. The trio boys and the duo girls.
Both of them shared the info and said “Their mask that breathes our magic then exhales into a fiery breath”
Joanne remembers about it from one of the city adventurers. An item was made of their own materials in this city. Voldemyr had it from their torn clothing. Sown into resemble as a mask, delicate to look at, but when it touches their magic. Strange reactions happening in between the magic defense of their cloth into a deflecting counter magic. By Voldemyr’s breath, he blows a mist or breath from his mouth with effective damage. This makes the two of the girls go far away from the boys.
Healer sees them distancing from them. He starts to change the idea of staying away from a counter magic breath into their own analysis.
“We need to split up, their masks can do aoe damage”
The shield student is confused “But we are supposed to use range attacks, aren’t we?”
Berserker insists “We can’t do anything but to learn what that guy teaches us. Going into the defensive is not going to be good for me. The simulation had so much painful memories when they initiate”
A bolt passes through in their direction nearly hitting them. The boys turned around while Voldemyr teaches them “More time you hesitated, the greater the chance when your enemy is prepared. See what I did to shoot my crystal shards. You give me time to reload, what if I brought more dangerous than that? Huh!”
The strict tone is reaching to their ears. The three should react, and the first who is going to do it is the shield student. His throwing knives are charging up with his gauntlet, together with it, he throws at them with the same speed as Arsenal’s shots.
Straight as lightning bolt, the overwhelming auras of the shield student’s throwing dagger drastically aims at his target. Taking action with a roar so loudly, and the outside of the chamber heard inside the saferoom. It stopped, it got caught, and everything it had inside of tremendous might to put into it becomes worthless. Voldemyr catches it with his own hand, twist it as he was being pulled then swings around to maintain the momentum. The throwing dagger returns to him like it was nothing. The team was shocked, losing their morale by one sight.
Voldemyr breathes out from the student’s strength. His glove that caught the throwing dagger is being burnt in the inside. Feeling it on his skin is the sign of weighing down its durability, he said to Haw
“You see that, Haw. They were dumbfounded from deception. They even continue to . . .!”
The rest of the team fires back while the shield student hesitated from what he had saw.
Haw replies “Irony?”
“No”
Both of them throws their potions to the ground and forced their spells to absorbed down to the ground. They then step away from the throwing axes and the bullets.
The team is getting out of options as the potions on the ground start to react. The mist of their magic used and the crystallized dusts are mixing. Mysterious essences roaming to the vapor gives a worrisome view.
Berserker said to his team “Someone identify that thing. I’ll be covering us from their attacks”
Arsenal joined him “Right! Ootadakimasu, use that scroll of yours”
The two of them shoots at them, trying to hold off before anything happened to the mist. The shield student shakes his head and returned to the fight, and Joanne on his side, they both prepared what they are facing against the mist.
“Come on, come on. They really dodge my attacks even I keep adjusting my RAP in mid fight”
Berserker barely hitting them. They are going behind the mist getting his views blocked from his target. Arsenal accurately hits her target, but they seem to know where they landed.
“Me too, they are truly are adventurers in this world”
The team is taken a more serious approach, throwing everything they got with needless amounts of abilities start to tire them out. That’s what they are supposed to expect, attrition.
From the other side of the enemy’s team, both Haw and Voldemyr are going beyond their limits. The potion they drank before coming here is now excreted off their bodies. The fluids thrown out as sweat and their internal bodies are forced seeping into the potions as replacement for its quenching thirst. Signs of side effects filling into their blood streams as their bodies blurred and their flesh felt light, making their insides feel the exposure to the environment. The taste of burns from their sensitive neurons. Persisting the illusion of their pains as their enemies’ losing confidence.
The Healer finished identifying the mist, and he quickly surrenders. “It’s no use, when it explodes there is a sack of dusts inside. All of us will be crystallized”
Berserker felt something inside of his head, not giving up. His friend saying to surrender as their chances are so close while their enemies are not fighting back. He jumps in as he keeps throwing his axes.
“AAH!”
Joanne reaches him out, but the shield student pulls her back.
“We can’t!”
“But it’s your friend who . . .”
She gazes at his eyes as the look he had in the simulation, the face of already take the hit and admit defeat.
The mist bursts out and the dusts spread everywhere begins to collect it. It overwhelmed, and the potions extend it further beyond, tracing the mana to the source. The Berserker made it to pass through the mist and hit Haw out of desperation. The axes stack to his body as he begins to strike down. Voldemyr forced to take drastic measure as his partner is getting gutted. Berserker’s rage is beyond the limits as he breaks himself into his own selfish opportunity. Haw falls down and forced to use his dust potions to cover himself in crystallized chamber.
Saved in the cocoon, Berserker desperately keep attacking at the crystalized shell. Voldemyr quickly hits Berserker’s head before both of them get crystallized. Berserker’s body is clouded with the dust and the mana he had in him was internally cut. They later consumed by it. The team was ingulfed with the dusts as they lost conscious. The chamber quickly stops them before anything happened to them. The second trial was over, and the match had forced into incidental draw.
The trial reversed their conditions but their memories in experienced such fight remains. Haw is acting as if he was bearing the throwing axes on his body. Berserker had it worse, Voldemyr smacks him at the back continuously. Not because what he did with Haw, but the way he is acted mindlessly to the front without realizing the situation he was in. It is obviously the mist they couldn’t fight against. It is true what the Healer said, and with no time to explain as it quickly bursts out along the dusts. His quick thinking made him realized the usage of the Jigeram’s light.
Voldemyr in his strict tone to Berserker’s ear, and while Berserker can’t raise his stats up from his loud voice next to his ignorant ears.
“Desperation, and you don’t know how your people were easily face their tragic end. Feel this pain to your head. Never forget it what I say to here!”
“Aah! My ears. I get it, so please stop shouting at my ears”
“No . . .”
A long loud calming rejection from Voldemyr’s voice. Where his hands gripping on Berserker’s neck, showing that his mana flow is blocked and can’t go through his body. Destroying the young boy’s strength to use his abilities.
They lost, and witnessed what are the problems they will have when facing the Enders. Tragedy or not, Joanne heard such stories from her sister. She understands it but no weight fell to her heart without facing it herself. Now witnessing in front of Berserker’s mana flow cut when the dusts reach him. The ways of the Horsin did to stop the city adventurers were costly, but when there are dusts around and someone mastered it, this will lead to many drawbacks as they venture through the dusty wasteland. Deep breathes as she finally feels her older sister’s warning.
“I never thought it seriously . . .”
Haw approaches and breaks the chamber. The Raker Mawn guild members saw the younglings are breaking their will out their first experienced of a true warfare in Rune Isles. Better to taste the worse than the easiness of this region. They have their own problems who are trespassing this city. All four of Daygen’s guild members stood here, besides the other two Raker Mawns. These four have so much to do here. Surprisingly, the common team numbers of four. Two back lines and two fronts. Two hybrids, Haw and Voldemyr, and two of ones for the front and back, Ironno and Guildmember, are here to start that they never realize.
It was late, the students didn’t return home because of certain dangers. They are too deep in the Taiyou Industries and the passage to other saferooms are pre-occupied, it is indeed a questionable excuse for them. Yet, the students are seemed to be happy to hear it. Returning to the evacuation areas are their place to stay away now. The Raker Mawns have no choice but to bring them to the island. They transported them along with the two Raker Mawns. Leaving only with Haw, Voldemyr, Ironno, and Guildmember. Once they are gone, they started their conversation with a lot of critique.
Haw speaks first “I have a lot of questions of your training, Ironno. But my new concern is you, Guildmember. An informant to be here means dire warnings”
Guildmember speaks through his telepathy, it was long and all ends quick in a blink of the eye.
Ironno heard it clear “Still, those younglings are still able to get through against them besides the Enders”
Voldemyr sighs in disbelief and regretfully seeing him ignoring the importance of those citizens “Now I understand why Daygen let you do what you have to do. Those saferooms were not the best of your intentions. You made up to balance your incompetence”
Ironno is truly on the defensive tactics. Unfortunately, the citizens have no enact of taking such luxury to build it by hand. Labor is still be a required skill, but they need to survive from already attacking force. All the citizens need to do is to fight their demons, strong enough to give interest to certain demons who have common interest with them. Like Lady Hivites, because the rests were greedier than all of them didn’t know. Sanquin and Lilith are the examples who said to themselves are satisfied. Lying to themselves that the shield student is their little helper, this means he is fated to kill.