COI C197

At school, Miyusuki is busy thinking about his training soon. In his device consists of archscience designs, guides, and materials. It was not long that many of his classmates are looking at it. Fighting among each other whether it can be useful or not. Alche was also being called with the other teachers. One of them, Reya comes in and compares it with Haw’s book through the internet’s version. After a few comparisons later, Reya returns the book to them

“Alche, I don’t get it why I’m trying”

Alche just smiles at her confusion. He read it a bit and the difference are how they do it.

Haw relies modified tools for a specific means, while there is a version to use machine tools to get it done. However, Haw’s version is taken time to prepare it. Step by step process to carefully trying to combine all with little amount of it. Meanwhile the process of making theirs are dangerous.

“Reya, you should understand craftsmanship. It is a big different from industrial production”

“Like how a piece of stick turned into rituals then proceed to be bless by elven magic that creates end all be all”

“It is as close to reference to anime, don’t you think?”

Miyusuki’s classmates start huddling up around him. “Is your training doing well? Your performance inside the sphere is getting bad”

“Yeah, you are not so great in other regions. Then you showed up against those Enders by talking them up”

“Uh? You do know I was wearing a gauntlet. It wore down and they seem not getting closer to it. Dexter Guild is sure has reputation”

“But now you’re not using it in the sphere. What gives?”

Alche pulls out one of them from the conversation “There is no need to. Now we can see your friend going to face it without it. I was convinced that his equipment has to do with them being cautious. Others were beat up without you”

His classmates look at him beaming with expectation. They have faced Enders in the simulation, and given the mercy they were receiving. Short and simple; torturous punishment for the defense stats, easy to kill against the high-speed stats, and agonizing slow punching dummies at the backlines. Miyusuki watches his classmates and friends being the first target, while he was targeted last. The Enders know he has weak mana and no powers unleashed within except for his items. His friends were trying to use him as human shield, then later annoyed when the Enders casts a spell on the ground teleported him away. Too easy, barely even go deep into the bridge.

The next class starts, the same as always. In the simulation room, but set to the moon cycle they are cautious about. The fourth moon cycle, where the Jigeram’s light in its worse natural event have ever recorded. Quail will be their guide for a moment to teach about it. She didn’t stay long as everyone starts going their separate ways. It was been like this since the start. This new environment already putting them to the worse state, but cheated with a little side effect than the real thing. Quail still questions about it. If Haw was here, she might ask more how to deal with it.

The mix of intentions and in different interests. She understands the Enders provide helped to get their city to be strong against the nature of this world. Enders Bridge has their own defenses issued from Rune Isles. The question she is trying to know; Why leave this sphere to this school. It is too valuable, and Alche only tells her that if they able to lose it. It will return back to Rune Isles to the day when the spheres mysteriously vanished. Back in the siege, Alche was trying to use the sphere for different reason. All she can figure out are the simulations portrayed here. Bear in mind for her, this sphere constricted an actual artificial interaction.

“Teacher, we’re ready to go to the bridge”

A student told her as they are ready to go. Students from different classes are ready. The same student comes along and this time without his gauntlet.

“The shield student, I’m surprised you didn’t bring your gauntlet. I understand it runs out of power, but you seem to always carry it”

“Yeah, well I don’t. Now I want to feel what others are trying to compare before and after with my gauntlet”

They teleported themselves to the bridge, but one little sly familiar, Miyusuki’s doll, slip out again to see the simulation world. Again, the voice speaks to it.

“You’re still here again, little one” Quill speaks secretly into the simulation. The familiar stays quiet, then begin going to a different direction. A pathway secretly underground, to where it’s other self. Fae-chan, named after by Miyusuki, is more than just the doll for the children. Clearly meant for children, but this one has materials containing generations of secrets. Into the beneath of the soil, where it hides. The time where the rebuilding of a civilization closer to the bridge. Where it finds itself and should’ve been many Enders reside here.

Quill says to it “There is no need to bring out the people you have remembered. This is now the realm for the students to know”

It speaks “The youngling was given an item that no normal Enders should not fight against. The reality to fight Dexter Guild is the same soldiers from the desperate time. I’ve seen his struggle. This is not the training he deserved. He is too alone, and not normal for simple man to overcome. When will he learn to take this realm seriously?”

Fae-chan took out one from the familiars in the shelves. A mother’s note to her daughter. “Never be alone, together we escaped the past that never fulfilled”

The simulated Enders saw the young boy again, without the gauntlet. Alas, the time for this fight to be painful. They changed their equipment for the first time. Playing as fools to trick all the students of their pretentious will. One of them steps out, the simulated version updated the man that the school remembered. Simulated Haw enters with actual potions and other substance in hand. More of the Enders are appearing in groups. Quill, handling the sphere, is making them earn the experience they will face. U’ecin, Myrrkei, and Ironno. All three joined Haw.

Quill watch over them. The young boy didn’t bring the gauntlet and the consequence will bring to him and his schoolmates. The archscience is gone, and Quill found out a little bit about it from the simulated Haw. Mana consumptions, Enders always use potions, and they can use powerful healing with their scrolls. But these four together aren’t supports. They have some brutal abilities meant to slay. A gauntlet that consumed their destructive force, and it will able to beat all four? She humbly intrigued. Quill commended with Haw and effort to put it in this realm. Quill can feel the nostalgia of mortal slaughter.

Quail and the students’ teleportation were disrupted. Broken, shatters, and splitting them evenly in a given space. The unsuspecting students were caught by it. Other students feel it and try to react before the trap is sprung. Miyusuki pulls out his runic shield and the students who are closed to him snug closed tightly.

“Hey! I have a defense radius”

“Can’t see it in the middle of the teleportation”

“Yeah, this is the first time our transportation has been ambushed”

They were thrown out from the teleportation. Quail was the only one reach to their destination and sees the students are gone

“Oh no”

In the midst of the Jigeram’s light, the crystallized forest and the dusty wind. The students were not prepared a trapped that lead to this. The destination they should reach is protected, and even the journey with strong runes. It broke and now in numbers in a single line, too thin, and be picked by the end of thread. They tried to regroup. The dusts chased them into a perfect line. The Enders charges in and take their blunt weapons smashing through the students’ careless magic through the dusts. Their bodies covered in crystals soon shatters by the blunt. With their health too high, and the smite of the Enders’ finishing blow brutally breaking their limbs like glass.

Miyusuki raises his shield as he lays down a ring of protection stopping the exposure coming to them. The students with him and along with his friends are trying to help each other buffing his max mana. Together they turned the protection radius into a magic field. The runes they have able to stretch and breaks the crystals and the dust. Creating a powerful pillar revealing themselves to the enemies.

“Why are we using our ultimate!!!?”

“This is an ambushed, we must survive this like this is a real thing”

“It’s alright, we will respawn anyways. Right?”

The students hear them screaming from their deaths from afar. Every noise happens one at a time where every single one of them is taking down cleanly. Miyusuki is stressing out in his head trying to use magic from the constraints he had from the blessing. He told himself

“Come on, I’ve been kicking out because of my weak sealed mana. I have been training to the best of my abilities. Please body, resist it!”

He starts to feel relax as one of his friends heal him. A confident smile to his friend “Miyusuki, we’ll won’t let you down. Soon”

Miyusuki almost felt reassured until he said soon. “Soon?”

His friend leans away then pushes him from the firing bolts. The ‘soon’ wasn’t a figure of speech. They are still getting attacked.

“Shit! It’s the Enders”

“Figures! I knew they won’t be easy to beat”

“We need to win this. This is must be rare event”

They split up but stayed closer to the magic field. The Enders are waiting outside. The students spotted them in the open. The enemies stood as they didn’t react and waiting for the students to react. The students copied theirs and expecting for the worse. One of the students who are not with them is thrown to the magic field, lies flat where the wall appeared, pierced through his throat, and the victim left the sphere.

The wind, the dust flowing wind, trying to go through the magic field. The pillar forces it out. They remained as barbaric as they witness their classmates getting killed.

There they see one simulated Enders approached to them “The Jigeram’s light particles are the most difficult to fight against as it consumed all forms of mana. Except for runes”

The students recognize the figure. “It’s that the rat?”

Simulated Myrrkei is here observing the situation. He pulls out his potions shakes it by twirling. The students remained still, and prepared what he can do.

“Good” Myrrkei said it confidently and splashes it in the air then the dust turned into fog.

Their vision is blocked. The Enders go through with it and leaving themselves into the smoke. The student raises their magic shields. Rituals, runes, and neutral magic reach them and quickly breaks through. Other students pulled them to safety, grouping themselves closer for the Enders to maneuver closer. Tightly close together, the Enders throw their potions to release more smokes and mirrors. Blinding them to where their defense getting pierced all around them. Drumming them to feel the weight of their bodies go drop down to the ground. They resisted as much as they can whereas their body is slowly appearing with bruises.

“No! Damn it, not again. They are using the same trick to corner us . . .”

A pickaxe pierces through his shoulder blade, dropping him to the ground. A foot on his head and ripped the bones connecting to his shoulder. He disappears before the excruciating pain torn apart his bones.

“That’s Teacher Ironno, simulated?!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

They used their powerful spell but soon struck with a devastated drop to their top head. U’ecin’s polearm hits perfectly before the spell to release. Their defenses ignored by the sheer monstrous land of his weapon. The students quickly disappeared before any of their guts or bones crushed.

The attacks never ceased as the coordination of the Enders’ side is gradually coming. Signs of their schoolmates were defeated leaving the mist with strange colored fumes around. One person juggling some potions, he moves the potions as it is being mix in quick secessions. Miyusuki sees him. All of them see him. The silence put them in disbelief. Simulated Haw appeared with the group. Ironno slowly breaking through with his pickaxe. Myrrkei did nothing but watch the fight turned into a clean slaughter.

Enders are coming closer, Miyusuki and the others have no chance to fight the mist. They are trapped. The walls they create is useless, they tried to push it. The Enders pushing the walls back slightly and almost breaking through by U’ecin and Ironno. They can’t defend themselves for long, and only left they could do now is going for the counterattack. Hesitated and feared what those guys can do. They broke their defensive position. They charge forward. Haw throws his potions to the ground to their feet. Making them harder to walk on the moist ground.

They use their magic to dry it. The chemical reacts on their mana while the runes are resisted it. Rituals rose up from the ground and grabbed them. Sinking and drowning them into the mud. Miyusuki raises his runic shield and bash the Enders. He pushes them away from his schoolmates caught by the mud. He picks up his daggers and throw to anyone who is closer to them. A pickaxe comes close to him and able to block it. Both runes entwined, and Ironno’s pickaxe bounces off. U’ecin follows at the shield student’s back pierces him with his polearm.

The intense strike of the polearm was resisted and Miyusuki keeps going throwing his daggers and deflecting their attacks with his shield. After a continues attack at his back, his body starts to break. Potions spread everywhere. Enders herded them separately. Miyusuki is surrounded by two Enders focusing only his weak spots. Crushing them under the rain of the dusts. The two Enders soon slowly moving as the sounds of the crystallization starts cracking. Miyusuki finally has the chance and bashes them. Ironno pushes back while U’ecin dodges him and retreats back.

The chemicals are getting thicker poisoning his schoolmates, reaching their resisting limits. Their ultimate can’t do a thing against it. Their spells were contaminated by the potions leaving them sick by Haw’s crazy mixes. The cooldown of their ultimate is closing near, and one student who buffed Miyusuki’s protective radius is now using it on the identify scroll. He casts it with all his focus until he was struck down.

“Protect the identify scroll, we need to know everything what’s going on here”

Miyusuki rushes there, but tripped by U’ecin as he turning his back. On the ground as they hammered him down. His shield held strong, but his normal strength can’t endure it. All of them are struggling leaving others spreading like wild fire, getting beaten up a fraction of their numbers by a well-timed ambush. The students they taken down first are the tanks, leaving the strongest left standing. Without the hindrance of stalling time, the strong students were getting cornered by their own spells.

His friends weren’t given up, they able to grabbed the scroll and throws anyone who are left standing. The potions are thrown at them to stop the scroll from activating. Playing keep away until most of them are dropping like flies. Miyusuki sees one of them left throws up in the air as it is almost completing identifying. Miyusuki, the shield student is the only one left lying on the ground. The runic shield did its best to stop the blow. The scroll is the only thing they need to know about their tactics. He throws away the shield and run to catch it.

A hit to his leg, he tumbles and rushes to the scroll. The Enders are focusing their magic to stop it. The scroll, buffed with the ultimate, trying to resist any attack they come across. Miyusuki runs, exposed, and feel the strikes hitting him to the side by Ironno’s pickaxe. The pain was so real and somehow the realm didn’t let him leave this realm yet. Continue on as the smoke from Myrrkei reaches to his lungs. The chemicals from Haw, the magic mixed with his schoolmates’ magic only feel the burns down on his skin. A lethal blow nearly hitting on his back by U’ecin’s polearm.

Struggle to go and limping down as he still wasn’t getting kick out from the realm. This never happened before. He sees the scroll left into the mud. Haw reaches out. Miyusuki managed to reach it and used a bit of his magic to snatch it away. Then there’s a thud, his lower jaw drops, and it breaks open where his mouth stays jawing. His breath releases the black mist from his mouth, releasing his secret technique. Not even that saved him where Haw’s potion froze the mist. He can’t look up, and only hears the sound of crumbling ice. Barely sees it only blackness ice, this is a very painful experience for him. Finally, the scroll activates and he disappeared with it.

Quail and the students are in the simulation room. The ambushed is new. The screens that watch over the students wasn’t able to see because of the dusts. They were not being traced. Quail makes a report about it not able to find them on screen while being ambushed. It is actually the first time seeing it happened. Miyusuki wasn’t the last one who is defeated. One of the students appeared and feeling disgusted that his camera can’t find anything in that mess.

“What the fuck was that? Like the dusts actually blurred the screen”

“It’s a realm, not a videogame”

“I know, but that fight is inhumane from what I saw”

Miyusuki agreed “Yeah, as if they want us to feel pain”

The other students who have been experiencing this kind of Enders attack. This is too new for them, like they are starting to learn or something

“Worse, like they didn’t use their runes. Our weakness is always getting hit by rune weapons. But this time it was the dusts”

“Dusts, or maybe because we didn’t get used to it. They are so direct and treating us as easy prey now. Those potions though, they turned it into poison or something”

“Luckily, our gauntlet boy still had my scroll. Let’s see what our enemies differ from the last time”

They open the identity scroll, the same cover that says ‘simulated’. The student wasn’t expecting a huge difference when he compared with the previous one.

“This is too much, even for us”

“What is says?”

“Comparing the difference with or without the gauntlet and regards with the dusts. Our everyday friend over here is the man who will change the battle against the Enders. However, the dusts did more to us instead of the gauntlet. We were using mana in the wrong way”

They turned their heads to him and none of them being the wiser to tell anything positive. The dusts were their ultimately counter.

Miyusuki let himself in silent. “Uhm, so what’s the difference?”

“It is more like they know what the gauntlet can do. They are very aggressive than we have thought. Is your gauntlet have the power to go against how we were getting butchered?”

“Agh, I can’t believe you said that”

“Shut up, without him. We can reach to the entrance. If we let ourselves go on our own. These traps they are laying on us will never going set foot on that bridge again. Ultimate or something to get through to them, as if, we should be fully prepared with our magic against all types”

Quail cuts them “Ok, that’s enough. You guys should be gone somewhere else beside the bridge. The change of events made it quicker for you to end your visit in the sphere”

They look on the screen and they made it out for only five minutes. The hour to a day sphere, they never experience it like the others. Miyusuki takes a break and remember how he was being cornered. The Enders are at it again, coordination and well-planned attack he couldn’t see before. It would be easier when the dusts will stop the potions from spreading, but it was used as an advantage and trapped them with their own protection.

They didn’t make use of the defenses. He was able to fight, and the Enders are trading blows to whom who is the weakest. Yet, they focus him. His head can’t understand their strategy and neither he knew about his own schoolmates. He needs help, he secretly brought out Fae-chan.

“Hey, do you know how did they beat us?”

“It will take long, but I assume that they are attacking you that your companions are no longer cooperating during the ambush. A broken formation left them focusing against the strong, the weak can mistreated the other. The secrets of Enders”

The screen shows what happened, Quail summarize what happened after a few filters. The place they were ambushed is in the middle of the surrounding forest to the west. Where range units can surround them. It didn’t end well when the magic field tore it down. That’s how they didn’t breach first and thought the students will spread out. Carrying weapons that resist against mana, powered with energy that the runes stored in heavy stones beside leather or metal plates as armor. This is too new for them to know, the design though, he picks up his device opens Haw’s book.

There he found it. It was something he can’t understand and now he able to read it properly.

“. . . It says. Stone runes are the different version as mana battery from what I can tell. On use when it breaks. Multitude of all mana types can be interacted with potions for adding variable effects. Wow, this is too complicated. Are there any other ways to beat it, Fae-chan?”

“Wanting to beat us huh? Just beat them down before they use it”

It left him without anything useful. Miyusuki rubs his body, the feeling of getting beaten down. He can’t imagine the actual feeling being beatdown by two strong weapons hitting him.

Haw did something to upgraded his things, and the runic shield is one that he can absorb and boosts his defense. It also gives resistance to pain. From what happened earlier, he feels it. There is something out there restoring the sense of pain on him.

“Shamanism . . .”

He guessed it. He scratches his head trying to figure it out. Five mana types, readying himself for his training. He closes it and takes a break from all of it. The feeling going in there alone. He needs someone be there to help him in his training. His friends come by and say hi.

“What’s up!”

Miyusuki can’t help himself doing it alone. They still have the motives to join him for his training just for fun. The training he is going to now becomes dangerous. His friends are waiting for him to respond.

“Say, do you still interested to see me training?”

“Would we?! That’s awesome”

“Yeah, yeah, but the training will be outside. Getting exposed by the Jigeram”

“Oh? Are we really going to go through with it?”

“I can, but I have curfew from my parents. I’m saying this to make excuse here. You know me, shield student”

“Then you want to call you momma’s boy”

He shrugs it “Ugh”

Miyusuki laughs

The conversation soon spread. Joanne hears him training through the dusty wasteland. She was a bit ecstatic at first, but heard that he has to go through the dangerous parts.

“His training is really hard. Then again, he has so many helps from the Enders. I don’t think he can’t be that easily beaten after his everyday experience with those Enders”

“Did you hear? The last visit they were ambushed”

Joanne starts to peak up her interest more and more are butting into the conversation. Yet she is a bit nervous. Thinking about her sister, she feels like she needs to train too.

Ironno is waiting for him, this time he needs to give him a proper clarification whenever he is going through his method of training. The boy didn’t know that his device is getting more advance. The words of hints and tips spread among the agatheans with the citizens. The boy is very different not wanting know about or he is just clueless.

“You don’t know”

“Please don’t shame me”

Ironno hears them, more people that he gladly expected for him. Miyusuki brought his friends from school. Finally, Haw’s teachings finally make him an Enders than those solo hero stories he heard about.

This time, he will face them. Heavily exposed from the outside, limiting him only for three hours. The rune writings on the scroll, more dangerous than the failsafe malfunctions from the exposure. He left a note to them to where and whom they are up against. The students were not expecting to encounter them. Joanne speaks out about this

“Them? We are going to face criminals going through the city. Will they steal something from us, teacher Ironno?”

“No, there are still adventurers out there you can be able to get help. This training will be dangerous of course. With the help of these scroll, you are existing yourself without any the exposure but limit you to three hours then returned back here”

Miyusuki thought bringing them will help him getting better, but it seems they are willing to go through with it. His friends are taken deep breathes and wondering how could they be possibly going through the dusty wasteland. The training he needs to do is to survive out there. Either run and hide or going around sending calls to the Agatheans where the enemies are. Joanne thought differently, the idea of fighting against them like what her sister did after the siege was over. More importantly, her sister said Puma is still wondering out there.

Miyusuki finished his maintenance on his gauntlet. It turns on its own and quickly equipped to his hand. All setting by the sounds of the mechanism. He moves the gauntlet with different set ups of utilities. The portal is open before them as they check each other who will be going with him. Miyusuki and his two friends; a healer and a tank. While Joanne and one girl who are both of them are magical fighters like her sister. The difference between her and Joanne, she equips a lance. This is the first time to see her using her preferred primary weapon while her friend brings guns.

His friends complained “I can’t believe you’re actually joining in this suicide mission” “Well, this is training you idiot. Who knew Miyusuki is having this kind of lessons?”

“Heh, A tank like me get me some runes. Right, the shield student?”

“Huh? You what we are talking about, right?”

His friend, a tank. He has the idea of being variant and try to use the life steal berserker. He thrills up and ready to face the enemies out there. Meanwhile Joanne looks after her friend as she is acting up her magic weapons. Runes related arsenal. She is also getting amp up for this.

They say their goodbyes and Ironno gives concern to the young girl with the lance. He remembers that girl has spirits. The spirits have strict policy not bringing their masters into the deadlands. Will they comply? Ironno doubts it and probably his gift for her training. The shield student’s team had already faced their first enemy, sort of. A group of dolls giving ritual magic around to shelter them from the dust. Puma is there and Joanne sees its eyes roaring with pride.

“Puma”

The dolls follow it words and acting ferocious. The team is already tasting the wrath of the spirits. The shield student raises both his shield and gauntlet. The teddy bear and the bunny doll blocked it and trying to push him away.

Their wildly push knocks him slightly and recoil them farther in a big leap. The first fight was nothing but child’s play. “They are indeed Kes’thars. Uh, why are they here blocking our way?”

Joanne’s friend almost breaks the silent with her laughter, and whispered to her “Is your older city really looking up to you? This looks like a parent not wanting their kids to grow up”

“What the heck am I suppose know about my sister’s intention? Say Puma, why are you here exactly?”

Joanne reads her UI and Puma’s message pops up. “Enjoying the deadlands, my boyz are walking around hearing battles after battles. Old dangers lurking without a demon as a threat. Looters are seeking to get what they can before the city barrier returns”

Joanne responds “Then, are they strong?”

“No, the dusts are there to weakened them. You can handle it. Yet, I won’t let you”

“Why not?”

“You will ruin our fun”

The dolls start bopping their heads as they spoke the truth. Spirits are joining them along as the chaos grew their rituals. The shield student’s friend, healer, caught up the idea.

“These spirits thought of this place as their own. Goblin spirits probably treated this place as the underworld”

The spirits look at them all following bopping their heads including the junks. The team can’t believe that this is their first challenge. With one of them took the interest doing something stupid, Joanne spotted his friends are going to do it.

“No, wait!”

The spirits were too ahead as the tank roars and tried to fight them. “Don’t worry Joanne, these guys are your friends. I think they are just making fun . . .”

The spirits didn’t take it too lightly. They respond according to their strength. Horde chiefs’ rituals arose from within the dolls, ending them swiftly.

Ironno sees them again after the incident. Their first time and failure. These kids are not improving well when facing Kes’thars. The funny music at the background. Played by the healer to mock the berserker tank’s idea to fight. Joanne feels annoyed that her skills were easily taken down because Puma knows her. The only two people who was able to fend until they got overrun were Joanne’s friend and the shield student. This training is getting the danger into a humiliating experience.