COI C44
Onto this surreal moment, Heist and the other adventurers continue to attack the humanoid after Haw’s disappearance. They witnessed for it to speak clearly just to make Haw leave, no resistance and a single attack from it. Telling him to leave was his final scene. Heist was caught by the mechanical grip of the humanoid, defeating the rest of his companions. Where Silfa already left the sphere, their next attempt to face it was another fluke. More daring than they should as they heard from Haw before, ‘we are all equal’ in this existence. That was their realization of this sphere’s rule, all of their powers from all ranks from D to S ranks, are all equal now.
Only left they could do now is to coordinate to the most potential people they have, skills are now the top priority of this realm, and no one is below or above under the capabilities of what they have. Their quest continues, the humanoid managed to replicate the abilities of Silfa’s secret abilities, time manipulation, redoing the things she did as she doubling the attacks she could make. Also known as double attacks, the humanoid did differently than Heist could never imagined. Heist was used as a human subject under stasis, it is using the attacks from his companions before.
The humanoid is learning from them, testing what abilities they can do. The adventurers had also study it yesterday until now, the way it learns from them quicker than they would have thought. Surrounded, it will rely the enemies’ attacks to redirect to them, and with the help of self-repair and replicated healing magic from them, it somehow protects the key. The key lied hidden inside of it, they already found out after a few attempts to access the gate. It comes out after they are trying to break in, it is certain itself to defend it. Finally, Heist is trying to 1 v 1 it, but the humanoid had already learned their abilities, crowding it all under a linear combination of magic spells.
Heist was unfortunate, they tried to talk with it. But the beeping sound annoys the heck to all of them, it wasn’t your normal everyday dungeon. This sphere felt like they are pvping the Horsin in equal terms. So frustrating, and the same time convinced why they can’t reach to save them. They hope they could hold a little bit more. The humanoid stops its magic as it sees him fading away, his unique ability last chance already used up. Delaying the fatal blow under a small duration, the sphere makes it weaker as it supposed to last longer. What does matter, they now learn the horror of the Jigeram’s light.
Awoken on the ground where the other adventurers are already setting up new teams, many different ranks gathered, different experience, and different miscellaneous roles. But all of them have the same goal, to know about this sphere and more. Pulled up by them, Heist guided him to where his team was. There he sees Haw, writing on the paper and not typing on the computer as they talk him out of it . . . Then back to his writings.
“If only you explain it better about magic”
“Your manners of talking are great, but regarding to complex description such as those moons. You really need to take some time to give the right word, aren’t you?”
Haw is using a pencil, and the dust of too much erasing shows him also more of his difficult life. His penmanship is slow and mediocre at best in it. Thanks to them to have translation, they could fix up the grammar to the limits.
“Are you really that bad? What did you do as a kid?”
Gemina is with him since the beginning she was a bit curious about him of how hit and miss he is. It’s natural for anybody to have flaws, but this man is like partially improving. It’s like he can perform better and academically suck along the way. The way he does as a guildmember is ok but not socially.
“You can say, that my childhood is more of labor. I started to learn when they took me to Enders Bridge, when I was 16 years old, because of an incident . . . I can’t say much more that they told me that what I have done when I was kid is abnormal”
“Abnormal? You can tell me”
“No, I could say this. Try talking to the Enders about me, they were not happy to let me bring back this so called ‘dark’ past”
“Really!? I can understand that. How old are you now?”
“I’m 24 years old, 7 or so years staying there. A lot went to rehab according to them”
Gemina is 20 years old, a college student, she is kind of surprised to see him this young as he looks older the way he looks. Haw finishes writing on the paper where a few scribbles over there and overlook from the translator. The device she used manages to translate multiple times to fix all the grammar mistakes he is making. By the end of it, she reviews the content from Haw’s paper.
“Two among the three moons are shared and contradict itself. Natural phenomenon placed the two as it’s life and death, however both of them coordinate according to preserve the ecosystem”
“Alga’s light is the empowering of evolved species. Mostly be happening in Kinteinnou region as the beginning of all creatures, the animals prolonged there will be fully submerge by the light as they are the primal of life. Jigeram is the frozen light from the west to the north, it creates the desert, from studies, to the cold wasteland up north. It negates mana and life for some reason as it controls the mana of those creatures as it is their life source, some studies show that creatures from Kinteinnou can possessed magic as well. Which is dangerous the lives of many people”
“Together, there is a strange phenomenon happened as exposed both of them in a correct amount. Having the potential to be equal to both physical and mental state, and it only last a short period of time. The sphere is the example of it, a strange place where the moons always on its sides. That would be probably mean the same effects, can’t be harm, and can’t be overpowering. Note: I don’t know about those humanoids, but they seem to be coming from Enders sources. Which means they are not fully acknowledge your skills yet, which I won’t pry your reasons wanting to know”
“Are you not curious why are we doing this?”
“I don’t, why have I reason to ask? That’s must be the reason how I got kicked out so fast, they are not willing to listen without proof”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I know that mechanize looking robot”
“You mean the humanoid guarding the gate?”
“Yes, it looks like the same I saw from my other guild. The sphere must be one of the old gateways, sigh*. I don’t know what your letters send to them, they won’t let 'you giving a silver spoon’ from your quotes. Will it possible let me in again?”
The description added to the info about the sphere, expecting people like Enders to be interfering their search inside the sphere. It was too confusing, and hard to explain why will they did it. Gemina heard him saying about the silver spoon, he meant eating it with a silver spoon, he is using the wrong phrase. Silfa and Heist understood it, they joined them and explains what he meant.
“He is right, the adventurers were taken away during their quest. Not only from the defectors but the rebellion themselves. If we are going to save them, it is possible we need to face them. The Benedictus save them quite a lot but they didn’t return the rest of them”
“Benedictus? No, that’s impossible, their companions are supposed to be guarding in the east mountain”
“What do you mean, Haw? I found them a lot in between the east coast and the underground” Heist explains him,
and Haw shows suspicion and starts to remember those principles they are practice. Silfa and Gemina realized that Haw knows about them, through sheer force they grab him and ask.
“You know them!!?”
“No way, how could you . . . Haw? Why do you look confused”
“Say something Haw! HEY!”
“Silfa, calm down. He is trying to remember”
Benedictus, a group form under the rank of servitude by the sword. The Not Worthy Guild, the rival of Dexter Guild, their numbers weren’t that many as most of their ranks are civilians. Their numbers are expanding for some reason, it should be easily notice where they can be found at their communal church in Ender Bridge. Haw can’t believe of their numbers growing without those bells ringing through the mountains, then it must be the guild’s preaching. He might help them, but it won’t make it easier for them to get their answer improperly.
“Yes, I know them”
“!!!” “YOU KNOW BENEDICTUS?”
All adventurers are gathering around to hear Heist shouting through his might, all of them were surprised. Quarrelling through the crowd of people as many more coming to him. The man who knows them, and they remain desperate for their own reasons. The letters respond from the Enders Bridge tell them that the answer lies within that sphere. Now Haw is surrounding himself as their sign to save them, and also the people they safe guard.
“. . . If you want to face them directly, follow first my instructions and the sphere’s, because we are useless for you there”
Hidden somewhere in Enders Bridge, clump of floating torn never sinking ships made into the facility to some guilds. One of the guilds build a sphere where one of it leads to the inner sanctum where the city guild entered. Clangs and bangs of metal echoes the steps of many Enders passing the ruins. Rusts can’t be seen, and the dampness is there but it didn’t smell. Maintained and cleaned by the Enders’ ancient cleaning utensils, once modern and efficient, these preserve utilities are the best they could remake. Submerge leaks where the sea creatures are there for the aesthetics.
Nearly see both the sea level and the surface together, the submerge ship’s glass window show signs of cracks remained strong and appealing to the daring to see. An old man controls the sphere with only recycled version of computers where its screen is big as a box with static image comes from time to time. A lot of wires connecting on that one computer screen with sockets that is bigger and screws to held it together. The sounds coming from it kept ringing in a weird way as he already used to it. He watched the screen where each files take time to load one at the time.
This slow operating computer made him delayed for hours since they entered the sphere. Breaking through all the robotic remains caught from the Rune Isles to the city’s control, wipe clean from its corroded or corrupted mana. Guarding by the front to stall what truly inside, the inner sanctum they have is the main gate to connecting throughout the world. All sealed but a few functions a bit through using the spheres, actual portals exist and lost under the Enders Bridge’s claim only to the surface. What left inside is for them need to be careful, shaded from Alga’s and Jigeram’s light, they will face true power from its creators.
The old man never predict how they really cared their own people trapped in east coast. Now they are at the gate, where the structures of historical landmarks as displays but reminiscence of its importance to anyone who knew. Statues, carved walls, and artistically made sculptures formed together. Harmonized themselves in beauty, and there’s a temple that will help them save their people from the east coast. The stolen church, once lost when center world lost its continent. Now found supernaturally there for no reason. A wooden built church where it’s concealed until the chosen people can open it.
The delay made him hurry to bring the mechanize humanoid to defend it. Fully equipped with all the remnants scavenged from Rune Isles’ junks, and it is well received that it counters most of the adventurers. Thanks to the Jigeram, they are facing each other equally with no effort for the humanoid to be beaten lightly. Then the old man sees him, Haw Edan,
“RH-0 or pronounce as Rho, a Dexter Guild member, is there . . . I should let him know”
He types down the keyboard, the code is implemented on the computer and starts to process.
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Watching the progress bar being uploaded to the sphere, it takes time as Haw is already near the gate. The old man sees him observing for a moment, the update is complete, and the humanoid starts to get rid of him. Once done, the old man sees the software finished identifying the adventurers’ abilities. Then he searched what the humanoid can do. It all happened in one long duration for the computer to make command orders to the humanoid, finally, in the last moment that one last cat man faded to existence. It was a successful defense, until tomorrow.
The old man checks on the hard drive as the computer getting slower again. A man comes by as he hears him
“Uh huh, the memory storage with 100 GB storage, it seems lived for hundreds of years won’t exceed it. I have to replace it with a new one”
“Tech master, is the piece of junk still working?”
“Slow, but still made through the defense”
“Most of the guildmembers won’t be joining the scavenging, as the hunk of scraps overfilled the warehouses”
“Alright, rest or care to join to see this”
“Did they already using it?”
“Yes, they are determined to get to the church”
“The sanctuary”
Someone from the Lord’s companions had mention of them giving the sphere where the church of sanctuary station. It is the safe passage to those people who wished to be saved, if alive, are sent there. The guildmasters are outnumbered to those who favored of saving them, they decline it, but one of the old guilds have recommendation. It was Dexter Guild, an opportunity to learn more about them by face to face through the Jigeram’s presence and with Alga’s light healing equally. It is a great idea to give Isekai City a chance.
The Enders are not aware for them that they starting to use it, and they needed more time to rest after the stocks of scavenged metals appeared from the sea. The reserves are there with the old man, but only two comes in, fresh, and heavily geared to face them.
“Only the two of us? It might work, but the Jigeram will lessen the effectiveness of my weapons”
“Then try spamming it”
“I need to reload”
“Alright you two, I’ll give you this”
The old man gives them each a stat chip. These chips are more like mods or augmentation to their equipment.
It is hard to decipher it, and can be done by scanning or using it.
“This is mana drain, use anything of your arsenal that uses their mana. The machine will be your support for the time being, it is slow, but it obtained a lot of magic abilities from them”
Both of them nodded and proceed preparing it. The old man returned to his computer, and sees more people are entering the sphere. The sight of numerous people appearing led him to believe they understood their tricks, because of Haw. It is unimaginable to see so much people entering after that incident.
Was it because of Haw, or they are calling out the entire army to save a handful of people? They have impressive communication within their city. He hopes anyone from Enders residing in Isekai City to make a report about it, especially Haw’s involvement. Later he remembers Myrrkei and U’ecin, hearing rumors from a citizen, what takes them so long to survey the forest. U’ecin shouldn’t be last longer in that city, his vigilante activities are too known for him to stay that long. Where his kill list starts growing, U’ecin should be somewhere else with his weapons drowned in red crimson.
The adventurers had gathered, to go somewhere else to train and adapt this sphere’s law of reality. Always not forget that this is where skills needed to earn, as more and more people joined as the rumors from Haw put their judgement on him. Many came out of their virtuous intent and good being, if they found out that it isn’t true, Haw will be sent to prison for false information. Haw lies outside eyeing by many adventurers had heard about it. The two staff are there with him worried about what he said.
“The sphere contains a building that will bring safe passage to the lost ones . . . “
“. . . Once there, the people who contacted them are sent to be refuge. That’s why the guild is nothing more of a community of pilgrims with a handful of warriors among them. Hearing such a number in their guild is unbelievable to stretch that far. Head my words as they will not ignore such plea, but it will be done once and nothing more. Go to that building as you will be freely rescued as much people have contacted them”
Haw heard it among his old guildmembers, they abused it as their secondary scapegoat. They don’t believe that miracle exist, as it is nothing more but a failed safe version like Isekai City.
Bands of adventurers gathered around by the hundreds, focusing on one place, at the gate is there by once single guardian. It is a chance they could not resist, serves their memories right, and every last moment through their experience that their friends tried to bring them out from confusion, leaving only that are left as proof.
“Silfa, we should use it now. This will be the evidence we need to save them”
“I agree, the rebellion and the defectors joined forces. I don’t want my friends to be misinterpret once we head to the dungeons”
Silfa watches the gate, it opens where two strange people coming out from it. Futuristic looking individuals, wearing power armor, or likely be seen when fought. Standing by the gate with the humanoid. Others were intimidated and accidentally took a shot, it blocked by the humanoid where they shot back. They remained at their place as they observe the situation, outnumbered in 50 or more to 1. The two thinks wouldn’t be a great idea to fight in this location. Open area, line sighted, and flanks ready to be utilize.
“Those are the city folks. The tech master wasn’t wrong about saving them”
“Taking the easy way out will displeased the reality we have thought”
“The unworthy are loved even how they were persecuted”
The adventurers had brought something new that couldn’t imagine. A vehicle entered the sphere, a truck with modified cutter installed. The call from the old man took caution with it. The data has sent to them what he analyzed
“It is a stone cutter machine, meant to cut through the gate. They are not going to make it easy for us nor the structure”
Reading it, this place is too massive to cut it through. They don’t know that this place withstands anything passing through the other route. Yet these Dexter Guild members want to let them see it. They broke their suspensions out of curiosity.
“You already know that we are Enders”
“???”
The people didn’t know, and them already exposed their identity. For them to break the immersion as the adventurers were under the imagination as this place was special. They broke out the silence as they said to them out loud.
“ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?”
“WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU GUYS MADE ALL THIS JUST TO SAVE OUR PEOPLE?”
Spouts of rage coming from them, leaving the two have not involved with that situation. It was from another guild, a guild that rivals them in community. The adventurers tried to calm themselves down and tried to understand both sides. It was neither both intentions nor provocation among the two groups. One of the leaders of the group goes to them and discuss about it. The truck however continues to go to the gate.
The vehicle reached close to the gate where the humanoid ceased as the two showed their control over it.
“Why would all this? . . .”
“That’s our leaders to decide, and more”
“Then tell us”
“They decided to help, but not directly, we have heard among your people were imprisoned. The goblins won’t cooperate and the dwarves will execute on sight, did your adventurers already know that”
“. . .” They couldn’t respond
“Neither will they accept us, Enders, to save your people. That’s why they hide, they save with little trace as the goblin spirits grew. Once that sanctuary church activates, not only your people who witnessed them teleported here, including those who risk saving your own people”
“How about the praise of will?”
“How did you . . . no, is Rho there? I mean, Haw?”
The adventure stays quiet as they know about him. Another tales of him reaching through by the day, his involvement by these people slowly turned into a mystery. Too much complicated and unique people surrounding him, will they believe him or how bizarre he gets to experience in Enders Bridge.
“. . . Silence, he is. Go ahead, tried it. It will worsen your experience as you are abusing those honors”
The adventurers turned to Silfa who was given the magic words from Haw.
The two turn to see the stone cutter already trying to breach it. The dusts coming out of it as it is cutting pieces of the stone gate. Jigeram’s light persists as it glides its particles down on the gate and repairing it. The cut from below quickly filled as it continues to go up from what the stone cutters reached. The truck moves back as it is useless them to breach. They ask them
“This place can’t be breached. Do you know anything about it?”
“It’s the Jigeram, it is strange but I heard you can control it. Other then neutral mana, it is promising to see other manas can use it as a material”
After that curiosity is done, the two readied themselves as they about to say.
“The main reason for this sphere to be shared with you, is to collaborate indirectly”
“What my partner is trying to say is that our people are not approved to co-exist with us. In order for you to have what you want while they got what they want is to use this place as a massive arena”
“That’s it? You got to be kidding, we were . . .”
“Respectfully, they want you to learn a bit harsher than death”
Both of them raised their weapons, one riding a board and the other raised his hand blades, are ready to face them at the front. The adventurers see what they wanted to do, they want this place into an arena, because of their disagreement for all this. They still don’t understand, but others realized that there are not treat them equally like the other cities. The dwarves and the goblins are against them after those many incidents. Their effort to help them leave out of frustration, caused hostile relation to the end. Purissarwell and Agatheus City remained loyal, and in time it will break if Isekai City shows another hostile event.
Lastly Enders Bridge, since the beginning to the end. They only heard about them that they don’t like about Isekai citizens coming to this world, all of it are threats and warnings through rumors, even ignored the help request as the expedition tried to reach out the city for resources. Yet, there was a man who saved them. The survivors are lucky, and they were never seen again in the city guild. They quit for a reason. How many they are against them? and there are other people who are willing to help.
Silfa and the others don’t have much time, they started to speculate. If those two are here to fight, how much more inside the gate will retaliate them? They have only hundreds of them, and they heard they are monarchial communities, their lords and ladies might join in out of honor. ‘Two vs us’ from what they think. They will lose by the look of things, but the humanoid managed to take them out previously. There is not much time for them as the gate is the one of many other places didn’t enter. Silfa has scream from the top of her lungs, the melody guild who are with them enhanced her voice.
The strong chant coming from her, the two initiates. A suicide approach, others tried to stop them. Inside the area of the humanoid, all of them stop, the area surrounding with it shows vertical fissure on their views. Impairing sight as there like dust or a dark line appearing in motion, like they are watching an old movie by using through the rolling films. It’s an authentic film by comparison, their body begins to move in motion slowly regaining their speed. Even the sounds joining within the magic, one touch by air to Silfa’s mouth, they stall before the coming.
Silfa’s mouth vanished and replaced someone else’s. Her mouth was switch by the man with twin hand light blades, she didn’t expect it. The man hears a loud scream from his helmet as it goes beyond normal people could chant that high. The old man hears the chant, it was definitely from one of them. He didn’t know which team or department, but he is certain isn’t his organization. The man who is gliding in the air is having trouble by the countless magic projectiles firing at him. This is too much for the two of them to face a company of adventurers.
He got hit on the head by a sniper shot, his armor withstand hit, letting the sphere to continue existing in this place. Ignore every hit before he disappears, he aimed anyone to show his own ammunition. He fires at them and disappears after. The first shot hits the ground as the one was aimed for dodges it. The particles of Jigeram were absorbed by it and saw it wasn’t a bullet but a cylindrical container. Carved in runes as it didn’t glow, the particles start to thicken by the passing second.
One of them tries to pick it and throw away, he reaches it but moves back from the extreme pain going into him.
“What was that?”
Everyone gathers around the thicken mist of Jigeram’s particles as the others are surrounding the last man standing, the humanoid tried to hold them off, it breaks apart once it tries to help. The adventurers are mobbing near the gate. As the man successfully taking down a handful of them, phasing anything what abilities his armor can do, with his shield kept back up and down as he steals the mana from them.
But it was too much, he disappears where the sphere declared his limit. Both of them had lost predictably, and it is matter of time where Silfa mouth returned.
“. . . Testing, thank god, my voice is back”
“Do they think they could beat us?”
“Two vs us? I don’t know how much we have here”
“Laugh* I guess they are . . .”
The man disappears after a javelin hits his chest, and see more of them coming out from the gate. Silfa’s thought was right, they were stalling. They see them in a formation they were not experience dealing with. Silfa has to chant before the rest of them will be taken out from an ambush.
The chant was set out, the Enders are coming rushing at them as they hear the honorable quotes from them. The steps they took in rhythm in speed as they charge, well organized and discipline. The wall of shields coming for them as it molded its curve surface round bump, using it to ram their heads. Enders’ marksmen take aim from the familiar chant from Silfa, almost nearing its end, they redirect it to other targets. There is someone besides them raised her hand pulled them away through her orders. Glaring at Silfa who chants the Not Worthy Guild’s hymns, yet admired her charismatic voice.
The adventures retaliate, but push back by their strong shield wall. Pushing them further away from the gate. The container, left by the two, explodes causing it to materialize the mist, the adventurers from the back line can’t shoot as it is block by their sight. It was all planned out by them. The front line is squeezed themselves by the materialize combustion. Trapping them and continue being pushed from the Enders, Silfa had already finished the chant as she had to rally up the front line.
“Gather to me, I’ll mass shield here”
Everyone followed her as the shield appeared.
The Enders continue forward and reposition, they continue to push forward at the backline. They have no reached or speed in their ranks, and only have shield and range. The adventurers couldn’t believe how they already planned out about this. They really want to face them by using the sphere, many starts to doubt to continue on like this because of the rumors.
“They just playing with us”
“Just like they did to the expedition”
"Those are just rumors, they agreed for helping gather resources”
“Yeah they’ll do that, how about their lives, Huh!”
“PLEASE NO! TAKE THEM TOO. PLEASE! I BEG YOU!!!”
A woman with a child comes from the gate, a man guides them out and orders his men. They stop and pulled back as they see two survivors, it is ill manner to make mock battle to have people with no intention to fight, hypocritically so, inside the sphere. Silfa and the others didn’t recognize her nor the child. But they look like one of them. Their expression grew wider as the woman shouts out more.
“PLEASE! DON”T LET WILSON DIE!”
A man known by the city guild. They stopped and heard by his name, the man who tries to bring those gullible people back to the city. The man, who guided the woman and child, is one of the Benedictus. His appearance is identical to those who was saved by them, the armor, dirtied and gray, dented by how many days he traveled those caves. He told them by his pure and empowering voice.
“They are waiting for your rescue, citizens, we are humbly waiting for your return. In the end we are still shamed, reached them forth as they are cared for under our Order”