Akiol kicked up his feet.
Kan'na had set up a 'portable camp'. This item would provide a resting place for fatigue while traveling. While it wasn't as great as inns or homes, it was sufficient.
Kan'na had purchased an eight team portable camp. The size under it was five, so she had no choice. The camp had eight tents in a circle around a singular fire.
Kan'na also created a dome of warmth with a few magic circles. It held the same properties as the scrolls, just on a greater scale.
As they warmed and recovered Yielya asked, "Why don't you just create magic circle similar to this one while we travel?"
Kan'na sighed, "I could, however that would leave me with close to no MP by the time we reach the top. That's why I created the scrolls in the first place."
Akiol mentioned, "I don't necessarily need mine to be constantly replaced. If anything my slime will slowly freeze, so I could use it to thaw. Rinse and repeat."
Kan'na shook her head, "We should be fine, I'll do so if we're are running out. But we should be good."
Akiol dropped the subject and focused on his messages.
-A helicopter? Helicopters are created through lightweight materials and powerful engines. Or something close to that. Creating a heli is impossible for me.- Torch
-Impossible as in forever? Or for now?- Akiol
-I'm not too sure. . .- Torch
-Well, if you can I would like to buy one. Do let me know.- Akiol
-It won't be cheap if I even can.- Torch
Akiol closed the interfaces and sat back. As he waited for the party to recover he closed his eyes. Slowly he began to fall asleep.
~ ~ ~
Travis stepped through the portal. As he took a breath a smile crept onto his face. There was colors! He was free!
He then noticed that the guardian was missing. He frowned, "Did somebody defeat them?"
Abe spoke up, 'Not quite, there seems to be a group outside fighting it right now.'
Travis was impressed, "Your senses are better than mine."
'I have a special connection to this place, I know what is happening around it. However this won't happen in the future.'
"A shame. Let's go watch these brave souls."
Travis jumped through the ruins, as he did he felt a little reminiscent when he first traveled through here. He rushed through the place incredibly quick. So he didn't get to appreciate the scenery, not that he planned to anyway.
He jumped onto a high standpoint, watching the chaos unfurl below...
Voices shouted, "Main tank swap with the sub-tank! Healer squad one regain your MP!"
"This guy is resistant to Abyss attacks!"
"If that's the case use more holy attacks! Priest squad three, try to damage the boss with some holy type spells! Just don't heal it."
Travis grinned, "Holy attacks won't deal extra damage. This guy isn't an Abyssal Creature."
'It's quite a strange one.'
"Do you know what it is?"
'A creature created by fusing an Abyssal Page, and a page from the Holy Code. It serves as the guardian between the realm of the Abyss and this one.'
"What happens when it dies?"
'Then the portal shall be unguarded, and the two realms shall collide.'
"Isn't that bad?"
'It is, but not as bad as it sounds. A war might break out for a century or two, until one realm overtakes the other.'
Travis frowned, the guardian did die in his past timeline. In return an event named 'War Between Two Realms' started. The church then requested assistance in battling the Abyss. This event never ended, instead it served as a place for players to level to 300. Instead of gaining contribution points for a final reward, it instead acted like a currency for equipment and potions. It was simply a leveling haven.
However now that Travis was aware of what it meant, and that he was an Abyssal Being. He was quite unwilling to let this event start.
Travis drew Harbinger of the Abyss, "I guess we have to intervene."
~ ~ ~
The party trudged through the snow. Wrock kicked some away and sighed, "I am running out of jokes for the road. Are we there yet?"
"We're almost there, I think we have a mile left."
Akiol made a face of confusion, "I know for a fact that this mountain is far larger than it looks. How have we traveled so far already?"
"It's like an illusion of some sort? I guess it was to shorten the time it takes to ascend. . . or to keep someone out. Regardless our position keeps changing randomly, I have been redirecting us to the proper place."
Tilia commented, "Probably to keep us out, you did mention that the barrier was extremely complex. So perhaps whatever is in it isn't meant to be found?"
Kan'na rubbed her hands together, "If so, I am getting more excited."
Wrock nodded, "A limit breaker is definitely something I wouldn't want to be found."
Lightning crackled.
Wrock complained, "What was that for?"
"No more jokes about limit breaks. It if turns out to be nothing I shall be very upset."
"Ah yes, some of the most sacred air and snow. The origins of oxygen and hydrogen themselves. Protected under a barrier to perfectly preserve it, a complex illusion so none shall find it. Solely to protect what was first. . ."
"Then I'll collect this snow."
"Some pure water you can get then I guess."
. . .
The fog seemed to clear as they reached a clearing. It was. . . empty. Wrock immediately opened his mouth to make a joke, but Kan'na put up a finger with a magic circle the moment he did.
As she did a large barrier illuminated, hundreds of not thousands of magic circles appeared.
Akiol whistled, "That is one barrier."
"You're telling me.", Kan'na walked over to it, "Behold! The grand opening of-"
Wrock held up a hand, "Hold on . ."
The group looked at him. Wrock seemed to be frowning at something before he continued, "I have a call I need to take. You guys go ahead, it should only take a few minutes."
The party looked at each other, "We can wait."
Wrock clicked his tongue, "We traveled all the way here, just record it or something. I shall be back."
Wrock vanished into a stream of white lines. The party looked at each other again. Kan'na shrugged, "If it turns out to be nothing then at least he can't make jokes."
"We're going forward?"
"Why not? He told us to go ahead. Besides it will take a while to fully explore this place anyway."
Kan'na cracked her knuckles and began to form several magic circles, "This thing is quite interesting. It takes your complex weakening circle and separates them. Each circle seems to weaken something specifically. Then once you have your essentials there are magic circles that form the barrier to be strong. These intertwine with more than strengthen the barrier. Which are connected to some that enhance the weakening circles. These are then tidied with a nice little bow, which is a powerful repulsion. Touching this thing will send you flying off the mountain."
"So how do you unlock it?" Jarvis asked.
"How do I put this. . . Since all the spells are intertwined in one way or another it makes it to where they strengthen each other. As you should know from my description. If they were separate, then the strengthening effect wouldn't be there. However I would have to disable those one by one until it's easier to break. In this case a well placed spell would unravel this whole thing like a ball of yarn."
Akiol pinched his chin, "So in that case, couldn't anyone open it?"
Kan'na shook her head, "Not without knowing what all the circles are meant for. Though I guess someone with good enough luck could probably do it."
Kan'na spun her finger in a circle. The various magic circles then intertwined together. Forming one extremely complex and compact magic circle.
Akiol raised an eyebrow at this, "That's new."
"Studying this gave me a few ideas. Anyways, here we go!"
Kan'na placed the circle onto the barrier. Once it made contact the whole barrier pulsed violently. Then, as if it had exhausted its strength, the barrier slowly disintegrated.
Kan'na looked back, "Well, let's get going."
The party walked a little cautiously forward. The barrier had hid various rocks, which explained why the top of the mountain looked flat when they reached it.
There was little snow, about an inch covered the flow. The only sounds was the crushing of snowflakes from the party's footsteps.
The rocks were uninteresting, just basic stone covered in a little stone. Kan'na had investigated one in case it was hiding anything. However it was just ordinary stone.
As they walked Akiol sensed a pair of eyes watching him. The moment he did his [Power Sense] triggered. Giving him a extremely strong feeling of impending death.
He snapped his head in the direction it came from. There a singular man stood, arms behind their back. They were dressed in a red and white battle robe.
Seeing Akiol they praised, "To notice me so soon. It seems you're not ordinary."
Akiol heard Stars panic, 'This guy! Do NOT let him get away! What did you guys do?! What did you find? Where are you?'
Akiol attempted to calm Stars down. Yet it proved useless.
Stars cursed, "That's not some ordinary person. That's a member of the Crimson Immortals!'