Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme

Despite knowing Mika was a false lead, Lumi held his hands up and ordered. "Get in a defensive position and expect resistance." It was the only logical course.

He took a deep breath, and bellowed so loudly even the Knights shrank back. "Mika! We are Aria Knights, in a ship right outside your island! Please come out and cooperate with our investigation!"

After a moment of silence, the cottage door opened, and a woman came out. Visually, she was a middle aged woman with graying hair tied in a bun, wearing robes that had seen better days. Her face showed lines of worry and exhaustion. "Aria Knights," she said, voice tired but unsurprised. "I see things have gotten out of hand, if you are here."

She gestured lazily, "Come on, Dock."

Valeria first gestured to her team, "Traps?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Nobody spoke, indicating a solid no.

With that in mind, Valeria docked the ship, and they began to set foot onto the island.

"I suppose you are here to investigate the corruption," Mika began, "And I am a suspect. Is that right?"

"Are you?" Lumi asked directly, though he hadn’t moved to attack.

Mika laughed bitterly. "If I could cause this level of contamination, do you think I’d live in the middle of it? Look around you, Knights. Does this look like the lair of someone spreading corruption?"

"The visuals don’t matter." Lumi stated directly, earning a nod from Valeria.

"Are those...?" Susie started, moving closer.

There were baby animals roaming around. Dozens of them. Seal pups, penguin chicks, even young otters, all showing signs of corruption exposure but clearly healing. They rested in specially marked areas, some playing despite their injuries.

"I’ve been saving who I can." Mika said, deflating slightly. "The corruption drives them mad, makes them attack their own families. I bring them here, purify what I can, heal what’s possible. Some recover enough to return home. Others..." She gestured to a small graveyard visible behind the cottage.

"But the contamination is strongest here." Lumi pointed out. "Not on the island itself, but around it, it’s extremely heavy."

"Because I’m drawing it here." Mika explained patiently. "My purification rituals need something to purify. I’ve been pulling contamination from the outer areas, concentrating it where I can process it safely. It’s slow work. I can only handle so much, but it’s better than letting it spread unchecked."

"Can you prove this?" Lumi asked, though his stance had relaxed slightly.

"Come inside." Mika offered. "I’ll show you my work. Though..." She smiled sadly, then let her words left unsaid.

"Valeria." Lumi directed, an order unsaid.

Valeria nodded, taking the first steps forward into the cottage. If there was a trap, it would hit her first. She was not weak enough to die from something like that.

The rest made their way inside carefully, inspecting for traps.

The cottage interior was cluttered, every surface covered with supplies, research notes, and magical apparatus. A complex ritual circle dominated the main room. Several young animals rested in cushioned baskets, sleeping peacefully.

Lumi and the Knights purposely kept themselves outside of the range of the ritual circle.

"I’ve been tracking the corruption for months." Mika explained, showing them charts. They were similar to what they’d seen at the Observatory. "It’s not natural, and it’s not magical in origin. Someone’s been dumping industrial waste. These chemicals interact with environmental magic to create this contamination."

"We’ve encountered the results." Susie said, examining Mika’s notes. "We found waste elementals."

"This is definitely deliberate," Mika confirmed. "The dumping sites are too strategically placed. Whoever’s doing this understands both chemistry and magical theory. They’re creating a weapon, not just disposing of waste."

"Enough. For various reasons," Lumi stated, "You are under suspicion for being the cause of the corruption, or at least working towards this goal."

Lumi gestured, and Valeria took a step forward. She drew her sword directly. Lumi spoke. "If you are innocent, I apologize in advance. But I must treat you as a potential criminal."

He narrowed his eyes. "Stay put. I’ll keep you under watch here while we work." He put his hand out and gestured to the Knights. "Investigate."

He kept Valeria here. "Watch her."

Mika’s expression lowered, clearly uncomfortable with a bit of offense. But she eventually sighed. "Do whatever you want."

Marcus was the first to speak after Lumi’s command.

"I’ll check the ritual site," he said, voice curt. He turned and strode toward the dense ring of wards pulsing faintly just behind the cottage, where the vegetation was strangely healthy despite the corruption being drawn in and focused. Jin followed after with a low whistle, while Elara veered off silently toward the higher points of the island.

"I want to look at those baby otters." Lumi said, setting off. Valeria nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on Mika.

Susie stayed behind with the scrolls, pulling out a notebook and scribbling as she cross-referenced charts.

Zara moved last, her figure disappearing. Only when she stopped moving for an extended period of time was she visible.

...

Marcus stood at the edge of the ritual circle, examining it. Alongside him, Jin crouched beside one of the anchoring crystals, poking it lightly. "Certainly no electricity here." He looked around the home. "Or, anywhere here for that matter. After this, I’ll examine for more tech."

"These are calibrated very precisely." Marcus muttered. "I’m examining it, though it should be for purification purposes."

"Or someone who knew we were coming and had time to prepare a deception." Jin tapped the crystal again. "This legit?"

"I’m still checking, I said." Marcus replied. "This has been running for months. There’s wear and tear. That lines up."

Jin’s frown deepened. "So either she’s a really brilliant liar..."

"Or she’s exactly what she says she is." Marcus finished. He turned away. "I’ll check elsewhere."

Susie finished reviewing the notebooks and moved to Valeria’s side. "These readings match what we’ve seen. They go back months. Mika’s documented everything. From contamination levels, to containment failures, to experimental breakthroughs. The details do not look forged."

Valeria didn’t answer. She pursed her lips for a moment.

"Elara?" she called aloud, sensing her presence. There was no sound, but a moment later, Elara flickered into view.

"No movement outside the perimeter," she reported. "No recent foot traffic. And no magical signatures but hers and ours. The island’s clean, Captain."

"Right." Valeria’s eyes flickered strangely. "Both of you, tell that to Lumi."

"Oh." Elara blinked. "Right, sorry, Captain. I’m just used to you being our leader..."