Long ago, there was a continent of void and darkness.
The soil was barren, stormy seas and wild disasters were everywhere, and the land itself was a barren wasteland. The continent has been called many names, "The Abandoned Country" or "God's Disaster". Gruesome legends grew around this desolate place and the people avoided the land at all costs.
One day, however, began a miraculous transformation. The land was cultivated, plants everywhere began to sprout, the seas calmed, the storm was a gentle breeze, and life returned to the continent.
There was a huge gem in the midst of the miracle that shone so bright that it defeated the darkness. The people were surprised at the strength of this stone and wondered what it even was. Fascinated, they gave the blue diamond a name: They called the gem the El Stone.
Several generations passed and the dark past of the continent became a legend which was long forgotten. Plants flourished, the ground gave rich harvests, and gave people a carefree life. They no longer called this continent "The Land Abandoned by God" but instead, it was called Elrios.
Ruben, the little hamlet situated in the northern region of Rurensia, is home to the great El-Tree which grew as a result of the Elstone.
"HUUUUUUUUN," a very loud, and obviously irritated voice pierced the silence in the small, cozy wooden house. It was around noon, and the house had a nice breeze through it.
"WHAAAAAAAAAT" came a slightly quieter, but possibly even more irritated voice, followed by grumbling and groaning and the sound of someone actually exerting effort to get up and move.
"I'm huuungry," a dark skinned male whined, his head laid against the living room table, with his eyes half closed.
"Then eaaaat." A pillow whacked him in the face, and a much lighter skinned girl stood in the doorway of the bedroom for a moment before turning to go back into it. There was a muffled whump after a few seconds. The man had laid there and accepted the pillow, but slowly rose after taking hold of it... and his destiny. He crept over to the bedroom door, slowly peeking into it, then quickly pulling back to make sure he wasn't caught. Once he was sure, he slipped into the room, and with the utmost care, snuck over to the bed that the girl had been laying in. He looked upon her body and shoved the obvious thoughts out of his head. He loaded and cocked his pillow, raising it above his head.
"Time to sleep... FOREVER!" He brought that pillow down on the girl like it was "the house" in the '70s. Anti-climactically, she just laid there. After a few moments went by with unsatifying results, the boy just sat there on the pillow, propping his head up with his arm.
"I have been vanquished," the girl groaned, her face buried in the remaining pillow on the bed.
"I get a new title. Haley Slayer." he replied with a nod.
"You have to slay me five times first..." She rolled over, causing him to fall on the other side of the bed, and looked over at him with a blank expression and half-closed eyes. He only looked back at her with a happy expression, his eyes shut tight, a huge smile across his lips. She bopped him on the nose and rolled back over, groaning again as she did so. "So much woooork, rolling over..."
"El Explorers! Front and center in five minutes! No later than five minutes!"
"No," came Haley's muffled voice.
"Yeah, no." the guy agreed, only to be cut off by another yell from Lowe.
"THAT INCLUDES YOU, ZEKE!"
Only a sigh came from Zeke, who fell back on top of the girl, sullen.
"Can I stay in bed?" asked Haley with a glimmer of hope.
"Only if I can. So no." he laughed, this time half heartedly.
Chapter 1: Who names their kids that? Seriously, like, who...
"Alright, roll call!" Lowe shouted, as the El Explorers were called upon by name. Though the group was very limited, most gave their best to try to improve their living conditions, but as per usual, there were some that were... less than caring.
"Jack!"
"Here."
"Enrique!"
"Present."
"Elsword!"
"I'm here!"
Zeke almost instantly burst into laughter. "Who the FUCK!?" He could barely finish his sentence due to his own laughter, as well as a snap from Lowe.
"Ezekial! Don't you dare insult ANOTHER new member! This is the fourth time this month! Shut your mouth!"
"Yeah yeah yeah..." he said, still catching his breath from the laughter.
With a sigh, Lowe continued.
Once finished, he began to talk about the current situation.
"As you may have heard, the notorious thief, B... Bathu-" he cleared his throat. "Banthus, had snuck in to our heavily guarded location housing the Tree of El, and stole the power of El."
Why is everything based off of this kid's name, Zeke thought, not really paying attention to the plot. He had finally donned his usual outfit, with his Knight armor attachments equipped. Though the red-white-gold color scheme stayed constant, Zeke wore a simple, black, short sleeved top underneath his unzipped, hooded jacket. The hooded jacket itself was a deep shade of maroon, and attatched to it, were the armor plates, specifically the shoulder and arm guards, branded with the Scouts' insignia. His dark grey jeans were a bit on the baggy side, though held up by a belt with a golden fleur-de-lis belt buckle. The pants, though black, had a thin stripe on each pant leg the left's being white, the right's red, running from the waistline, all the way to the end of the cuff. His shoes were simple black and white running shoes, that fit perfectly snug on him. To top it all off, he wore his usual black and crimson cap, turned only slightly to the side. The symbol on the cap was a simple one: a flame, in the shape of the letter "W".
Turning to his partner, he whispered, "Hey Hales, when is something important happening?"
"Important things happen?" she replied, her eyes following a nearby butterfly. She had put on her usual El Scout gear, consisting of a not-so-tight top, colored a forest green, which was mostly covered due to her zipped up coat. The coat, though white and very fuzzy and warm on the inside, had a rich purple outer layer, much to Haley's liking. Her long, darkened blond hair fit well with the color pattern. Her light gray cargo pants gave her the freedom she needed to be able to roll around when necessary, and her black and white shoes were the complete opposite of Zeke's. Though the normal Scout gear focused on green, white, and gold, Haley considered herself wearing all three, though most were barely noticeable.
"No one is allowed to go to the El Tree until further notice, and that is final." Lowe said, finalizing the order with a stamp of his foot. "Understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!" Most of the group said. Zeke shrugged. Haley yawned.
As the group finally dispersed, the remaining few sat down in the grassy plain, or just wandered around.
"Can I go back to bed now?" Haley asked, tilting her head.
"Nah, we're gonna go to the El Tree." Zeke nodded, with his eyes closed. He was cut off by a huge gasp.
"But Lowe said that we can't do that! What, are you trying to dishonor the name of the El Explorers?!" a young, hot-headed boy shouted at Zeke.
"Oh shit, it's that Elsword kid. Who even names their children that? Honestly, were your parents drunk?"
"Hey, the Sword surname runs deep in my family!"
"They're clearly from some kind of alcohol-ridden bloodline." Haley teased.
"Is that a challenge?! How DARE you disrespect me!" Elsword shot back, drawing his sword, pointing it at Haley.
Zeke walked toward the altercation, rotating his arm and cracking his neck, and placed his hand on the flat side of the sword. "This is a club. It's not even sharp..." He shoved it away from Haley before drawing his own blade, a custom made katana, that he held in a reverse grip.
"Don't point swords at women, kid. It's not very polite." Zeke's gaze was as sharp as a few dozen knives as he turned to Elsword, his face switching from tired to a devious smirk. "If you wanna fight, kid, I'll mop the floor with you."
Author notes, from a Zeke's perspective: So. This is one out of a few I'll upload today. This one in particular was taken in a more comedic approach, unlike my usual "blah blah blah angry" or "saaaad" stories. I honestly like how it turned out, it's hilarious.
I'd like to see which of the stories gets more popularity, and hopefully get the motivation to continue them. Thanks, guys. If you're a bit confused, check my profile or leave me a PM, I'll be sure to explain a few, and post it around here. Thanks again!