SL: Guess what.

Elsword: Chapter 3?

SL: How'd you know? owo

Elsword: Predictable as always...

SL: *faces Rena and Aisha* You're in this chapter :D

Aisha: FINALLY. IT ONLY TOOK YOU LIKE 5 MILLION YEARS.

SL: I know. I try. :P

Rena: Oh god.. I'm going to be put into a little kid's story :O Don't kill me off plox o-o;;

SL: o-o ... I hate killing characters off...

Rena: Whew.

Raven: You know, even if she doesn't get rid of you, I still can :D

Rena: Nope. *Draws bow and nocks an arrow*

SL: Oh god... not this again.

Chapter start~


Chapter 3: The Knight, the Mage, and the Elf

An hour earlier, a certain girl had been dining at Ruben's inn. Aisha placed her spoon on the table and pulled her hair into two short pigtails, annoyed that it kept falling into her face. She picked her spoon back up and dug furiously into her meal, which happened to be fish stew with a warm loaf of buttery bread. Finished too soon, Aisha sighed, wishing she didn't have to ration the money she spent, carefully. If only I could use magic to make some food appear... Aisha thought wistfully. Being able to shoot fireballs out of my hand and teleport a few yards doesn't really change the fact that I'm starving. She stood up out of her chair and paid the innkeeper for the meal. I'd better get ready to travel to another town now. There really isn't anything in Ruben that'd help me get stronger anyways... Aisha meditated on the events of the past few months on her way out of the inn, getting more irritated with them the more she looked back at them. In fact, she was irritated to the point that she didn't notice when she started ranting out loud.

"Stupid ring. If it wasn't for it, I'd still be as powerful as I was before and I wouldn't have had all my magic abilities drained." Aisha scowled, oblivious to the stares of the villagers in the inn. "If it wasn't for that ring, I wouldn't have had to start over all the way from the beginning!"

"Umm... Excuse me, young lady, but do you need help? Are you... okay?" the innkeeper questioned with a concerned look in her eyes. Aisha looked up.

"Huh?"

"You were sort of talking to yourself there for a moment," the innkeeper explained carefully. Suddenly, Aisha noticed all the stares directed at her, and she blushed.

"Oh... Sorry. I'm fine," Aisha answered hastily before hurrying to get out of the inn. Once she was outside, Aisha took a deep breath. Oh god, what did I say in there? Aisha glanced at the inn behind her shoulder. They must have thought I was insane or something... Before she could worry too much about the matter though, a small gathering of people attracted her attention. Past the last few houses of the village, less than ten figured were huddled together, looking as if they were having a discussion...


"Okay, so here's the deal," Lowe eyed all four men in front of him. "Since Ruben's forest is way too large for us to explore together, we'll split up and search different areas of it. I'll assign certain sections of the forest to all of you. Once you're done checking through that part, return here and report anything you saw, got it?" All heads nodded in agreement. "Elsword, are you fine searching by yourself, or should I get someone to help you?" Elsword shook his head.

"I'm fine." Lowe looked at him carefully.

"Okay, then. Now, I'll give you your sections." He unrolled a map that he had been holding and showed it to his top knight, Aidan. "Aidan, you're going to investigate this section." Lowe pointed to a large expanse of land in the north-western region of RubenForest. "Can you handle that?"

"'Course I can," Aidan answered dutifully.

"Good. Now, Matthew." Lowe angled his map toward the other knight on his right and traced a circle on the map with his index finger. "You're going to take care of this north-eastern part of the forest." Matthew inclined his head and inspected his equipment to make sure he was definitely prepared.

"And Levi, you'll look around in the southernmost region."

"Aye commander," Levi responded, grateful that the southern region was a small area to touch upon.

"Finally, Elsword," Lowe shifted his solemn gaze onto the boy. "I'm trusting you with the central part of RubenForest. It isn't easy to lose your way in this area; in fact, it's easier for an amateur archer to shoot a fly out of the air than for you to get lost in this place. That way, I don't have to worry about you disappearing in the forest forever." Elsword glared at the other knights, who were currently trying to stifle their laughs. They think I can't do anything, as if I'm a hopeless, little kid. He huffed, and returned his attention back to Lowe.

"... and that's that. I'll be skirting around the edges of your assigned areas, so I can help you if you run into any trouble. Does anyone need another explanation on what we're doing?" No one said a word. "Good, now let's move." Lowe concluded. Aidan, Matthew, Levi, and Elsword all scrambled into Ruben Forest, rushing to get to their assigned sections and search for any sign of the thieves. Lowe watched, then bounded into the forest as well, ready to catch whoever was trying to take the El.


Aisha kept her eyes on the figures near the forest entrance, intrigued when they entered the forest. Weren't there rumors about an El shard hidden somewhere in there? Aisha summoned her wand and it appeared in her hand. Whatever's going on in there has to be more exciting than what's happening in the village. She darted toward the forest entrance clutching her wand, ready to use it in case of an emergency.

Passing through the underbrush and carefully making her way between the trees, Aisha wandered throughout the forest, looking for anything that might arouse her interest. Little did she notice that the faint, blue light - which always surrounded RubenVillage - grew more intense, the deeper she ventured into the forest. Nor did she notice the bright, emerald eyes that studied her from above.


Rena observed the girl passing below the tree that she was hidden in. The girl's purple hair swayed from side to side, in its little pigtails, as she advanced further into the woods. The staff that the girl held immediately indicated to Rena that this girl was a magic-user of some sort, perhaps a mage. First that group of soldiers, and now this girl? Rena gazed into the deeper section of the woods. I've never seen people wander into this forest before. I wonder what could be going on... With the purple-haired mage out of sight, Rena leapt down to the ground from her tree and strung the bow she always carried with her. She flipped her light, green hair back and tucked it behind her pointed ears. Swiftly and silently, Rena raced through the forest, grinning with excitement, unsure of what to expect.

Before long, Rena neared the edges of a small, isolated clearing. She was just about to step in the clearing when she tensed. Wait. Other people are here. I can sense them. Stealthily, she snuck behind a bush, praying that her presence wouldn't be discovered. Hearing footsteps coming closer to her, Rena held her breath and kept still, doing her best to stay hidden.

"If this plan works, we'll be filthy rich!" a man's deep voice bellowed enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Don't get so excited," someone replied, sounding bored.

"Are you absolutely sure you understand the plan?" the man with the deep voice asked worriedly. "Let's go over it one more time." Rena riskily shifted her position so she could peer through the bush at the people she was listening to. She instantly spied two, buff men: one with dark, disheveled hair and a beard, and one completely bald. Though, when Rena moved her eyes to the right, she almost gasped. A third man stood towering over the other two men. His copper-colored hair did little to hide the scars that covered his entire face and his missing eye. The man's bulging muscles did nothing but intimidate Rena, especially since she was just beyond an arm's length away from his reach. While Rena took in all of this, the bald man sighed and said,

"Okay, okay. So while we run around the forest with the El from RubenVillage and distract the search party, you'll grab the humungous one from the Tree of El unnoticed. Right, Banthus?" The heavily muscled man, who seemed to be Banthus, growled,

"No, that's not right! The village doesn't have an El shard, you moron. Its El is somewhere in this forest! I heard that its El was split into two pieces a while ago, but both are kept in a gigantic tree. I said, our goal is to find this tree and steal the larger piece of El. So to do that, you two will take the smaller El shard and distract the search party while I move the larger shard out of this forest. Got it now?"

"Got it," both men responded, irked by the fact that they had to be decoys for their leader.

"Excellent. Let's move, boys!" Banthus shouted. The three men shot through the woods in search of the great El tree. Rena breathed deeply and tried to calm her racing heartbeat. Stealing the shard from the Tree of El? What do I do...? Rena pushed herself off the ground and dusted a few leaves and dirt particles off her skirt. She looked in the direction Banthus and his two comrades ran off in. I can't let this happen. I'll find the search party and alert them. But... which way do I go? Rena strained her ears. She listened for footsteps, a voice, any sound. Keeping still and as silent as possible, Rena waited. She heard a faint yell from the distance and eagerly scrambled toward the direction the noise had come from. I have to hurry, before those thieves get away...


Panting, Elsword slowed to a slow walk, pausing to take a swig of water from the water skin he had brought with him. Damn... Where did those guys go?

"Oh, great! I can't believe that RubenVillage sent a little boy after us!" A voice laughed far behind Elsword. Elsword spun around to see two men - one with unkempt hair and an ugly beard, another who was completely bald - sneering at him a few yards away.

"Gotcha!" Elsword said despite the fact he didn't exactly catch the men yet, and that he was clearly outnumbered by the two thieves. "Now you can either give up the El shard, or I can take it from you." The bald bandit snorted.

"That's cute, kid. You're welcome to try." He reached into a large pack he was holding and pulled out a shimmering, azure stone the size of a watermelon. "Want this?" Elsword fumed, getting ready to charge at the man. The bald thief stuffed the El stone into his pack and turned. "Catch us if you can!" He taunted over his shoulder. Enraged, Elsword tried to follow, but tripped over a tree root on the ground.

"Oof!" he wheezed. Elsword rose from the ground unsteadily and brushed himself off. Stupid... I let them get away. He turned his head to the direction the bandits ran off in and advanced, though this time more cautiously, with the intention of avoiding falling again.

When the tree roots were less in the way and a clear path could be made out, Elsword sprinted through the forest, determined to find the insolent men and bash their faces in for both stealing the El and mocking him. He continued without any break or pause in his gait. A frightened shout halted Elsword in his tracks.

"Help, Boss! Something huge and hairy is heading this way!" a man cried out. Elsword gasped. That's them. He started dashing again and poured on the speed, ignoring the scratches he received from several shrubs on the path. Only one thing mattered at the moment, and that was retrieving the El. Racing through the trees, his sword held tightly in his right hand, Elsword persisted, never slowing his pace.

"Ack! No!" The shout seemed to come from a clearing up ahead. Elsword kept going, rushing to reach the clearing. Right before the clearing, however, the two thieves lay on the ground, battered and bruised. Elsword slowed to a stop, huffing, and he looked down at them, eyes narrowed. Planting his foot on the chest of the bald man and holding his blade near the face of the other, Elsword stared at their frightened expressions.

"Give. Me. The. El," he demanded. The bearded man croaked,

"We don't have it!" Elsword moved his blade closer to the face of the thief. "I swear, some big furry monster attacked us and took it! It went over there!" the man cried desperately, pointing toward the clearing. Elsword glowered at him, trying to detect any sign of a lie. Finding none, he finally withdrew from the bandits and gazed past the trees. Keeping his eyes there, Elsword muttered,

"Pathetic. What group of third-rate bandits are you guys, to have what you stole taken right from you?" He glanced at the two men, noting that they were in no condition to get up and fight. Alright, time to go see what that thing is... Elsword sprinted toward the clearing, pushing past every tree until he stumbled through the opening. "What the..."

It was enormous, almost as tall as the trees themselves. It was covered in dark, ragged hair, all over its body. Its blood-red eyes glowed as it turned to stare down at Elsword. Elsword faltered. It's not a normal monster. It looks more like the pictures of demons I've seen in storybooks... He shook his head, and looked straight at the creature.

"Stop right there. Where's the El shard?" The beast snorted and, to Elsword's surprise, growled,

"Mm? They sent a kid after the El? Sorry, little man, but this piece of El is staying with me. Back off or I'll eat your face." Elsword stared daggers at the demon.

"Pft. You have got to be kidding. That El shard is a village heirloom, and no wolfman wannabe is gonna take it away!" Elsword charged the beast. "Take this!" he yelled, raising his sword.


A yell. A thud. Silence. Aisha flicked her head up. What was that?! Another yell.

"Take this!" ...Eh? Sounds like a fight. Aisha squinted, making out a clearing in the distance. A dark shape shifted in the clearing. "Pft. You have got to be kidding. That El shard is a village heirloom, and no wolfman wannabe is gonna take it away!" Oh? Is that a kid's voice? This I have to see! Aisha gripped her wand tightly and hurried through the woods toward the dark shape, eager to discover what it was. Twenty yards. Ten yards. Five. Aisha burst into the clearing, stopping abruptly when she saw it; it was hideous - demon-like - and its dirty, mangled fur bristled as the beast shook with frenzy. But the creature convulsed with even more rage was not the beast, but a small, fiery-haired boy. His eyes blazed with animosity toward the gargantuan demon. Aisha looked from the tiny boy to the hideous thing. The beast growled.

"Not bad, boy, but it's going to take a lot more to beat me." It swatted the boy back a few yards.

"Oof!" The red-head instantly got up and hefted his sword. Aisha scoffed, still unnoticed by the beast or the boy.

"Check this kid out. What a character," she muttered under her breath. "This might be none of my business, but I can't just stand here and do nothing." Aisha rushed toward the demon and raised her staff. For a split second, she skimmed through her mind. What were the words again... Oh, right. Duh. "Veni, poena fulminis," Aisha breathed, pointing her staff directly at the demon. Immediately, a potent bolt of lightning arced from the tip of her staff and hit the beast.

"Argh!" it roared. "Who dares?!"

"Aisha, magician extraordinaire, at your service," Aisha replied sarcastically. Her tone changed quickly, however, and she scolded, "You chose the wrong place to start a fight, monster!"

"What's with all these children?" the beast hissed. "This is not your concern, little one. Leave us, or die!" Aisha's eyes flared in anger.

"Come on! I'm not a kid, I'm just short! I'm still more than you can handle, anyway!" She ran behind the demon and waved her wand, shooting three consecutive fireballs at it. The demon howled, and attempted, in vain, to maintain an intimidating air.

"Hah... You guys are hilarious. You can keep this El for now, but we'll meet again. Count on it." The demon dropped an El stone, barely the size of a watermelon, on the ground, and escaped. The red-haired boy, who had been facing the front of the beast, stared at the retreating beast, yet unaware of Aisha's presence.

"What the... Gone?"

"I hope so," Aisha directed at the boy. "You're lucky that I came by when I did. My name's Aisha."

"Man! I almost had him..." the boy muttered to himself, ignoring Aisha.

"Ha... No need to thank me for saving your sorry butt," Aisha chuckled with an annoyed grin painted on her face. "I'm a magician from the south, by the way."

"Well, at least the El shard is recovered. I have to get this to the village," Elsword continued talking to himself, somehow still oblivious to Aisha.

"..." Aisha stood motionless, having nothing to say to the boy. Elsword looked up, and noticed her for the first time.

"Hey, who are you?" he interrogated. "Don't tell me, you want the El shard too! You want a piece of me?!" Aisha fumed.

"You idiot! I've been talking to you! Listen when people are talking!"


Rena was just about to stop when she heard another yell. "You idiot!" A girl? Good. Maybe she can tell me where the search party is. Rena pushed forward, reaching a clearing similar to the one she had seen the bandits in. There, she spotted a little boy with fiery-red hair and a young girl with violet hair. Both of them were trembling, looking... annoyed? The boy spoke first.

"Why did you hit me?!" The girl twisted a wand she was holding around in her hands.

"You need some manners when you approach a lady!" She glared at the boy. Rena stood several feet away from them, shifting her weight onto her right foot and crossing her arms. I wonder... Should I wait for them to finish or speak now?

"Lady?! What lady?" the boy retorted. "I only see a tomboy!" Rena smiled awkwardly and took a few steps toward the two children.

"Hey... there~" she giggled nervously. The girl yelled at the boy,

"Oh my God. Tomboy?! Are you kidding me, you stupid bed-wetting kid?"

"Hey..." Rena tried again.

"Who're you calling kid?!" the boy demanded. "You're no older than I am. You're probably still using a training bra."

"... You. You've got some nerve!" the girl quivered, her expression murderous. The boy scoffed,

"You started it."

"Shut up."

"Stop it! Stop shouting you obnoxious kids!" Rena exploded. They both went silent. The boy and girl flicked their gazes toward Rena, startled. "Umm... Yes, well," Rena cleared her throat, at the same time noting the girl's magenta attire and the boy's crimson uniform, with a badge of one of Ruben's knights. "Your badge... you're one of the knights from the El search party, aren't you?" The boy nodded. "But, you're just a boy?"

"And who the heck are you?" the boy inquired.

"Ah, I'm Rena from ElfVillage," Rena's normal grin returned to her face. "I overheard a bunch of thugs planning to steal the shard from the Tree of El."

"What?" The boy's eyes widened. "Those jerks! Still eyeing the El? I'll see about that..." He started to run.

"And then," Rena continued, but he already left. "Whoa! I haven't even finished... There he goes." She sighed. The purple-haired girl stepped toward Rena.

"What a dweeb," she uttered. "Knew it from the first time I laid eyes on him."

"Do you know him?" Rena looked at the girl quizzically.

"No! And I don't give a flying fig about what happens to him. I helped the guy out and he started trippin'. He called me an annoying tomboy."

"Yes, yes," Rena smiled awkwardly. She's a bit melodramatic...

"Ugh! I'm so pissed right now. I'm going to give that kid a piece of my mind. Oh... Did you need something, though?" the girl asked. Rena shook her head. "Okay. The name's Aisha, by the way. Let's go, right now." She grabbed Rena's hand and dragged her toward the direction the boy had gone off to.

"Let. Go. Of. My. Hand," Rena said, slightly irritated. Aisha quickly let go, and stalked down the path that most likely led to Ruben Village, with Rena following closely behind her.


SL: And... that's chapter 3.

Rena: Cool. Aisha and Elsword are their weird selves as usual.

Elsword and Aisha: D:

Elsword: She whacked me in the head...

Aisha: You deserved it. =.=

Elsword: Shut up.

Rena: Now, now...

SL: This is starting to look like the story... o-o

Raven: *looks bored* Am I going to be in this?

SL: Yeah, I guesso, if I get that far. It's gonna take me a while though.

Raven: How long? o.o

SL: Well... It took me about a month (three weeks) to get these three chapters done and edit them..

Raven: Childspeed.

Rena: Indeed.

SL: So I'll probably update this in... a week? Two weeks? A month? Depends if I want to post three chapters or one chapter at a time.

Oh, and I didn't state this before, but please review anything that you think might need improvement. (If you have the time)

Andddddd, in case anyone noticed,

1. Yes, I did use some dialogue from the game tutorials (I liked them actually, they only needed to be altered a little bit)

2. I did use Latin for Aisha's incantation or spell. It seemed fitting that she would say something when she used magic. I did want to use Korean for her incantations, since this game was made in Korea, but I figured it would sound a little... awkward. (Veni, poena fulminis means Come, punishment of lightning [or bolt])

3. There probably aren't two shards of El in the actual story line; I just wanted to add that in there :P