Chapter 3.5: Tree of El

Author's Note: Until this point in the story everything was in Mario's POV (shocking isn't it). Starting this chapter the beginning of the page will state whose POV it is for the chapter, although it can change perspectives during the chapter.

Elsword's POV

What the hell are these bandits doing here? These are probably just decoys so those other two can get away. That strange looking guy who tried to stop us just up and left, served that coward right. I faced that purple loud girl again, nearly succumbing myself to this useless pain.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT HOW DARE YOU!" She raised that stupid wooden stick of hers trying to intimidate me. Heh she's not even a millimeter as scary as Sis.

"SO YOU WANT A FIGHT HUH!?" I raised my Great Sword ready for combat, flaring my eyes as she did to me. No way is this girl getting stronger than I am! I heard Anne's footsteps rushing towards us worryingly.

"Stop this!" She politely stopped. "Fighting never solves anything right Lowe?" Anne craned her neck right to our brilliant captain Lowe for support. He responded nearly the same way as that guy from before, turning around towards the inn door and exiting without a change in expression.

I paid no heed to this and again faced that irritating girl again. "So what it'll be? Your stick? Or maybe your little balls in your face?" I half-smirked moving my eyes to the many options available to cut and show her I'm not as weak as she thinks. She flared up in a frenzy and started throwing back lame comebacks at me, specifying my hair and arms to burn and whack. Oh man is she predictable.

"He who strikes first wins!" I shouted right before charging towards her, keeping the sword to my right side as I rushed at her. She responded by gripping the stick with both hands and closing her eyes, is that really her defense? I removed my left hand on the grip and started dealing quick light slashes at that stick of hers she holds dearly.

*CLANG*

What the hell!? She managed to block my attack with that stick and locked us in a power struggle. What bothers me is how she's softly giggling to herself with her eyes still closed, I'll show her! I backed off by about four meters, thanks again Anne for the mansion-sized inn. Hmph wait until she sees this! I zigzagged across the wooden floor, making as much noise as possible, then rolled quietly and swiftly with my hands after reaching two feet's distance between us past her left side. As I landed crouched on my feet, I switched hands on my sword to the left and planned the same fate for her as I did for those bandits.

"MEGA SLA-" I stopped dead on my tracks, standing up straight with the grip still on my left. She wasn't standing there anymore, as if she disappeared. I quickly glanced over all possible directions. An elf lady at the right with a worried expression written on her face at us, up at the lone chandelier left untouched, left at the still unmade bed I got up from, and front after a 360 turn for the inn entrance with Anne glancing towards the area behind me. Wait behind me?

"Maybe you should respect those older than you little brat." The girl stood gleefully behind me like it's some kind of joke. "Guess I'll just have to beat some sense into you!" She gripped her stick in the same position as before, this time with her eyes open and eyebrows slanted downwards in anger.

Not this again. I jumped this time ten feet in the air, making sure she won't leave my sight as she looked skyward right back. Gripping the sword with both hands this time, I prepared a drop slash right at that stick of hers. Sis always told me never to kill unless necessary, this is definitely not the time. "Let's see you block this!" I smirked with victory in my grasp.

The girl jumped backwards to dodge my attack, there's about a meter's distance between us. I rushed towards her again and- wait is she smirking? What's that in her hand? Oh cr-

"CHAIN FIREBALL!" The girl shouted with the same enthusiasm as my Mega Slash while a ball of flame headed my way. I dodged it easily.

"Heh, maybe you shouldn't have wasted all that time for that." I taunted as the fireball I dodged vanished to thin air.

"Look again dummy." She pointed skywards, then I looked at the direction she pointed. WTF!? TWO fireballs were about one foot above me each and I couldn't escape. I felt my body temperature skyrocket to immeasurable heat as the flames made contact, burning me for about 3 seconds each.

I lay there on the ground in front of her, pitifully defeated as she stood with that mocking smile on her lips. "Maybe you'll think twice before going up against me again." She declared, offering a hand to help me up. I slapped the hand away, barking back to her I can take care of myself.

"That…was…nothing…" For some reason my clothes were kept intact without any signs of burn damage, but I disregarded that propping my sword up to stand. "If I didn't just wake up our situation would swap places." That got the reaction I wanted, she started to get angry again.

"Y-YOU WANT ANOTHER PIECE OF ME!?" She held up the stick again, intent on following through her words.

"BRING IT, I WON'T GO EASY THIS TIME!" I tried gripping the sword with both hands, shaking a bit while doing so. Suddenly I felt an ominous presence in the air and the ground shaking. The girl felt the same and had the same fearful reaction I did and turned right to face the epicenter of this danger, I did the same and turned left.

That worried elf lady lost all traces of compassion and, with a darkened face, erupted in a volcano of anger. "QUIT FIGHTING AND MAKE UP YOU LITTLE BRATS!" Her tone was the voice of Satan himself, and the sheer volume of her speech was enough to rattle the extremely still chandelier and left us quivering in fear. The girl and I dropped our weapons speechless at the sudden change in attitude in the lady. The lady must've realized this herself and calmly composed herself, briefly sulking in a corner murmuring something about "scaring the kids" and "re-introducing herself".

She dragged the two of us together in a circle and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Rena. I come from an Elven race living in this mortal world." She pointed at her pointed ears, showing proof and continued. "I came here to restore the El back to its original power instead of its weakening state now. That's why when I heard some bandits say they were planning to steal the El-"

My eyes widened at this opportunity. "BANDITS!? EL!" I planted my hands on her shoulders and shook her for answers. "WHERE! ARE! THEY!"

I suddenly felt a sharp pain between my legs as Rena kicked me there with that devilish expression. I doubled over in pain as Rena continued stating her mission in her calm expression, much to the laughter of the loud girl.

"…So now that big bandit has the El in his hideout or wherever it is. That's why Mario and I, at least, are going after them." Rena concluded.

"W-Who?" I heard my voice crack as I asked who this Mario guy is. The pain still isn't going away thanks to that really hard kick.

"He was the guy who tried to stop you two from fighting then left outside without saying a word afterwards." Rena described to the two of us. Go figure, I thought. So that strange guy was the one Rena was talking about.

"W-Wait a big bandit stole the El?" Anne finally appeared after hiding in the kitchen during the short battle. "What does this person look like?"

"Let's see…" Rena pondered in thought, closed eyes looking upwards. "He was this tall," She stood on her toes and reached to someone about two or three times her size, "about this wide," Her arms moved as if she's catching a fish even bigger than Hagus, "and had a scar replacing his right eye." She pointed to her closed eye.

"Oh I heard rumors about him." Anne cupped her left hand and placed her closed right on top of it. "His name is Banthus and from what I heard, he set up his hideout near the Tree of El."

I finally recovered from the kick and understood the situation. "So this Banthus guy set up camp near that really big tree?"

"That's right." Rena and Anne agreed in unison.

I smirked. "Well then I guess I better take it back!" I grabbed my fallen sword and rushed out of the inn towards the forest where I saw those two bandits and that demon, despite the pleading of Anne saying my "wounds aren't healed yet". Well just you wait Banthus, I'll show you no one messes with the Red Knights! I thought proudly, entering the dense forest.

Aisha's POV

I smacked my head with my open palm, who knew there was someone in the world this stupidly dangerous? If I didn't lose my powers to that stupid ring and had more spells than casting mere fireballs, that kid wouldn't have been so lucky with those minor bruises.

"Oh no," The really nice innkeeper Anne was starting to worry about him, "his wounds aren't fully healed yet."

"Meaning?" I already knew the answer but asked anyway, only idiots would charge into battle 'fighting' like heroes in that condition.

"I heard Banthus is an infamous bandit in these parts, able to take on even 10 of our Red Knights at once!" Big deal, those trainees I saw going here were only whacking dummies. "We need the assistance of an officer to deal with him!"

"An officer?" I pondered. "But that Lowe guy was the only authority in that group I've seen."

"Yes but he hasn't come back yet, and Elsword doesn't know the danger facing a bandit that skilled."

"Don't worry, we'll help." Rena chimed in, holding my hand. "This girl has fine magical abilities and I have my bow, we can help Elsword from afar." She reassured Anne.

"What!?" I was shocked at this. "B-But there's no way I'm helping a brat like hi-" Rena stared into my soul with a death glare, forcing me to change my mind. "On second thought, I'll be happy to help!" I put on a deceiving fake smile for Anne.

"Great! The Tree of El should be that way." She led us outside the inn and pointed to the same trees we just came from. One tree stood out in particular even at this distance, one growing at such height and was faintly glittering. "Here, you two might need this!"

Anne motioned us to open our hands and gave something to us. She gave us 5 red potions, explaining to us that they restore our health in battle, and a brown backpack to store our stuff, calling it an Adventure Bag. We thanked her for the gifts and put the potions inside the backpack, giving it to Rena to hold.

"Don't worry, we'll be sure to find Elsword!" Rena promised Anne while I already gone ahead to the forest.

There was a lack of…anything in the forest. No bugs, no wild Phorus, not even any guard bandits. Rena and I moved through the trees slowly holding our weapons for any signs of hostile life. That's when we heard swords clashing and hurriedly ran to that location.

Elsword's POV

Even with the lot of them they're still no match for me! I easily battered the five bandits until they couldn't move using only the sword on my right arm. They lay there bleeding and begging for mercy but I left them, focusing instead at what stood before me.

My wounds aren't fully healed yet, but I still felt as great as ever. I thought looking up at the gigantic Tree of El. Now where the hell is that big bandit Rena talked about? I scouted around the base of the tree, uncertain even someone as big as Rena described could scale the tree's hard branches. That's when I noticed something strange when I went to the back of the tree, an upside-down U shaped hole acting as a passageway. It had jagged marks all around the edges, obviously man-made using a sharp object.

Readying my grip on both hands, I walked into the cave.