Yami No Tsurugi
The Sky is Falling
Despite its cumbersome frame, the machine's speed was frightening as it raised its arm over Elsword and Aisha, and brought it down, making the ground erupt in a spray of dirt and stone. "Kuh!" Elsword hissed softly and flipped backward to avoid the shockwave that sent a dusty brown wall of stone and dirt towards the two teens. Aisha hastily called upon the reserves of her magical power and summoned an iridescent blue mana barrier that was able to protect her from the brunt of the attack. "Ngh… What now?" Aisha murmured and took a tentative step backward, stepping over a recently-formed fissure.
"We run…" Elsword replied, no trace of mockery in his tone, he was deadly serious. Aisha nodded and took another step backward, turning around so she was facing the direction of the sewer entrance. "Just give me the signal." She said and tensed her legs. Elsword narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the machine. Seeing the baleful scarlet eye of the machine flash malevolently, he whipped his head around and bellowed loudly.
"NOW WE RUN!"
With a strident beep! the machine fired a pillar of acidic-lemon light from its eye, forcing Elsword to throw himself to the ground and whizzing by Aisha, who cringed as she felt the searing heat from the laser fry the thinnest, top-most layer of her skin.
Cursing vehemently, the two teenagers regained their composure and scrambled frantically away from the machine that trudged after them, each cumbrous movement shaking the tunnel and sending a shower of loose soil from the ceiling like befouled rain.
"So what's our plan?" Aisha queried as they streaked through the sewer, occasionally springing to the side to avoid a laser beam fired at them. Elsword snorted sardonically and shot the purplenette a derisive look. "I don't know… you activated that piece of metallic shit." He snarled cantankerously. Aisha huffed indignantly and stuck her tongue out at Elsword, a rather juvenile gesture that only served to stoke the redhead's ire even further. "Don't look at me that way!" He snapped rancorously and grinded his teeth together, giving Aisha a caustic scowl.
"Well I didn't do it on purpose!" Aisha retorted tartly and threw a riled look over her shoulder. She instantly regretted it as she saw the machine behind them, undaunted by its slow speed and the rapidity its targets were displaying in fleeing from it. "How long is this damned tunnel anyway?" She enquired as she felt a chill zap down her spine, despite the profuse amount of sweat that was trickling from her pores. She was exhausted, sweaty, and her heart was slamming against her ribcage, threatening to shatter it. Her legs were on fire and her lungs seemed to be constricting in her chest, it was only the sheer volume of her terror that kept her from collapsing out in a frazzled heap.
Elsword bit his bottom lip and hurriedly contemplated the purplenette's question. "It's pretty large… it took me about a good twenty minutes to reach the end of the tunnel while chasing you. Keep in mind I was running and we had walked a good portion of the tunnel already." He replied thoughtfully. Aisha groaned loudly and shook her head lugubriously, that was not the answer she was hoping for.
"You mean when you were trying to kill me?" She snapped acerbically and glowered censoriously at Elsword. The redhead narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to give the purplenette a cutting retort, but he was cut off by Aisha before he could do so. "Let's not forget we're only in this dilemma because you tried to kill me!" She spat fervently and gave Elsword a withering glare. "Well! You piss me off!" He churlishly countered. Aisha rolled her eyes and forced her face into a hard expression. "Why is that?" She inquired with a steely edge in her voice. Not surprisingly, Elsword remained mute.
"Hello! Can you show- Kyaa!" Aisha yelped as she crashed into the ground. Not looking where she was going, and lacking the lissome agility of Elsword, she had tripped over a protruding rock on the sewer sidewalk and fell flat on her face. Elsword stopped dead and shook his head furiously. "Get up!" He demanded and frantically gestured backwards where the machine was approaching them, once a tiny pinprick of navy blue and brimstone yellow, it was gaining on them, making up for the distance lost due to the swiftness of its quarry.
Aisha gasped as she stuck her tremulous arms out and attempted to push herself up, but the smooth rhythmic tempo she had been forcing herself to run at was broken. Her momentum was annihilated, the spell was shattered. Her exhaustion had overcome her at long last. Feebly, she pushed herself halfway up before collapsing to the floor in a ragged heap.
"Get up!" Elsword shouted and grabbed Aisha's arm, attempting to lift her to her feet. She collapsed against him, as limp as a rag doll and her breath coming out of her in labored gasps. "T-tir-tired…" She wheezed and stumbled forward as she attempted to take another step, nearly knocking Elsword on his back.
CLOSING IN ON TARGET: COMMENCING EXECUTION PROTOCOL
The steely voice of the machine blared deafeningly as it lumbered even closer. With a peeved expression, Elsword flung Aisha's left arm across his shoulder. "You really are useless?" He grumbled vituperatively under his breath. Aisha regarded him with some surprise. "What?" Elsword snapped tetchily. The purplenette shook her head, an amazed expression on her face. "Why aren't you running ahead?" She asked, her voice a faint whisper. Elsword chortled darkly and shook his head. "And leave you to die? Listen flatty, if anyone is going to kill you… it's going to be me." He replied with a humorless smile. Aisha's mouth formed a perfect little "o" of surprise before a crystal tear welled up in the corner of her right eye. "Oh great… now you're crying like your PMS'ing out." Elsword sighed irritably and stumbled forward, a great deal slower and more unwieldy now that he was carrying Aisha.
"YOU IDIOT!" Aisha hollered and cuffed Elsword on his neck. Startled, he let go, allowing Aisha to crumple to the scummy floor. "What was that for?!" Elsword shouted and rubbed his neck, which was throbbing with a dull pain. Aisha, much to his dismay started to bawl loudly and she curled herself into a little ball, rocking back and forth with each convulsive sob. "HUUUAAAH!" Aisha cried and looked up at Elsword, her face a blotchy red and shining with the tears running down her cheeks. Despite himself, Elsword could not help but feel a little shamed and somewhat guilty.
Dammit! This bitch is not Luna… and Luna is a bitch anyway… so why am I caring if she cries like a one-year old at twelve o'clock in the morning?
"Y-YOU IDIOT! I-IF YOU STAY BE-BEHIND… YOU'LL DIE TOO!" Aisha wailed loudly and started to pound her fist furiously against the floor in a wild temper tantrum. "OH SHUT UP!" Elsword screamed, thoroughly incensed at this point. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the machine was closing in on them, a little too close for comfort. "IF WE'RE GOING OUT, IT'S BOTH OF US OR NONE OF US!" Elsword hollered and stamped his foot against the floor, frustrated as how to get this sobbing, immature, and apparently emotionally unstable mage to move.
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO DIE WITH YOU!" Aisha howled and rolled over on her stomach, her tears leaving moist little puddles on the ground.
TARGETS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE: ALL SYSTEMS AT OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY
The machine blared as it approached the two teens. Elsword eyed it with utter horror.
Now we're fucked…
He wished he didn't have to die at age fifteen while annoyed. It seemed like such a petty way to go out of the world.
He wished he had Cornwell… With a deadpan expression, he looked up at the machine, staring straight into its expressionless eye. If he had Cornwell he could tear this machine apart… A strange humming filled his ears, increasing with pitch as Elsword thought about what the situation would be like if he was allowed his weapon.
"El-Elsword?!" Aisha gasped weakly as she saw a faint red aura radiate from him, it was blood-red and it crackled with an arcane power. Seeing it jerked Aisha's mind backwards and she found herself being ripped out of her body and flung through a strange, interlocking grid of snow-white and ebon threads of writhing energy.
She was in a large circular room with a plush violet carpet covering the ground. A maple wood chest was shoved against the wall, overflowing with gaudy dresses of silk, satin, and polyester, embroidered with silver and gold filaments, seed pearls and shimmering flower patterns. So lurid and extravagant were the clothing items, Aisha could only suspect they were for dress up. Strewn over the floor were dolls in kitschy clothing, stuffed animals with pompous bows, and dresses. Though the room was well-lit by an elegant chandelier there were no windows, making Aisha feel like she was incarcerated despite the cheerful pastel wallpaper and the high-quality of the furniture and toys.
Sitting across from her with a blithe smile was a young child who looked alarmingly like Aisha in her younger days. Her lavender hair was done into two short pigtails restrained by frilly white lace covered in a satiny layer of purple fabric. Her amethyst eyes peered up at Aisha, wide and sparkling with wonder. She looked so innocent and seraphic…
A hot needle of searing pain stabbed Aisha's chest and with a silent cry she fell backwards flat on her back. "Hey! Hey you! You ok?" The young girl asked and crawled over to where Aisha was lying, her eyes shining with concern. "I hope you're ok… it gets lonely here… I'd be sad if you left me already…" The girl whispered softly and wrapped her arms around Aisha, propping her up against a wall.
"We can be friends right?" The girl enquired with a vivacious smile. Stunned and unsure of what to do, Aisha nodded her head numbly.
"YAY!" The little girl squealed and threw herself against Aisha, embracing the mage in a crushing hug.
Elsword's eyelids fluttered shut as the machine lifted its arm above the redhead, prepared to stomp him into a pile of bodily fluids and red jellies. Several faint blades of golden energy floated behind Elsword, humming softly with unbridled energy. The faint halo of golden brilliance the blades were swathed in throbbed in time with Elsword's breaths.
I don't want to die…
The blades flew forward in a volley of light, slamming against the machine and tearing it apart with a deafening chorale of bangs! And strident screeching noises that set Elsword's teeth on edge. His eyes flew open and he regarded the pandemonium with awe. Had he done that…? The machine glowered evilly at him, one of its tree-trunk arms was reduced to a pile of twisted and blackened metal, its colossal frame sparking and littered with gashes, scrapes, and dents.
SYSTEMS DAMAGED: DAMAGE SUSTAINED AT 33 PERCENT
Enraged at the redhead's attack, the machine swung its remaining arm forward and slammed it into Elsword. He was thrown against the wall and he with a stunned expression, he crumpled to the ground, senseless, a thin stream of tepid blood trickling from his forehead and staining the ground a deep crimson. Its one eye flashing menacingly, the machine diverted its attention to the now stirring form of Aisha.
"I've been stuck here a long time… mommy and daddy think I'm weird…" The little girl said sadly, her face downcast as she handed Aisha an oversized teddy bear. Feeling the soft bristles of honeyed brown fabric against her cheek, Aisha hugged the stuffed animal and asked why.
"Something to do with reality…" the girl replied, looking somewhat bemused and donned a floppy-brimmed hat with a mauve ribbon running the width of the brim. Aisha regarded the girl with a peculiar expression and she cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean by that?" She asked softly.
The girl shrugged and shook her head, looking just as lost as Aisha. "I dunno… All I know is that I want to leave this room and see the world beyond." Aisha sighed and set the teddy bear she was holding to the side. "The world beyond…" She echoed faintly and struggled to rack her brain for what she knew of the world… It was empty… the memories she possessed all slipped from her grasp like a wet bar of soap.
"The world beyond…" Aisha repeated and stood up.
"The world beyond…" An invisible force wrapped itself around Aisha and she found herself being flung forward. Past the writhing threads of energy she flew, past whizzing blurs of color and indistinct murmurs. She hovered over her unconscious form for a brief moment before dropping back into her body.
When her eyes opened, they were glowing an incandescent hue of pale lavender.
Room 413 was abuzz with activity as a small group of eight conversed with each other. Rena, Raven, Eve, Chung, Ara, Elesis, and the schools notorious rebel girls- Chloe and Proto were gathered in Eve's room for their weekly night of festivities where all of them would dress up, munch on junk-food, sing at ridiculously loud volumes, and stay up late watching TV.
Laughing gaily, Ara raided the oaken wardrobe pushed up against the small walk-in closet, sifting through the massive volumes of fabric that was stuffed in the wardrobe. "Hey Eve! What about this?" She jibed lightly and withdrew a scanty red midriff top, short denim shorts, and a white scar striped with vertical lines of black. With an exasperated expression, Eve looked up from the magazine she had been reading and shook her head before leaning back against the mound of pillows that decorated the head of her bed.
"You don't need to show off any more than you already do. We are all aware you have melons for boobs." Eve drawled indolently and flipped a page in her magazine. Ara blazed a ruddy red and shot a look to her left where Elesis, Raven, Proto, and Chloe were munching on sour gummy worms while watching anime. "Well… why did you have it then!? We all know you're as flat as the wall!" Ara grumbled and leaned against the wardrobe, her arms crossed and her bottom lips sticking out into a girlish pout. Eve flamed vividly, but she was able to get it under control before anyone took notice.
"It's for people like Rena who might occasionally want to use it for some light teasing… Only women who are in a relationship can wear those kinds of outfits." Eve retorted sharply and flicked another page in the magazine. Ara huffed indignantly and threw her arms up. "Eve is defending her territory…" Chloe whispered in a low undertone to Proto, who snickered loudly as another person was eaten on screen.
"Hey! You're ruining a touching moment!" Elesis barked and threw a couple of malted milk balls at Proto, who plucked them off the carpeted floor and popped them in her mouth.
"But Rena has even bigger boobs than me!" Ara protested, completely missing the point. Rena gasped loudly and threw a pillow at Ara. "Hey! I can't help what nature gave me!" Rena exclaimed loudly and flopped over on her stomach, pretending to look miffed. Chloe chuckled roguishly and gestured airily at Ara, the strands of her hot-pink locks drifting into her mauve eyes. A lazy grin formed on the dark-skinned elf's face and she snorted softly before giving Ara some of her wisdom (Which was almost always an innuendo of some sort).
"Well you see… Eve has a problem with you wearing that outfit because you're single… and your milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard."
Everyone in the room groaned, save for Ara who giggled and shook her head, a sheepish smile forming on her face. "My milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard, all-"
"Please spare me…" Raven interjected rather dryly as he helped himself to a Cajun chicken leg. Ara snickered and resumed her self-appointed duty of raiding Eve's cosplay wardrobe. "Well… Ara has some fabulous milkshakes." Chloe said and stretched her arms out. "Rena's are better." Raven instantaneously refuted with a straight expression on his face. Rena's head shot up and she gave Raven a withering glare, "I don't remember giving you permission to speak about my quality milkshakes." She snipped and stuck her nose up in the air. Raven let out a soft laugh and he looked up, bending his back backwards so he could look at the elf. "I'm just telling the truth." He said with a smile. Rena couldn't help it, she beamed brightly and leapt off her perch on what is Aisha's bed, but the purplenette was off cleaning the sewers, and embraced Raven in a warm hug.
"So have you two done it?" Proto asked and she picked up the remote, pushing the pause button and scrutinizing the couple. Both of them blushed deeply and hastily shook their heads. "No." Raven replied curtly and tried to assume a straight face. "We're waiting for marriage." Rena added and nuzzled Raven's human arm. "Tastes…like…diabetes…" Elesis muttered under her breath and pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Oh! Like Aren would do for Elesis!" Proto mused and brushed her snowy hair away from her sultry, half-lidded crimson eyes. Much to Elesis's chagrin, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Elesis, who returned their inquisitive stares with a black look. "We're not together… we're just friends… I'm not interested in him…" She repudiated sullenly. Rena sighed and brushed her silky chartreuse locks out of her verdant eyes. "That's what she says… She's really stubborn and will go to great lengths to prove what she says…" Rena said very loudly in a tone that patently announced to everyone that she was cheesed off in some way. "'She' would appreciate it if you didn't talk about her like 'she' was not in the room." Elesis snapped dourly.
"Guess what she did?" Rena pressed, deliberately ignoring the crimsonette. "What?" Ara enquired curiously and perked up, stopping what she was doing. "She-" Rena shot an acidic glare at Elesis who retorted with an equally acerbic look of her own. "-asked Edan out to the Christmas Ball in front of Aren." The elf announced.
Eve snorted disinterestedly and rolled her eyes, Raven shook his head, Chung sighed, Ara gasped, Chloe chuckled, and Proto let out a piercing whistle. "That would tick Apple off… the skank has a crush on Edan." The snowy-haired Nasod said with a note of admiration in her voice. "Really?!" Ara yelped and gave the crimsonette a blistering look. "Really." Elesis parroted mordantly and shoved a handful of potato chips in her mouth. "Well no wonder Nii-san didn't come!" Ara huffed testily and narrowed her eyes, staring sourly at the crimsonette. Elesis just ignored her, feigning interest in the stagnant TV screen.
"Aren didn't come because he was laser beamed by the new girl when she launched her attack… he was sent flying through the wall and he's out cold. He should be back by tomorrow." Eve explained icily and resumed perusing her magazine. "Well!" Ara muttered to herself and shot a chafed look to the side. "I'm surprised you and Chung are so aggressive, you don't seem like that type!" Rena said hurriedly, eager to change the topic. Eve sighed and looked up, giving Chung a lazy look. "You have my permission to speak freely." She said flatly and rested her head again.
Chung smiled wryly, "So long as I don't say something that you don't want me to say." He joshed lightly. The silverette nodded with a faint smile on her lips. "You're catching on." She replied in the same teasing tenor. The blonde smiled and diverted his attention to everyone in the room. Running a nervous hand through his spiky hair, he gave everyone an abashed smile and a faint blush tinged his cheeks.
"Well… you see… Eve is unique even for a Nasod and as a result… her father has some… ahem… interesting terms for marriage and such." He trailed cautiously and looked up at Eve who nodded approvingly. "The Eden project…" Proto mumbled under her breath. Unfortunately Eve heard it. "Silence!" The silverette barked and chucked her magazine at Proto who deftly caught it in midair. "Wha?" Ara gaped, her head tilted to the side in confusion. Eve, correctly interpreting Ara's muddled enquiry as "What does he mean?" replied with a frosty note in her voice. "It is nothing considering a lowly human like you." She replied brusquely.
"It's a shame Aren couldn't be here… Life isn't the same without our friendly punching bag." Chloe said, mercifully drawing the heat away from Eve. "That's more Pocky for me." Elesis responded and reached for the cherry-red container and pulled out a couple of the thin, chocolate-coated wafer sticks. "You miss him…" Rena trailed but silenced herself upon seeing the vexed visage Elesis threw in her direction. "Don't push it." Elesis said with a deadpan expression.
Raven sighed and reached for the remote, tapping the play button. "Let's settle down." He said in a superior tone and drew Rena closer to him. "Remember Rae… marriage." Chloe jested. Raven cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. "How could I forget with morally upstanding people such as you monitoring me?"
Raven's quip elicited a laugh from everyone. "Good one…" Chloe said begrudgingly and diverted her attention to the TV. Ara sighed and resumed ransacking Eve's costume stash. "What about this one?" She enquired, pulling out a cerise eastern-style dress that was sleeveless. Eve looked up and rolled her eyes. "Is there any cleavage?" She queried and rolled her eyes. Ara crinkled her forehead and shook her head. "Then it's all good." The silverette replied in a bored tone. Ara beamed brightly and stood up, clutching the dress close to her bosom. "Thank-"
A thunderous roar reverberated through the air and the ground trembled, shaking the room and knocking Ara off her feet. The beds slid from their position against the wall and the portraits jittered side to side, knocking themselves askew. The lights flickered precariously before stabilizing. "What the hell!?" Elesis yelped and shot several wild glances around the room. "Look!" Chung cried and pointed out the cavernous window. There was a mad dash to the windows, and the small group squabbled with each other for a good view.
"What… the…" The rest of Proto's words trailed into stunned silence. From the northern part of the school's forest, a pulsating pillar of fuchsia light erupted from the ground, shattering the heavens into a million little pieces. A splay of vivid light decorated the ink-black sky in the pattern of a cracked eggshell, and as the group watched, jagged pieces of the night sky began to peel away from the star-studded firmament and crash into the ground like a meteorite.
"Holy shit!"
"Chloe… did you happen to spice the popcorn with anything illegal?" Elesis asked her eyes wide and her features at a loss as to what was going on. "If she did, I must have had something illegal too because I'm seeing it and I didn't have any popcorn." Rena said. "Apparently, the whole school must be on dope." Eve said amusedly and pointed down towards the ground, "Look!" The group looked down to see the students milling around outside, gawking at the ethereal spectacle before them. More were pouring out of the building as they watched.
"Let's go check it out." Eve stated and sauntered towards the door, pulling it open. The remaining seven hesitated for a fleeting moment before nodding their heads and filing out the door.
Let's cut it off here! I finished this chapter… I *Sighs* was suffering from some minor writer's block and I pushed on despite myself… I think this chapter was a bit oddly paced but it was exciting at least… next chapter you'll get an explanation as to what the hell is going on. I also realized that this story is lacking Reven… so I'm going to have to put forth some effort on that front… It's just that with all this mayhem it's hard to squeeze everything in at once. At least the chapter length is decent, 4k words not counting the AN. Surprisingly, this was a challenging chapter… I was trying to keep the frantic pace in the beginning and then when I switched, I was trying to create some friendly banter while giving everyone an equal chance. I think next update from me is going to be for my new RS x EM FF EXEC FLIP ARPHAGE. Still… I do want to give thanks to the reviewers of my last chapter! Ten reviews! QwQ Thank chu guys! :,DDD *Touched* Here are the replies to the reviews! :3
Orithia WindBell- Long time no see Orithia! :D IS x VP :D My favorite pairing and RS x EM my 2nd fav! :D We're going to be great friends XDD Elsword hates Aisha because he is a seriously disturbed and moody little prick.. lol... no seriously... he does have issues... you're going to discover one of the biggest issues next chappie :D I don't think of Aisha is dirty... and VP is just a little suggestive... not a pervert :3 Things in their relationship will start to improve because of it... they'll stop whacking each other at least :D
Konjiki No Yami- *Blushes* St-stahp! You're embarrassing me! O/O This isn't with ES because A) It's not 140 chapters and B) It's not as exciting or captivating as ES. I tried to balance out their personalities and make it so neither one was too far ahead of the other in terms of likeability. I wanted to balance them out... so yes... Elsword has anger issues and Aisha is argumentative and a tad annoying. Glaive x Speka? Not a bad idea... but as of now... Glaive is sort of Speka's B*** Speka greater than Glaive lololol XD
PikaChibi- They're still alive! XD
Rosamanelle- Aisha is a perfect case of "All brains, no common sense" Don't fret Rosa... they're getting to the point where they'll stop trying to kill each other. Glaive is a bad headmaster... he is like that woman from "Bad Teacher" but even worse... because he's the headmaster... just wait until you see what he does for the Christmas Ball! Their weapons are forbidden to prevent them from murdering each other... although they should've been allowed... the sky wouldn't of gotten blown up if they were. XD Edan is hiding in the corner of fear... he's all yours XD
MiyuMelody- It kind of changes around in Eltype to be honest... I really take Eltype with a grain of salt... To be honest... IS's hair kind of freaked me out to when I first saw it, but then I saw his kawaii in-game model and now he's my favorite... it's really all in how you draw his hair... Good artist= fabulous IS... Bad Artist= MY EYES! THEY ARE BLEEDING! QAQ Elsword tries to kill Aisha because he needs to be on mood-stabilizing meds XD
Jetstream Girge- Thanks for pointing that out... I'll fix it... if I remember to... lololol *Shot* The Nasod Inspector has been destroyed... with some major repercussions totally not related to the fact Aisha blew up the sky next chapter XD
thefrozencherryblossom- I'm glad you like it! Yush... they both are stubborn bakas! XD
AkitaEls- WOAH... Thanks for the review! :,D It's ok if you didn't leave a review until before now... A lot of people have done the same thing XD I try to avoid word duplications within the same chapter unless their mundane words you have to repeat. I do have a couple errors with continuity, mainly it's me trying to shake things up a bit and give other characters a spot in the limelight as well. Yeah... buckle up... this story is only going to get darker as it progresses... Hopefully most of the people will make it out alive with all four limbs attached to them... but you never know... I don't really view IS and VP as sadistic, cruel, or mean... Actually VP might be a little sadistic and IS could be a little cruel, but in IS's case it's more from his abrasive personality more than anything. I tend to view them as abrasive, aggressive, a bit flippant, a little childish, somewhat moody, but still very fierce and determined and I try to convey that whenever I write them. Yay for IS x VP lover! Welcome to the dark ship! We have cookies! XDD
The-Great-Me-Sama- Add will be here... he's actually in the same group of Luna and he has a relation with Eve that will give Chung a run for his money and force him to make a decision. Don't worry! People are going to die! :D *Shot*
MelodyRinn- Thanks! :3 Aisha can use some magic without the bat... just nothing really worth noting... basic mana shields and the sporadic fireball :3