Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword nor the OCs I don't own!
3: *sneaks in verrryyyy slowwwlyyyy* OvO
All: WHERE WERE YOU, 3?!
3: Eep! OwO I-I can explain! I can explain!
All: *death glares*
3: W-Well, procrastination got me ovo #slapped. I-I mean I was training my writing skills by writing random OC drabbles! OVO #slapped.
Yeah… Also cuz I kind of made some weird rule to myself that I wouldn't update unless I've finished that surprise I told you guys some time ago ouo Actually, the surprise was already done but I don't think it's legit enough so I'm making another one again XD #double slapped XwX
No worries, I shall not be doing that weird rule anymore. Thus, I'm trying to keep up a good update pace :D
Ahehehehehe #slapped XwX
Now to the replies~ (ahh, I miss these horizontal lines~)
Replies~
For Void Highlord Prime:
Lol Void-chan XD
Review still accepted *v*/
For The Sharkening:
H-Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait too..? ouo'a #slapped XwX
I try to make this a deep story XD Practicing to make one... *v*/
Thank you~~ XD
For Light15XV:
WELCOME BACK, LIGHT-CHAN XD Though I'm supposed to say that like a year ago... hehe... owo #slapped XwX
Yush, and I shall continue to write! XD 'Tis my life-calling *v*
Still tho... *randomly hugs*
For Horizon Reaper:
Hehe ovo #slapped XwX
I have to imagine and think of what scenes someone would actually speak in before they speak. Since, well... Not everyone talks in every situation, so making everyone have equal screentime is kinda tough DX
I'm all chill and fancy(?) #wat
XD
For KazeNoKishiX:
HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHE *V* #slapped XwX
Hopefully it'll be a legit murder case, haha~ XD I worry owo
Lol poor Hiro-chan XD *pats head*
This advertising XD Such wall of text XwX
Are other OC-story authors even reading this story tho? *gasps* OwO
I WANT TO SEE THEM OWO
For Vindictive Specter:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! AZU-NII-CHANNNNN TAT
QwQ
For Not Crosspass:
You ARE Crosspass :D
Ahehehe ovo
This is exactly why I worry on writing murder cases ovo
Oh well~~ #double slapped XwX
I shall try to make it... uhh... more mysterious? XD
Here's the next chapter~ :3
For Arivellon Avelion Zeed:
Glad you like it~ XD
... OwO
AS A GRANDMOTHER(#what) I HEREBY SAY THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH! OWO
HOW DARE YOU BE SICK ON MEEEEEE! *shakes shoulders* #slapped XwX
So Rain is a tsundere *nods to self*
Aye~ Here's the next chapter~ :3
On to the story~
En blinked once, then hurriedly took a step back as he tried to not stumble himself. That was not a pleasant way to encounter someone.
"U-Uhh, sorry, Miss!" he stammered and hurriedly returned back to where his friends are.
Rizumu didn't look amused, but didn't comment on it as she entered the room with Alabaster and Zanardi in tow.
"Yo, Nell! We came for some clues on the murder! You got any?" the inspector asked cheerfully.
"You're just in luck, my friend." Ornell told him, nodding. While the two chatted with each other, most of the organization members stood awkwardly in their place, some trying to avoid the gazes of the other two police members.
The atmosphere was stiff as the exchange went on. Neither of them dared to make a sound, even En himself.
Only after the three left did they manage to finally relax and take in a few deep breaths, the tense atmosphere leaving them.
"We're still going to the Elderlit District?" Amane asked, earning a nod from Yucca.
"Why, yes. We need clues after all." she replied with a small smile, "We'll just wait until they're done."
"I hope they won't notice us. Somehow, I don't feel comfortable around them..." En mumbled, scratching his head.
"Cause they're police officers?" Cain questioned.
"Well, that too, but it's more of fear than being intimidated... I don't know, it's frustrating!" the dark red-haired young man sighed, "Maybe it's just me."
"Maybe because you're a mindless idiot who loves getting into trouble." Helios rolled his eyes, "I felt nothing."
"Now, now~" Yucca chuckled as she tried to change the topic, "We better find the others, no?~"
"I want to go check up on Vince, just in case he found something else." Cain added, "The more the better."
Helios sighed, appearing reluctant, and Amane nodded uncomfortably.
En remained silent.
Jason narrowed his eyes at seeing the red-haired organization member.
"Long time no see, Mr. Nex... I am extremely ecstatic to see you again." he drawled sarcastically.
"Why, I see that you look as ridiculous as always, Jacy. Still going around being a wannabe noble? Oh, wait. Wannabe hero?" Nex jeered.
Lightning flashed between the two's eyes, and all that Ivy and Rain could do was sweatdrop or sigh.
"Your acquaintance?" Ivy asked, mentally wondering what happened between the two to be on such offensive terms.
"Just someone I had the misfortune of knowing..." Nex's eye twitched, "A very annoying someone."
"That's my line. Must you ruin my day by appearing before my eyes?" Jason growled, "Unlike a certain someone, I have duties to fulfill."
Ivy blinked at their seemingly endless quarrel, while Rain was doing his best to not facepalm right then and there.
"Duties? Hah! More like futilities! What are you doing standing here like an idiot?" Nex spat, rolling his eyes. Jason's eye twitched at his insulting words.
"I was assigned to, and it's not futile at all, considering that someone as shameless as you actually dared to step foot here and disregard the warning signs..." he glared, taking a glance at the entrance to the park where barriers had been put.
"Meh. Obviously you didn't do a good job, then. Besides, you're told to take watch alone? Just how lonely can you be?" the red-haired man smirked.
"Who said I was?" Jason raised an eyebrow. As if on cue, two other police members exited the small office building behind them, wearing the same El Officer uniform Jason wore.
"Jason! The inspector's group found clues regarding the murder and- Who are these people?" Mao paused upon seeing the three.
"Ah, we just want to help out in solving the murder!" Ivy smiled.
"No." Caeldori rejected, causing Ivy to widen his eyes, "You three are citizens, are you not? We can't afford to get people into danger. This case is much more dangerous than you think."
"But..!" the black-haired boy tried to say only to be interrupted once more.
"We're sorry, but it's in the rules... Please understand." Mao apologetically said with a frown.
"And you, Jason," Caeldori spoke, glaring at the older police member, "Rule no. 5, don't put your personal feelings into any job whatsoever. Just because you hate him does not mean that you can hurt him. Put that sword down. Now."
Jason clicked his tongue at the girl's sharp observation and let go of his katana, letting his hand fall down to his side.
"Good," Caeldori nodded in satisfaction, then turned towards the organization members, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave. This place is off-limits."
"And if we don't want to?" Nex raised an eyebrow. Caeldori did the same.
"Then I will be inclined to believe that you have some connection to the murder. Are you?" she questioned with a threatening tone.
"Oh, fine." the red-haired man rolled his eyes, "Let's go, guys."
Ivy nodded sadly and followed behind him.
Rain shot a glance at the police officers, then rushed to join the other two.
Once they were far enough to not hear their voices, Mao did an amused whistle.
"Woahh. Kelly is scary!" he remarked. He realized his mistake too late, flinching at the female police member's murderous glare towards him and took a few steps back.
Caeldori sighed and massaged her temples, deciding to not comment on that right now.
"We better get going. Alabaster called us." she told them, mostly to Jason.
"Where?" Jason asked.
"Elderlit District."
~Organization side~
Everyone, except Vince and Lint, regrouped outside the witness' house. They watched the Police slowly leave, bowing to a thin man with hair that was starting to turn gray, a sign of his many years.
They nodded to each other, and once the Police members were out of their sights, they immediately walked to the doorstep.
"Sir!" Ivy called aloud, causing him to pause in his trails and turn around. "We heard you saw the murderer last night?"
"Yeah, I saw 'im alright." Marvil replied, his expression anything but the word 'happy'. "So whaddya want?"
"We need info on the murder!" Xen exclaimed, smiling in a friendly way, "Can you tell us too, Mister?"
"No."
"What?! Why?!"
"What business does a group of children like you have with a murder?" he growled at them, "Go home. This isn't a game."
"We're not a 'group of children'! We're investigating this too!" Ivy snapped.
"And what happens if you die from sticking your nose into someone else's business like this? Leave it to the cops, they'll handle everything." he shook his head, "If you want to play hero, do it on a lighter case."
Nex tightened his fists, mentally thinking of ways he could strangle the guy for his stubbornness. Suddenly, he got an idea.
"Chess, Thirteen, Yucca." he whispered to the three, gesturing for them to come over. The three looked at each other before doing so, huddling together where Marvil couldn't see them. He whispered his plan to them, each showing different reactions.
"Eh?! A-Are you sure I could pull that off?" Chess asked anxiously, glancing repeatedly from him to the witness.
Thirteen looked lost.
"I'm positive on this. It will work! Trust me!" the red-headed man grinned at them, doing a thumbs up for reassurance, "You though, Thirteen..."
Nex suddenly pulled his hood up and put a random teddy bear he got out of nowhere into his arms.
"Just go and hug this in front of him. That'd be good enough."
Thirteen nodded, still puzzled.
Yucca chuckled amusedly.
"I have no problems with this. It does seem interesting." she remarked.
"Then it's settled! Go all out there!" Nex grinned.
With his cue, and Yucca in the lead, the three began to walk over to the grown-up man who was still refusing their pleads.
"I said no and that's final! Geez... Stubborn kids..." Marvil massaged his temples, "Look, if you're still persistent on this
I'll go and call the cops so that they could tell you themselves."
"But... But... We want you to tell it yourself..." Yucca started, her eyes watering as she did her best puppy dog eyes and clasped her hands together, "Please, mister..?"
"What in El..?" Marvil widened his eyes, hesitance starting to show in his eyes, "Look, this is too dangerous for you kids."
"We only want to ask you this once, mister... Please? We won't do anything dangerous." Chess added, his eyes filled with hope as he looked into the grown-up's eyes.
The older man had to take a step back. The two's begging eyes were just too much for him. He turned to get his gaze away from them only to accidentally look at Thirteen, who was hugging the teddy bear just like he was told to.
Thirteen looked towards him only with the movement of his eyes, making him seem like he was staring at him with pleading eyes as well. He was also in the perfect position for the light to shine in his eyes.
Marvil took a deep frustrated breath and slowly released it.
"Okay, fine. You guys win. I'll tell you what I know." he grumbled.
"Yes!" the older organization members high-fived each other, some with grins while the rest were forced to high-five with a poker face.
"Thank you, Mister!" Yucca beamed, still keeping up her childish act.
"Yippee!" Chess cheered, jumping happily in his place. Mentally though, he was not pleased.
Marvil sighed and massaged his temples.
"I don't know what you kids are after, but don't do anything dangerous." He warned them. "Can you promise me that?!"
"Yes, sir!" Several of them did a salute and others flinched at his sudden rise of voice.
"Good." he nodded in satisfaction, "Come into the house. I'll tell you what I know."
Once they sat in a circle in the living room, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and began his tale.
"That night, I was walking home from my pal's house." he said, "I brought a watch, so I knew the time. It was around eleven past thirty-eight."
"Eleven past thirty-eight…" Five jotted it down.
"Were you alone then?" Rain questioned with narrowed eyebrows. He nodded.
"I was." He confirmed. "It was when I got near the park that I heard a frightening smack. I raced there as fast as I could, but the killer immediately escaped. The best I saw was just a silhouette."
"Two questions," Alice raised two cards in between her fingers, "First, how long did it take for you to arrive?"
"I'd say in less than a minute. It wasn't very far."
"Okay." Alice took down one of the cards. "Second, how did the silhouette look like?"
Marvil scratched his head.
"It's not certain, but he or she was pretty short. Probably around those three kids' height." He pointed towards Chess, Yucca, and Thirteen. "And fast too. It didn't even take another second for him or her to vanish."
"So the murderer might be a child?" Selena pursed her lips, "I'm not sure what I should feel about that…"
"We can't dismiss the possibility that it can be a grown-up as well," Nex pointed out to her, "For all we know, it might be an ability of theirs. Maybe even a monster. Besides, kids aren't the only ones who're short."
"That's what I thought." Marvil nodded.
"Anything else you know, Mister?" Yucca innocently asked with a tilt of her head.
"The murder weapon was a hammer." He confidently said, "A big one too. It was almost as big as the wielder itself. But it was made out of mana. It vanished just when he ran, so it'd be impossible to search for it."
The organization members all began to look at each other.
"Anyone you know who fights with a giant hammer?" En eyed them curiously. Cain shook his head. Vince flicked his hair.
"A hammer is so unelegant!~" he complained.
"I know no one like that." Chess spoke up meekly. "Sorry, I'm not very sociable…"
"I just moved here actually," Nezu said, "from Ruben. So I only know you guys."
"There were a handful of mercenaries I know that uses one." Amane admitted. They all looked at her. "But it was not a magical ability at all. Isn't that right, Helios?"
"Indeed, Lady Amane. I had even accompanied them to the blacksmith a few times." Helios agreed. "Such an ability is… Quite rare."
"No hammers here, but plenty do have nails." Xen grinned and began to laugh at his own joke. Rain and Seven rolled their eyes.
"What about you, little one?" Yucca asked Thirteen. She figured he wouldn't speak up if no one told him to.
"… There's a hammer like that?" he questioned back.
"Well, I guess he doesn't know." She remarked amusedly.
Nex seemed to be in thought. He was silent for a few moments as the others conversed.
"Something wrong, Nex?" Cain curiously asked.
"Oh, it's nothing." he smiled reassuringly, "I just remembered that there used to be a similar case as this."
Marvil widened his eyes.
"There was?" he repeated. The red-head nodded.
"Around three years ago, I think, there was a mass murder in Velder." Nex explained, "The victims were from a noble family. Every single family member was ruthlessly killed with a strike on their head using a blunt object."
"That…" Ivy widened his eyes, catching up on what he meant.
"There wasn't much info disclosed to the public, but what we do know is that the suspect is still on the loose somewhere. Even today…"
Nezu shuddered, Chess trembled, and Five winced.
"Anyhow, the case is really similar. So I'm thinking that it has something to do with this string of murders going on." he finished.
Alice stayed quiet all this time as she switched the cards floating around her in the air. She took one card in between her fingers and flipped it open.
'The Hanged Man…' she thought, pursing her lips, 'represents the individual's inability to take action… Or renewal in the face of disaster…'
She observed the group, her eyes focused on a particular person whose fortune was given.
'What could it possibly mean..?'
Once the organization members were gone, Marvil rose up from his seat and stretched his arms upwards.
"Hahh... Why are they all so interested on that murder anyway? Big deal..." he mumbled, shaking his head. "Now what was I gonna do, again? Oh, right, I was gonna buy coffee."
He exited his house and locked the door, making his way to the steps.
"You're spoiling things." A voice suddenly said from behind him, causing him to flinch in both surprise and fear.
As soon as he heard that, his arm was tugged harshly behind him, and he could feel warm breaths on his ear as someone whispered to him, sending chills down his spine.
"You're no fun either, huh?"
SMACK
... And he fell down.
The next morning, both sides were startled at seeing that day's headline news.
Serial Killing on the Case?
Another murder has happened in Elder, this time at Elderlit District. The victim, Marvil Soi (62), was found near his doorstep by a neighbor who happened to be passing by. His head appeared to have hit the steps, but autopsy results showed that his head had been struck twice. One was thought to be by the murderer, the other, the steps.
3: Well then ouo #slapped XwX
By the way, I've already typed up the first half of the chapter months ago, so don't be surprised if there's a sudden change of writing style in the middle of it :D Exactly… at the time they went to Marvil's house.
Ozul: If there is any =u=
3: Shaddap Ozzy! OWO
I apologize if your OC wasn't seen in this chapter. I kind of had trouble keeping up with their speeches cuz I have to consider their personalities as well ouo
And after much thinking, I've realized that the main plotline is actually pretty long, and thus I will continue with that after finishing this arc. Other arcs sadly cannot be written, but hopefully I can write them as special chapters instead when inspiration strikes ovo #slapped XwX
Or turn them into side plots ouo #double slapped XwX
The next chapter will majorly be about the Police side!
~Amane's (and Helios?) Phone Scenes~
Amane and Helios just returned from an errand of theirs.
"Hm? Oh, looks like I forgot to bring my phone along." She remarked as she picked up her phone from her bedside table.
The moment she turned it on, the two became overwhelmed at the sheer amount of messages they got.
You have 12 messages.
From: N (Nezu)
hey! why did u guys leave me?!
From: Ccl (Chess)
AMANEE! HELIOOS! HELP! COCKROAACHHH!
From: Na (Nex)
Warning: xen's sending weird messages
From: Na
Oh, vince's joining too. And en.
From: Xa (Xen)
eyyy! aye or nay? why dont u sayyy? this is very heyyy
From: Vvvdl (Vince)
Summery days, shimmery ways~
Flipping flapping of birdies says~
Ahh, rhyming is fun!~
From: Eh (3: Lol XD) (En)
judge our rhymin dudes!
we're competing on whos best
oh wait i'll send it
From: Eh
good cake good sake
sparrows win first take
lakes and beetles and tortilla eagles
better than good 'ol burrito shake
From: A (Alice)
Somebody shut those three…
From: Yr (Yucca)
Those rhymes sounded great, weren't they?~
I'm still having trouble deciding… Have you?
From: Ccl
I wanna join the fun too!
Is this good enough?
From: Ccl
Arrows darting along the wall
Arrows darting make a great fall
All the fishes and all the plaices
Couldn't eat all the woody slices
Amane stared at the texts for a moment.
"Helios?"
"Yes, Lady Amane?"
"Which rhyme do you think is better?"
"… Pardon?"
~Jason's Phone Scenes~
Jason's phone started to ring on his bedside table. Still wanting to sleep, he tried to ignore the noise and rolled to the other side of the bed.
There were footsteps outside his room, but he figured that it was probably someone passing by from how brief it is.
The phone continued to ring endlessly, although something confused him. The song that played was one he used for messages, but it rang for so long as if it was someone calling instead.
Now curious, he rolled back and took the phone in his hand.
(You have 12 messages)
"What?" he raised an eyebrow.
From: Sir Alabaster
hey hey jacy! we got some more clues so we're havin a meeting tom!
ahh sorry for interrupting u at this time of day… u're prob asleep huh?
remember to use the blanket, it's chilly at this time of year!
did u lock the door btw? are the curtains closed?
wait im gonna go check
From: Mister Mao
Jason, Jason! Did you hear someone outside?!
Is that a ghost?! Wait, ghosts don't have footsteps do they!?
From: Mister Hiromu
any idea who's walking around?
From: Sir Alabaster
good good everything's all fine
oops im interrupting u again aren't i? sorry!
have a good rest!
From: Mister Mao
JASON! HELP ME! THE GHOST'S BACK AGAIN!
From: Mister Hiromu
don't mind my previous message. it turns out to be alabaster.
sorry
From: Miss Caeldori
Someone shut that child up! he's spamming messages on my phone!
From: Sir Alabaster
did u see a ghost there jacy?! mao apparently heard one!
i'll go get it! tell mao for me!
From: Mister Cross
whats with all the racket…
From: Mister Akira
What's wrong with Mao? ovo
He's been sending me messages… Is there really a ghost?
If there is, tell me! OwO
From: Mister Mao
HELP! IT'S BACK! AND IT'S ROAMING AROUND OUT THERE LONGER!
AAAHHHHHHHHHH
From: Sir Alabaster
tell mao it's all fine! i didn't see one out there!
Jason sweatdropped. He sent a message to Mao to relieve him of his misunderstanding.
From: Mister Mao
It was Alabaster? Oops… ahaha…
Sorry. Thanks for telling me, Jason.
Jason released a sigh. After no more messages were spamming his phone, he went back to sleep.
Thanks for reading~
