MJC: Boomeran- Imean, Rinky, you really do come back!
Ara: U-um, NAA-er, MJC-san-sama?
MJC: Can I just take a moment to reply to my wonderful reader Rinku?!
Ara: Y-yes?
MJC: Lemme just say that I completely understand your whole explanation of my chapters being hollow. It always happens when I'm about to finish a fic. I just lose a lot of inspiration, so I'm just trying to crank out as many chapter as quickly as I can before all inspiration drains out. It leaves my writing just a little... Lacking. Ok, a lot lacking. I do apologize for that. And, to be honest, my pride(that's just the nickname I gave to my shy, and slightly insecure socializing skills) will not allow me to talk to other authors. It's a... flaw of mine, I guess. Though, as for the suggestions you gave(heartfelt ElsAi, humane Ran, etc.). I already have some of them planned actually. Though, in a bit of a lacking and twisted way. I guess you'll see in chapter 22, because that'll be a mile stone that shows Ran's humane side, but it won't be Ran. It's easy to explain, but hard when I'm trying not to spoil it. And now, this very long reply is at it's end.
Ara: Why didn't you just PM him?
MJC: ...
MJC shrugs apathetically.
Chapter Twenty-One:
Boredom is a Terrible Disease
Third PoV
In a space surrounded by colorful swirling mass, Ran sat on a throne of nothing but a block of stone. The only form of decoration in the stone was a shock of blue which emanated a pure kind of light.
A twisted smirk lifted his expression from a grimace to sadistic glee. That little El Search Party wouldn't win. Not by a long shot. He chuckled a bit before calling Chloe, his most attentive of underlings, to his side.
"Perhaps you should prepare the the little rodent for a mission." He spoke smoothly, the words gliding from his tongue despite his grinding expression. Chloe sighed, but nodded dutifully in a jerk. Her foot falls echoed throughout the chamber.
With a snap of his fingers, the swirling space surrounding Ran quickly transformed into what appeared to be his regular lair. His glee escalated, if only a bit. What power over space he had been granted, even if only temporarily.
Ruby surrounded pupils darted over to the corner of the shadowy hall. Silvery-white spikes crowned a cloaked man's head. His face was seemingly covered by a metallic looking mask, two slits where two eyes were meant to be. But only one glowing orb of golden gleamed in the light. The other an abyss of darkness.
Glaive's singular eye darted over to Ran.
"Will you be able to cure my boredom?"
Chloe huffed as she trotted through the space. She continued until the space transformed once again. This time, it was a pure white building of high stature. Waterfalls fell from it's spires, and pooled at the bottom before flowing off through man made canals towards the faux ocean.
"Oh great Paladin, my lord Ran seeks your assistance!" She called, bowing with a flourish. Sarcasm dripped thick. Clucking his tongue, the said Paladin strode over confidently.
"Excuse you, but it is you who is asking for assistance. I suggest you play nice for the day." His cerulean eyes mocked her as a sweet smile stretched across his boyish features.
"I do apologize princess." It was Chloe's eyes who got to condescend this time. The boy's eyes darkened, but his smile was ever present.
"What is it your lord wishes of me?" The boy asked, his voice laced with false curiosity.
"Just another 'taking out the trash' kind of thing." Chloe explained, tone laden with boredom. She sat squarely on the ground, legs crossed. "You really need to cut your hair, Chung." She stated as an afterthought, staring up at the boy's long, flowing locks. They fell just below his waist.
"Where am I supposed to go?" He managed to refrain from sputtering in rage, but his voice was strained.
"Velder's Hope Bridge. The burning one." Chloe informed, standing up, and continuing out of the space of the Iron Paladin's. Sighing, the boy shrugged before stepping into a still-in-the-process-of-being-created magic circle.
The runes etched themselves diligently until they finally finished, and Chung disappeared in a camera flash of light.
Aisha was getting frustrated. This giant mole thing was tearing up the Hope Bridge far more than necessary, and it didn't look like it wanted to stop any time soon. Not to mention the layers of stress being iced over her conscience as a result of learning of the El Search Party, Elsword's sister's role, meeting a new acquaintance -Raven-, and the fact the Rena was the only member of the communications unit!
This battle was just frustrating, and Aisha simply wanted to go home and relax for a moment. So, tugging her bangs, she dashed up to the giant beast of a Dark Nephilim, and started pounding his forefoot over nd over and over with her staff. The beast let out a stream of air through it's teeth.
Elsword wasn't really having fun either. He was attempting to pin the thing down with some phantom Conwell's but, well, they were phantasmal. Not to mention the Nephilim's GINORMOUS-NESS. Elsa was doing far better than him. She was making her way up a nearby tower, preparing to jump onto the large beastie.
Rena was a farther distance away, stringing a bow up, and now donning a pair of gloves. In less then a minute, she was shooting off arrows of magical energy; making Aisha wonder how she didn't notice Rena's magical abilities previously.
Raven, her new acquaintance, was effectively chopping up the Nephilim's backside. In a few more moments, it roared, bucking around to face Raven before slamming the ground with it's forefeet, the ground erupted into tremors. Before another moment passed, the thing was shooting off a purple beam in Raven's direction.
"Binding Circle!" Aisha cried, swinging her staff in an arc, and the Nephilim froze. Raven, Elsword, and Elsa took the chance as Rena paused for a moment in slight astonishment. Elsa hopped from her building with enough momentum to propel a fighter jet a good long while. She landed on the Nephilim with "hup," and prepared an attack.
Raven, meanwhile, took the chance to dash under the Nephilim. He then began cutting up the beast's underbelly, rather than it's backside. The Nephilim thrashed a bit in pain, but Elsword followed suit to Raven.
Aisha took a deep breath, and began charging up mana as Elsword and Raven continued their assault. In a moment, the two had the beast falling to it's side. Elsa, having been on top of the beast, managed to deal out some damage herself. When the beast made contact with the stone of the bridge, it cracked and collapsed under it's weight.
All five began to fall through space towards the water below. Rena cried out to her descending companions. In another moment, the bridge's scattered stone crumbled into dust. Rena began falling after a bit more crumbling and breaking, too.
A mighty splash showered the five El Search Party members(Aisha had been admitted during a lull in the battle, earlier). As this was all happening, another person had arrived. Chung, of Ri, stepped from his portal. Sighing at the carnage, and falling enemies, he quickly activated another portal.
As the other five reached the water below, the portal finished creating itself. The Iron Paladin hopped from the bridge into the portal, following the other's who had fallen.
Silence filled the now empty space, with nothing but the ripples of water from where the Dark Nephilim had fallen.
Ran really considered killing that Iron Paladin. He knew he shouldn't have hired him in the first place, what with his... Paladin-ness. Apparently Paladin's were idiot's, too.
A mess of his Dark Nephilim(who was now dripping, and mangled), along with the five he so despised, and the calm Paladin all sat in the middle of the floor of his, albeit ersatz, hall. A growl -very silky growl, mind you- emit from his throat.
"Why would you bring them here?" He roared at Chung. The boy pointed to a section of the room. Right in the middle of nothing sat his cannon. Ran smacked his forehead with a satisfying clap of noise. "Just get rid of them."
And with that, the battle once again commenced. This time, Rena and Raven dealing with Chung, and the other three attempting to finish the Dark Nephilim.
The three were all on top of the Dark Nephilim, disgruntled, and out of shape. Elsa was the first to recover, and she immediately set about running towards the monster's eyes. Everyone knows that every monster's weak point is it's eyes. Elsword and Aisha slid off, landing on the floor and doing their own thing.
Raven and Rena both charged the Paladin after realizing he fought with a ranged weapon. They were quick to realize that he could fight in both short and long distance when he slammed Raven away with the huge thing. Rena, ducking, kicked Chung's legs out from beneath him, and he fell on his bottom.
Elsa managed a good hit in, before she was flung from the beast with a flick of it's seemingly nonexistent neck. During this, no one payed attention to either Ran or Glaive, surprisingly. The battle proceeded much the same. A punch in there, a fireball here. Though, after awhile, when a certain large creature of darkness fell, then it all slowed down.
Firstly, Ran rose, about to shout out his displeasure. Before he could, Elsa assisted Rena in vaulting into a suitable position, for the elf, and Raven had switched opponents with Aisha and Elsword subconsciously. With a little somersault, and some lightning arrow drawing skills, she managed to hit a temporarily downed Dark Nephilim in between two of it's odd scale-like appendages. It roared, and that's when it collapsed.
The resulting tremor shook the artificial cave, causing the resident purplette to do a bit of a klutzy move and trip, thus letting loose a directionless orb of energy. That, in turn, struck the Iron Paladin. He snapped around, his long locks whipping along promptly. At this moment of distraction, Elsword, who had been previously facing off with the shota boy, took his chance and cried out something obscure.
With that, a phantom Conwell appeared, striking Chung at his nape, and defeating him. Ran, whose silence had been caused by the falling of Dark Nephilim, then growled a bit. With Dark Nephilim barely twitching, and Chung practically gushing a thin red hue, the demon lord was infuriated. He bore his teeth a bit, grounding them viciously.
"I suppose I'll have to take care of you myself." And with the glint of blood lust in his eyes, he summoned a wisping sword.
Glaive, unknowingly to the rest of the company due to his mask, smirked.
MJC: Hah! None of you saw that one comin', did'ja?!
Elesis/Elsa: So... The Iron Paladin is a bad guy?
MJC: Yeah, but this is basically his only appearance.
Elesis/Elsa: ...
MJC: I feel like I wanted to add more here, but I can't think of anything. Oh, right! I actually have chapter 22 finished, but I won't post it until Monday probably. Maybe later, maybe earlier(probably later). Lemme just say, though, to prepare to bawl your eyes out. It's a doozy.
Elesis/Elsa: I believe you overestimate your writing skills.
MJC: Probably.
Toodle-loodles,
~My-Joyful-Chaos