Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none
Rating: T
Word Count: 9,081
Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one's reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.
Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves
Note: This story took place right before the team meets Rosso, so Laby will not bein this story. Rose will not be in this story due to not knowing her canon class at the time this fic was written.
Class Notes:
Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen
Alternative Path: Rune Master, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter
Doppelgänger
Chapter 08: Incoordination
Anemos
True to the El Master's words, Demon Realm was a mirror to their world in a sense that she could identify some of its inhabitants as distant relatives to their Elrian counterparts. The deer-like creatures had multiple eyes, but aside from that, they ran off startled when she approached too close for comfort. Nights outlasted the days in this part of the strange new territory, the rain was plentiful. Trees and shrubs overshadowed Anemos and glimmered in the dark in colors she didn't know existed. These creatures weren't surviving, but thriving in a world absent of the El.
The elven elders once spoke of this place when she was a curious child, eager to learn more about the world beyond her village. They whispered about a world that lacked the same resources they relied on, where the sun barely reached their inhabitants and it was a fight between the strong and the weak. It was true that Demon Realm was harsher than what she was used to. Without the goddess's influence, Anemos had to use all of her abilities and experiences to avoid losing blood.
Anemos played with a stray strand of hair, wrung her hand over the communicator tucked behind her ear. She replayed a message she had received shortly after she had found Dominator lying on the ground. It was a brief message from Richter whispering,
"Come here… fighting has deceased."
A map appeared through holographic projectors installed into the communicators. Red and blue lines formed around the landmasses with stars marked to indicate the landmarks scattered across the region. The first half of the map was covered in shady trees and narrow streams between the iron mountains. The second half was obscured in dark clouds, overshadowed by a name written in Elrian.
"Varnimyr," Anemos examined the map. "Is that what this place is called?"
"You're going to listen to Toothpaste?" Dominator peeked from behind. The scientist walked with a limp from his fight with Esencia, dragging his right foot but was otherwise well enough to talk and make comments about their teammate with a smirk.
"Do you have a different plan in mind?" She looked at Dominator with scrutiny, "I haven't heard from Raven since he took off after the other Ara and I can't imagine Ain winning a fight by himself."
"I'm sure he'll talk his head off with those demons," Dominator chuckled despite Anemos rolling her eyes. "Don't you think this can be a trap? They're trying to lure us out when we let our guard down."
That couldn't be right, Anemos shook her head. Fear and anger were absent from Richter when he contacted them, keeping his voice low with his words flowing close together. Embarrassment? Shame? It was difficult to tell without seeing his face to gauge the intent behind his message. Anemos had known the priest long enough to understand that something was on Richter's mind. She sensed hesitation when Richter spoke. Words were hard to come by for Richter, a sentiment Anemos shared because there were many words in the elven language that could not be translated into Elrian for equal measure.
Anemos found it pointless to have the two El Search Parties argue over the disappearances of their leaders, but that didn't mean she was one to avoid a fight if the opposing initiated, which was often the case throughout their journey. If the alternate El Search Party truly wanted to take them down, pulling them together would be counterproductive. It would be easier to defeat them by dividing them and targeting their weak points. She was sure the other party had considered them sharing similar weaknesses as their counterparts.
"Even if this was a trap, we already lost Elsword." Anemos said, "I'm not losing another friend."
Dominator dropped his smile and forced a more somber expression. The scientist averted his eyes and pursed his lips, mumbling an apology. He pushed Apocalypse away when the cat cube saw its master frowning and ordered its dismissal. The destructive weapon meowed in protest, but scattered into smaller blocks and disappeared. Dominator ordered Dynamo to run scans and signaled Anemos to keep walking.
It was those eyes again. They were the same ones their friends all shared - some of them more obvious than others. Ones of pain and regret about something from a distant past catching up to them and nipping them by the ankles. For all of his dramatics, Dominator was a child even by human standards. Something struck a chord in Anemos when Dominator once casually remarked with a cheerful smile that he was used to scars. It was troubling to see the scientist express confusion when Anemos offered to help him tend to his wounds.
"You said Raven was with the fox?" Dominator deepened his frown, rubbing his chin in thought. Dynamo flashed and ushered the white-haired man to a set of charts and codes outlining them. He let the machine whirr in the background as he followed Anemos deeper into the woods. Dominator glared past her shoulders and ordered Dynamo to line up and set up installs.
There was a young woman in white. Dried blood smeared at the edge of Apsara's clothes, forming a dark crust around her sleeves. The tassels on her sleeves and waist became ragged and clung together from sweat and worn use. Apsara used her scarf as a makeshift bandage by wrapping it around her right arm. She waved for them to wait. Apsara ran with her arms tucked in and lifted the back of her dress to avoid falling over. She stopped to catch her breath when she caught up to them.
"I didn't think," Apsara gasped. "You were still here. Mr. Blade said you might be meeting up with everyone."
Mr. Blade? Ah, she must be referring to the former member of the Crow Mercenary Knights. It sounded like Blade received Richter's message as well. Who else did Richter contact in the short span of time between the time Anemos found Dominator until now?
"Where is he?" Dominator scanned for the older man. "What did you do to him?"
"Do to him?" Apsara frantically shook her head and waved her hands, "It's not like that! He told me to go ahead because he saw Ms. Eve and… eep!"
Pushing too much of her weight onto her knees, Apsara lost her balance and tipped over. She stuck out one leg to the side and landed on her stomach before falling head first into the ground.
Anemos went to check on the other woman and winced when she saw reopened wounds. Apsara rolled to her side and hugged her knees with tears running down her pink face.
"Are you okay?" Anemos offered a hand.
Flustered, Apsara wiped her tears and nodded. Anemos pulled her up and ushered Dominator to help. His baffled expression reflected what was on the elf woman's mind, but this wasn't about them. She understood Dominator's distrust, but neither of them was in a good position to continue fighting without depleting their supplies. If they wanted to make peaceful terms with the opposing team to keep the fighting to a minimum, that meant cooperating before they could find Richter and get a proper explanation from the priest.
They moved Apsara to a safer place, away from the poisonous plants and worn down the path where demons commonly tread. Anemos used a bit of the ointment she made from the plants she found and applied them over Apsara's reopened wounds.
"This might sting," Anemos warned her.
"Thank you very much!" Apsara bowed her head into a ninety-degree angle, "I'm sorry!"
"It's just a fall," Dominator said in disbelief. "Why do you come to us when we're the enemy?"
"I thought you can't be all that bad if you didn't try to kill me yet." Apsara sniffed, "I saw Ms. Rena and thought everything would be okay because she's always kind and patient. It's my fault you're taking the time to help me after Blade already helped me."
That was… one way to look at things. An optimistic outlook, but one that touched Anemos's heart. So the other Rena was kind and patient. Huh… She'll have to meet her and see if Apsara's claims were true. It was the first time they had an opponent come to them without trying to lash out at them when words were no use. This was Ara? Anemos smiled to hide the confusion clouding her mind. She was better at doing that than some of her younger friends.
"So Raven shows his true colors," Dominator grumbled.
"Your friend didn't tell you what happened?" She was confused. "I thought he contacted you."
"Toothpaste?" Dominator scoffed, "He sent us a cryptic note telling us what to do."
"He didn't go into detail what happened," Anemos explained.
"Oh…" Apsara frowned. The long strand of hair hanging from her hairline drooped. She wiggled her fingers to test the new bandage on her hand. "Lu and Ciel told me your friend agreed to work with them to find Elsword - ours, I mean."
"Your Elsword, our Elsword. Would you be offended if we stuck to nicknames instead? These names are getting confusing." Dominator complained.
"It was your idea to bring us here," Anemos reminded him.
"Did you have something else in mind?" He twitched, "excuse me, but none of us can travel through dimensions at free will! And this is Demon Realm, so my calculations weren't completely off!"
Demon Realm was already occupied by alternate versions of themselves. What did that tell them? How long did Apsara's group stay in the Demon Realm and how much did it predict the outcome for their group? Anemos wasn't one to delve into the future as much as humans sometimes did, but she felt it was her duty to help restore the El because of its importance for all Elrian races including hers.
Does this mean they went into the wrong dimension if they encountered themselves? Anemos didn't ask whether Dominator had a plan on getting back, but she was sure it was a recurring thought for the scientist from the increased amount of time he spent in front of the screen as of lately. Dominator snickered and talked about data collection, but she could see frustration behind the facade. This wasn't supposed to happen and now they were wasting time looking for an eighteen-year-old that wasn't even from their original group.
"Why are you here?" Anemos asked Apsara, "are you here because of the Dark El too?"
Apsara nodded.
"Lu and Ciel called and Blade heard from your friend, so we were together." Apsara pressed her hands together, "We found Eve and Blade said it must have been Add..."
"He knows me so well," Dominator chuckled.
Anemos shushed the scientist and gestured to Apsara to continue.
"I offered to help, but Blade told me to go ahead and find you two." She said, "he told me he would catch up to us later with Eve."
"How kind of him to do the heavy lifting," Dominator laughed.
"You left her there because you knew he would come back, didn't you?" Anemos deadpanned.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dominator grinned.
Liar.
Anemos had no doubt Blade had the strength to carry a humanoid sized Nasod across Demon Realm, but wondered if the mercenary received the same message as she and Dominator did. Richter had left them a vague report with more questions than answers. If Apsara could be believed, then they may have just gained new allies that could help them find a way back to their dimension.
"May I ask where Rune is?" Anemos asked. "It's not that we don't trust you, but I think it's fair that we know where our friend went."
"Right!" Apsara smiled, "I think he's with Aisha and Rena last time I heard from them!"
"Last time?" Dominator noted the wording.
"Our Add said communication is slightly delayed in Demon Realm than in Elrios," She let out a nervous laugh, "it's funny thinking that there are two of you now!"
Dominator snorted, "I'm sure it is."
"Will we be seeing that group soon?" Anemos asked.
"Mm!" Apsara nodded, "they're on their way. It sounded like they found something big!"
"The other Elbrat?" Dominator asked.
"Maybe!" Apsara beamed.
Apsara had a bandage placed over her forehead to cover the bruise where she fell over. She sat with her legs tucked to the side with her knees on the ground. Next to Dominator brooding about his miscalculations, Apsara was blinding with her innocent questions and naive optimism. She and Richter would have Dominator running for his money to explain what sarcasm was.
Anemos decided that Devi's counterpart was strange. She searched for an ulterior behind the woman's cheery disposition, but it was hard to see anything past that when Apsara was always moving and asking them more questions about themselves. Anemos saw Dominator staring at Devi's alternate too.
"Did I say something wrong?" Apsara stopped smiling when she felt their stares, "Is there something on my face?"
"You're... not what I expected," Dominator said and averted his eyes. "Let's get going. No need to waste time if everyone else is on the move. Just don't fall on your face again and you'll be okay."
"Wow, he really is Add." Apsara was amazed.
"They're the same?" Anemos was curious.
"Oh no, they're very different!" She laughed, "yours talks more!"
Doom Bringer
Bringer sneezed.
Despite the warnings and preparations based on the El Masters' precautions, Demon Realm was colder than what he was prepared for. Their nights were almost as cold as Hamel's mild winters. Bringer couldn't always rely on Dynamo's heater as they were straying further from the El's influence.
He tugged on his sleeves and wrapped the fur coat closer around his body. Electricity circulated through his body and sent his blood pumping with adrenaline, a feeling that sent the brawler into a frenzy. The black markings implanted in his arms glowed in unison to the rest of his body engulfed by plasma and electricity. He had never felt more alive.
Bringer looked at the woman who declared herself as Devi. There was something dangerous about the woman. She looked like Apsara, but Dynamo gave him different readings in her El resonance. It was as if she was a different person because he was getting higher readings in magic from her than he would have for Apsara. Devi placed her weight inward and walked with stride. Her voice cut through the thin air like the sharp spear she wielded, a noble woman's laughter contradicting her crude smile. Devi saw past Bringer, for she had her eyes on one target.
"Elesis!" Devi screamed Empire's name.
Devi flew over his head with her spear in hand. The martial artist landed on her feet and blocked Empire's blade with her weapon's handle, pushing the Velder knight's claymore away and stopping her attacks. The marks on her cheeks burned red as her eyes. Devi's spear danced across, an elaborate dance as she twirled and the sound of blades clashed.
Every time they attempted to take one step, they were met with someone ready to object to them. This time, it was fighting their alternate selves and Glave was nowhere to be seen. Bringer suspected it was his doing. It sounded like something Glave would do when the administer of Henir's Time and Space held no qualms about making them relive fights with old enemies for entertainment. Who else would have the power to bring over a large number of people from different dimensions? He smelled a rat in all of this.
"Ara!" Empire slammed her foot on the ground and kept her stance. Her eyes didn't leave Devi and barked, "Add, what are you waiting for? Help Ain and Chung!"
"As if I'm interested in dealing with crazy," Bringer scowled. He didn't enjoy being bossed around by the brat's sister. It was bad enough getting ordered by an illiterate child all the time and now the idiot had gone missing!
Raised in the army at a young age, Empire was sculpted into the ideal leader and remembered an old lesson in making use of one's resources. She kept them together as a group and made use of their abilities by having Bringer run scans for Knight's possible whereabouts. Bluhen claimed he was sensitive in detecting El resonance as Knight was, so she let him come along. Their group was past the point of referring to Bluhen as a priest, but the annoying green man kept up with the charades and spoke about his Goddess. Bringer couldn't understand why Knight saw him as a close friend. It was infuriating listening to Bluhen speak as if he was hundreds of years old.
It was a combination of Dynamo and Bluhen's ability to detect El resonance that brought them back to the entrance of a mysterious cavern brimming with demonic activity. Demon Realm was naturally going to have high levels of demonic energy and activity, but Bringer's readings showed a high density of demons occupying the area. They weren't high enough to suggest levels of aggression, but he wasn't going to let that slip without further analysis. The El Search Party better be grateful for his extra efforts!
There were indications of active levels of El resonance escalating from within the cavern that was likely created by Knight himself. El resonance users frequently left imprints behind when they used tremendous amounts of energy. It was like leaving footprints behind and could be used to trace back the location of its user. Assuming Knight didn't stray far from where Dynamo picked up his activity, it shouldn't be difficult to locate the brat, especially when demons didn't naturally use El resonance.
Finding Bluhen wasn't hard. Gold light showered from above, flickering and lighting up the skies like fireworks. Bluhen hovered overhead, his body nearly swallowed by green energy encircling around him. Extracting energy from the ground, Bluhen let them float before having them explode as they crashed down. He formed dense energy balls inside his palms before using it to push himself away from the resisting winds.
The pendulum hooked around his index finger as Bluhen weaved through the flames and was pursued by two figures in blue - a man and a young girl. The man sported a cap over his white hair and wielded dagger knives inside an oversized coat. A girl landed on her feet beside him, wearing matching outfits of a cap, jacket, and a collared shirt with a black tie tucked under. What was this, take your child to work day?
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Bringer asked. He ordered Dynamo to shift themselves into two disks beneath his feet to support his weight.
"Judging by the uncool hair and the way you look at me, you must be Add." Abysser grinned, "I don't suppose you plan on handing Elsword over to us so we can be off and on our way?"
"I'm afraid not, Demon." Bluhen fluttered his eyes opened and smiled. "Ms. Knight Captain gave her orders and Elsword made his decision to stay with us."
Bringer growled.
What's wrong with his hair? As if Abysser could talk when the asshole had bobby pins in his hair! He punched his hand into a tight fist and cracked his knuckles. Bringer planted his first into the ground and cracked it open, sending vibrations through the stoned earth and sent sparks flying from his body.
Those two were Lu and Ciel? Bringer searched for familiar traits in the man and the child. He recognized Timoria for the same toothy grin she used to mock him and when stealing his stuff, but Abysser was unrecognizable when he wore the ridiculous hat. Timoria was shorter than he remembered.
"You must be Ain," Timoria said with an equally forced smile. "I was wondering when you would show up."
Abysser brandished one hand over his gunblade, a smaller and thinner version of the one Chevalier had. Nodding his head towards Timoria, the demon propelled himself, firing bullets at Bringer. He landed on his feet and recoiled when Bringer blocked the bullets with Dynamo and sent jolts of electricity to the butler.
Plasma coated over Bringer's body, static and electricity running through his veins and tingling over his fingertips. The brawler placed his feet over Dynamo and flew over to Abysser to deliver a kick over the demon's left shoulder blade. Lines of chains emerged from the soil up. They chained Bringer by the feet and forced the brawler down to his knees. When he was down, they went for his wrists and resisted the electric currents created by his Nasod Armor.
A shadowed demon appeared behind Timoria. She ordered the demon to extend its claws as it emitted blue fire, but its path was halted by Bluhen forming rings of line around the creature and forcing it to disperse. Light poured from Bluhen and rained down on Timoria and Abysser. The shackled chains weakened and Bringer broke free, forming his hands into fists and fired pulse cannons at the two demons.
Bringer's lips curled up as he kicked the ground and increased his speed, ecstatic in finding a new opponent with abilities he had yet to experience. They looked like Ishtar and Chevalier, yet their powers were drawn from a different source and utilized them for different purposes. A battle with them could provide sufficient data for later analysis! This was a mere fight to add to his database and increase his efficiency in battle. Bringer's laughter erupted into a cackle. His eyes widened and his chest heaved as the brawler clawed the gravel with his hands and crawled back up. Sweat evaporated from his pores as he joined his opponents in an elaborate waltz and demanded more.
"Is that all you got?" Bringer laughed, "You're pathetic!"
He had Dynamo record all of his fights to expand his database, but Bringer held the habit of making mental notes as he went through the flow of battle. It was in his nature to search for strengths and weaknesses in himself and from his opponents even as he let his Nasod Armor guide him and form punches at his opponents. Dark energy exploded from Abysser, holding dagger knives between his knuckles and using them as projectiles. Bringer puffed his chest and deflected the knives with his Nasod Armor, sending them pointing back to Abysser with bared canines.
"Supreme Punishment!"
Portals opened from the skyline. Multiple rifts expanded as Abysser and Timoria posed for a wave of demons to loom from the skies. They shrieked in unison to the demon duo summoning darkness from within and exploded. Blue flames showered down on Bringer and Bluhen.
Light blinded the cavern entrance and burned through his retina. Red flashed behind Bluhen before the priest spun his pendulum and light formed at the end of his weapon. Embedding the ground with a touch of his hand, he teleported away from Timoria and Abysser. Energy surfaced from below as he inflicted damage with waves of projectiles raining down onto the two demons.
"You can heal on command?" Timoria groaned, "Now you're just playing with us!"
"We need to end this quickly," Bluhen reminded the brawler. His eyes were lured over to the cavern's entrance with uncharacteristic wariness. "Avoid coming too close."
"Wasn't it your idea to look for the brat inside?" Bringer scowled.
"There's something powerful inside," Bluhen was pale. "It has high levels of demonic energy. It's going to find us."
"And leave like cowards?" Bringer scowled.
"No," Bluhen hissed. "Retreat. We need more people."
"We don't even know if he's still in there," Bringer said. "He could be elsewhere and coming here was a waste of time."
Bluhen should have told them earlier if he was planning to chicken out at the last minute. Where did the sudden hesitancy come from? Coming here to find Knight was the first objective, but luring out the opposing El Search Party to learn about their intentions was their second one.
It was cumbersome being the only one in their group to use their brain, let alone have enough sense to question things beyond what was given at the surface level. Bringing the entire party to a demon's den was suicide if they weren't certain if Knight was still there. What was stopping demons from moving their teammate to a new location? Bringer was able to form a map to where Knight could have been, but they were distant dots held together by traces of readings picked up by Dynamo. There was a slight delay in those readings and could change at a moment's notice.
Electricity generated from within Bringer. Static made his hair stand up at its ends as electricity pulsated through his body. Charging from above, he concentrated the electricity into his fists and punched Abysser. He launched the demon into the air and fired particle shots from Dynamo.
Abysser fell. He dragged one of his many knives across the side of the cavern to break his fall. Abysser loosened his grip and collapsed, landing on his knees with his arms out to avoid falling face down. He grunted and had blood masked over his eyes. The blue cap he sported was soiled with dried blood and clay.
Blue flames burst from the seams of Abysser's clothes, forming into the shape of a demon from the dark. Its eyes flared with the same sharpness in Abysser's features, hissing and bearing a smile.
"What are you doing?" Mild panic edged in Bluhen's voice.
"I'm ending this," Bringer grinned.
"You're ignoring my signals," Bluhen lowered his eyelids. "We need to withdraw."
"You said you wanted to make this quick," Bringer growled.
"You're making me waste my energy on you," he said.
"I didn't ask you to help me!" Bringer glowered.
"Is that how you thank your healer?" Bluhen asked. His skin, hair, and face were porcelain white. Wings emerged from the back of his spine, enveloping the rest of his body in an aura and glowed green.
Bluhen avoided looking at the brawler. Vibrant colors danced around the priest as an array of symbols. The blue fire reached the priest and engulfed him in a sea of smoke and flames. A yellow aura outlined Bluhen's figure, expanding from within until the forest was blinded by light. When the light faded away, Bluhen was free of bruises and blemishes. He attacked, untouched by Abysser's flames.
Bringer yelped when the flames approached him. Cuts and bruises remained on the brawler and his muscles ached when he moved. Heat traveled under his skin, his Nasod Armor demanding more cooling, more energy, more data. Bring had reached his limit. Why was he still injured? He glared at Bluhen.
"Why aren't you covering me?" Bringer demanded to know.
"You said you didn't need my help, Mr. Ancient." The damned priest replied.
"We're in the middle of a fight!"
"And you don't know how to treat your healer," Bluhen said.
"What do you want me to do?" Bringer asked, "Go down on my knees and say sorry while we get our asses kicked?"
"Ciel, now!" Timoria summoned a new demon for assistance.
"Ready when you are," Abysser pulled out his gunblade.
The summoned demon materialized from Timoria. Its flames mirrored those to Abysser's and flared in intense shades of blue. Fire consumed the trees and followed after Bluhen and Bringer despite the two splitting paths. It transformed back into the shape of a demon and raised its claws.
Bringer compressed the energy around him to generate an electromagnetic field. He jumped onto Dynamo and narrowly stepped to the left to avoid being consumed by the summoned demon's attack. A dark shadow loomed over the brawler. Bringer saw the summoned demon and called out to Dynamo. Electric currents roared inside his head before something sharp passed through his abdominals.
Fuck.
Knight Emperor
The sky cracked open like a winter melon. Fragments fell from the edges of Paradox's portals, crystal-like borders exploding and exerting gravity outward. Knight caught sight of four tails flickering with an outline of Paradox's figure and followed after him. Violet chains dangling down the time traveler's back and appeared to have more functions than the ones Bringer had. Knight rubbed his wrists to where the tails had held him down.
He didn't understand the time traveler's intentions. It was a game of cat and mouse with Paradox leading the way. Paradox weaved in and out each room with a wild grin, leaving the portals opening long enough for Knight to slip through before it closed behind him. Knight had no choice but to follow the time traveler, afraid of being left behind in the cavern he was kept captive in.
"You're lagging behind," Paradox spun around to face Knight cutting through a group of soul eaters. The time traveler opened another portal and sang, "you need to be faster if you want to catch up to your friends~"
There was no end to the eternal rooms and narrow corridors inhabited by demons. Small beady eyes trailed behind them, the sound of tails and claws scratching against the cool floor. Knight blocked an attack from a shadow driller charging for him headfirst. Thorns shot out from its spine and curled its body against Knight, changing directions to find its prey. It screamed to Knight slicing the rune sword down from the middle. Jet black blood shot out from the high pressure.
Knight stabbed a shadow guard attacking from behind. He saw a portal open and shoved the demon aside, reaching one arm through a portal and stumbled over. The demons' cries faded from behind as the portal sealed itself. It was a deafening sound of shattered glass for each time a portal was formed and sealed by Paradox.
Blood pounded inside his head. Knight searched for a place to find his footing. He stepped into shallow pools of what he hoped was water. His throat went dry when Paradox was nowhere to be seen. Knight gripped his blade, his eyes wandering in search for the time traveler.
Finding Paradox left an unsettled feeling at the bottom of his stomach. Knight wasn't sure of what to take from his brief but poignant interactions with Bringer's counterpart. Being next to Paradox gave the red knight headaches from how quickly he jumped from one topic to the next. Laughter rang inside Knight's head from the grand chase he had with the time traveler, pulling himself through yet another portal. Paradox didn't give him enough time to ask himself where they were going.
A white face appeared. Paradox hung upside down with long white strands of hair falling over his face. Crawling out from a portal, the time traveler landed on his feet and turned to face Knight. He spun Knight around and electrocuted a wandering demon with spiked energy balls, calling them "Maximum Strike". Paradox's movements were fluid, moving his limbs and body ever so slightly to avoid getting hit from the demons. The cavern became a violent shade of pink as he clawed into space with his hands. He grabbed Knight by the collar and shoved the redhead into the portal.
His vision blurred. Knight plunged through the vortex and felt blood rushing down his face. He stumbled over his steps before he found his footing, planting his foot back and leaning back to catch his breath.
Laughter rang in the air followed by the sound of Paradox's chains. Knight dashed headfirst, pressing his way through with his weight against his sword. He swung from the right, his weapon running past his opponent. He chipped Paradox's shoulder. White particles broke out and separated from the time traveler. Black ink seeped through Paradox's attire. His figure lit up and shattered into glass shards, replaced by a small child, sclera pitch black and broke out into a wide grin.
"How could you hurt a child?" Paradox wiped his eyes, "that hurts so much."
Knight froze. He couldn't take his eyes away from the image of a child with unnerving adult-like mannerisms. No longer concerned about maintaining the innocent facade, Paradox hovered with the aid of Dynamo and opened a spatial rift from the fabric of space. Tension built up in the air and Knight was suctioned in by a strong gravitational pull. Knight was lifted off his feet and flew towards the time traveler.
He was flung straight into a portal and popped out from the bottom of a pit. Knight rose by several feet and gasped. Lying at the bottom of the pit was the Dark Agate he and Paradox fought earlier! Its eyes were closed with its limbs stuck to the side of its body with rigidity. It was asleep, but for how long?
The time traveler opened another portal. Gravity was distorted and pressed Knight down. Paradox emerged from the portal and flew in to fire spatial orbs from a distance. The orbs exploded when it came into contact, launching Knight upward again. Knight groaned in pain when he came landed beside Paradox, who was humming to himself.
Knight pressed his face between his arms. Forming his hands into knuckles, he used his legs to rise and lifted his head. Red painted over his palm after placing it over his left shoulder dampened by his own blood. It stung as he grabbed his sword planted into the ground and raised his weapon. Sparks flew from Knight's fingertips, bursting into flames and blasted Paradox backward.
Dynamo sought their master. Paradox staggered but landed on top of the six drones with his head disheveled. A portal activated to reveal a rift from space. Starlight and nebulas shone and purple spheres hailed from a separate dimension, crashing at Knight's feet and causing tremors from the cavern's insides.
"I knew you could keep up." Paradox purred, "Good job. Now do that again and make sure you don't miss. It's going to take more than spinning around to catch me."
"You're going to regret asking for this fight!" Knight shouted.
"Those are big fighting words," Paradox said. He clutched his chest and feigned a hurt expression. "Don't make promises you can't keep~"
"Armageddon Blade!"
Knight called forth a massive blade. The great sword was twice his size and consumed a fraction of his vitality, weighing against his shoulder blade and raged with the power of the El. It wasn't as powerful as it would have been if they were fighting in Elrianode, but Knight knew that he was stronger than before. The Demon Realm had shaped him in many ways and taught him to adapt. His new opponent was going to be an additional experience to help him gain strength and help his friends. He brought the sword back and rushed ahead to tackle Paradox. Knight held up his sword and swung at Paradox.
"Double Slash!"
Paradox ordered Dynamo to shield against the blade. The Nasod cracked under the pressure and Knight paved his way in, hitting Paradox and swinging his blade to strike. Paradox's body distorted from the attack. The time traveler gritted his teeth and forced himself to move after being stunned by Knight's attack. He stepped to the side and smeared his finger across where he was wounded. Blue light surrounded Paradox and his body was free of cuts and bruises.
That's right… Paradox had Seal of Time.
"Vertical Slash!"
His back protested from being exerted in a fight Knight had not properly rested for. He allowed gravity to guide his blade and blocked an electrical blast. Paradox's portals popped in and out from different directions. When Knight looked at where he thought Paradox was hiding, he was met with an obnoxious crack from a new portal coming from a new location followed by the time traveler giggling. The process only repeated.
"Pre-dic-ta-ble~" Paradox sang, "Let me join and call out my attacks too! Reverse Stigma! Moonlight Breaker!"
Blue light shone between the two of them. Knight raced to slide over to Paradox as the time traveler uploaded coordinates onto his Nasods and shone a beam of light at an uphill angle. A powerful force tore from the ground up and narrowly missed him by an inch. The beam exploded with an ear-piercing noise that threatened to break the fabric of time and space.
Knight had his sword ready when his body began to tingle. Confused, the red knight held up his arm to see his body fading away. He panicked and turned to demand questions from Paradox when his world disappeared. Knight materialized several feet from behind and was at a loss as to how it was possible. He was back to where he was before!
He stopped to the sound of a distant groan. The cavern creaked from the walls, ceiling, and the ditch from below. A convulsion erupted at the wake of the Dark Agate. Its hollow cries were the sounds of crushed crystals fractured into millions of pieces. It silenced the smaller demons chattering with its presence and dug its nails against its stony prison. The jarring sound forced Knight to cover his ears. Paradox was unfazed and talked as if they hadn't disrupted the monster's slumber.
"Oh no, it's cranky. Would you look at the time," Paradox smiled. "Our fun moment together seems to be over."
Knight's eyes widened in horror. The ground beneath him cracked, traveling across the floor and up to the ceiling that barely touched his head. Its hoarse cries echoed inside the musty enclosure. A hand stuck out from the dark pitch, accompanied by the other holding a lantern dangling with a single flame burning in its wake.
The cavern trembled. Its mouth bared sharp crystals protruding from its insides, sharp edges pointing inward like jagged teeth. The crystal monster dug its nails into the walls as it made the trek up with a clear destination. Born from the mines and the geodes, the cavern was its home. As it reached the top, it brought itself up by its hands and pulled one leg over the next. Its core illuminated violet as the Dark Agate lifted its sword and swung its lantern into view.
The room went dark.
Devi
How still the world fell around her. The topsoil of the earth was being torn apart from the inside out, clay hovered around them in a crimson haze. There was hardly time for the dust to settle before being brought up again by Devi raising her spear and Empire pulling her claymore back to block an attack. Oh, how beautiful those eyes were when they glared at her like that. So angry and full of life!
Blood red skies painted the backdrop of their macabre dance. Both of them knew the rules. Each danced at their own tempo, moving forward by a few steps before stepping back and waiting for the other to make their next move. Their battle moved in progression to the speed of their movements. Devi spun faster, sliding over to Empire and flipping her spear upside down onto its tip.
The tails formed behind her back spread out and flicked Empire's kicks away from Devi. Did the Velder captain expect her to fall for the same tricks twice? Empire ran her sword over her head and struck the ground. Eun alerted her about Empire's presence and lent her strength. Spirit spheres formed around the martial artist and shielded Devi from the impact of the shockwaves delivered by Empire.
A large vortex of energy formed by dark clouds appeared in front of her. She opened a vacuum that tugged at anything that had energy except for itself. Its strong pull lifted Empire off her feet and suspended her in midair in what felt like an eternity for the captain. Her limbs fell to the side and became limp like a ragdoll.
It was hard to watch Empire fall. Her body was stunned from below the shoulders and could not move. The pained look on her face was one of desperation, locked into eye contact with Devi and full of anger, frustration. It wasn't directed at her. When one fought as many monsters and humans as Devi has, it became easier to pick and pull apart the root of people's emotions. It was self-loathing.
Flame once had those same eyes, shortly after discovering her foolish brother giving himself up to the El. To carry the burden of being an older sibling was a daunting task. Devi did not have experience of that, but she was raised in understanding the sacrifice one should take when protecting one's family. That was why Aren…
Fighting Elesis wasn't the problem. Empire was leading a team that barely managed itself because one of their team members went missing. Demons were unforgiving when outsiders stepped into their territory and Empire's team should have had more time to adjust to the Demon Realm. She and Eun could sense their heightened stamina shaped by exposure to demonic energy for a period of time. A fight against this team shouldn't have been this easy. If Empire and her teammates struggled against a group of adventurers with less exposure, how were they supposed to find the Dark El?
Pity their fight wasn't much of a challenge. Devi stretched her neck with a bored sigh and rubbed her knuckles, tracing between them with the bottom of her lips with an absent expression. With a temper like that, Devi was expecting more resistance from Empire. Wasn't she supposed to be synchronized with the El or something like that?
Devi stood up and crossed her arms, her eyes moving over to the cavern's entrance. The thin hairs on the tails she shared with Eun shivered in recognition of the strong demonic energy reeking from the insides. The fall to get past the entrance was unimaginable. She could not see the ground from where she stood. It was a rough fall with much of the walls and floors covered in crystals. They glimmered in response to the unfamiliar power of El radiating from the foreign humans fighting in its proximity.
The place smelled of demon blood. It made her blood run hot, Devi's fingers twitched in the excitement in imagining how many demons there must be inside, waiting to be torn to pieces! If Empire was too weak to move, then she was going to make it her personal goal to reach inside and slaughter all the demons that got in her way. One of them was going to know where Knight was. That's why Empire couldn't focus on their fight, wasn't it?
"Wait!" Empire cried.
Devi remained in her spot. The depths of the cavern was almost hypnotic, a dark abyss covered in sandstone and crystals.
"We're not done yet!" The Velder knight rolled on her stomach, pushing her upper body with her arms and forcing herself back up. Empire panted, "Fight me!"
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Devi mused.
"No, you!" Empire stood up with her hands and pressed her weight onto claymore as a makeshift cane. "I want to fight you, not Eun!"
Devi stopped laughing but smiled. That was the Elesis she knew, she looked at the swordswoman with pride. Enough with the formalities and cutting straight to the chase. That's what made it a pleasure to test her abilities and use the moment to assess each other's strength behind their resolve. Words were for fools. What was the use of words if one didn't have the power to fight back? Devi didn't trust people who talked yet refused to raise a single finger to follow through with sweet promises they will never fulfill. If Empire wanted to salvage what was left of her teammates' dignity, she would need to fight back.
Her hair returned back to its original color, glossy black fanned behind her back by the removal of the hairpin that kept her hair up. The tails have shrunken away and disappeared from sight. Devi's eyes faded from red back into its original amber hue. She could feel Eun's presence returning back into her body, no longer possessing her body and leaving her with Empire.
"If that's what you wish, princess." Devi giggled, "Don't look at me like that. I don't mean foul. Don't cry if I'm too hard on you~"
Numerous orbs materialized from the ground up. Devi had them fly around Empire and raised her spear to strike. Battles were harsh teachers, but that was how Aren helped her. Even after being possessed by a demon, he taught her the harsh reality of how being stronger wasn't enough to catch Ran and demand him to release her brother. Empire should understand more than anyone else in the party what happened when one hesitated in saving one's family member.
Spirit energy circuited through her body, a warm and familiar friend she could always rely on in addition to Eun's help. She conjured flames from the Rakshasa, incinerating everything in her path and watched it burn. It smelled of ashes, marking the skies in orange flames and making their presence known.
Struck by the destructive fire, Empire hissed to the pain shot up from her arm. One second too late and her body would have been inflicted by Devi's Rakshas Inferno. She put on her tough soldier face and didn't let the pain slow her pace. The Velder captain charged with her sword steadied, using her left hand to strike from behind, pulling her weight and knocking the spear from Devi's hold with her claymore.
The flames dispersed, losing their warmth and vanished into cold breaths. Devi lost her grip and watched her spear land on the ground, leaving deep scars on the stone floor. She welcomed Empire with a pained smile.
"Those weren't for decoration after all," Devi eyed the ornaments stitched into the Velder captain's clothing and purred, "I wouldn't expect anything less from Ele's other self."
Her opponent was now defenseless without a weapon within an arm's reach, yet Empire did not lower her guard. Once again, Devi found herself at the end of the redhead's claymore. Its sharp end was an unfamiliar one, thinner and more elegant than Flame's. She was met with cold steel. Empire wasn't afraid to let her blade get close to her enemy. She was no fool.
Empire's efforts were not to be ignored. How hard she tried to put up a leaderly front and tell her teammates to go for the enemy, away from where they could see their leader stumble. Hardened by endless wars combined by stubbornness in refusing to let that facade slip for more than a moment. Flame was guilty of all of that no matter how many times Devi had called her out on it.
"They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Devi chuckled at an old saying she once heard Dominator said out of exasperation. She thought it was fitting when both of the women she loved had hair the color of the bright red fruit.
"What?" Empire tensed, "is that a code you use for you and your friends?"
"Hmm?" Devi laughed again, "Why so anxious? Scared of little old me?"
"Ara isn't this-" Empire failed to find words. "She isn't…"
"Reckless? Vile? A monster?" She chortled, shaking her head with laughter, "you wouldn't be the first to say that, honey. But… my Elesis isn't this stiff."
Red flashed in Empire's eyes and protested, "Stiff? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh, surely you aren't thinking, 'Why is she like this? Why is she crazy? Why is she…'" Devi's voice drifted away before she redirected her attention to Empire. "But soldiers aren't supposed to be thinking of trivial things, isn't that right, Ms. Velder Captain~?"
"Don't call me that!" Empire snapped but her cheeks were pink, "What are you trying to-"
The earth shifted beneath their feet. Plate tectonics split in two, sliding over one another and forming into sharp-edged peaks erupting from the bottom up. Amethysts shot from the floor, bursting from the inside of geodes that were formed between sedimentary and volcanic rocks.
Devi slid over a geode, careful not to trip over the gravel covered in fine dust. She dragged her foot down and lowered her body, taking a leap and using a rising geode as a springboard to land opposite to Empire. Her spear was lodged between two cliffs meeting at a center point. Devi reached over to grab her spear, eager to regain her balance once she had her hands wrapped around its amber handle once more.
"Ara!" Oz's voice came from her communicator, "I'm inside with Crusader. Don't follow us, there's something living there. It's-"
A harsh cry snarled from inside. Its groans shook the walls around them, in sync to the rocking of the cavern. A monster several times larger than the beasts from Sander emerged from a portal.
Shrouded by the shadows and lighting struck by the suns, the stranger was dressed in purples and pinks draped over a distinctly thin figure. Their face was covered by long white hair reaching down their back. Bright white teeth blanched against sickeningly pale skin. The stranger had a strange assortment of diamond-shaped disks circling around them. Nasods?
Thin lines cracked against the skies, forming into a circular shape and a portal opening appeared. A new figure fell from the heavens. They made their landing with lack of grace, crash landing on their knees and hands. Devi made out the familiar shape of Rune's greatsword held inside a scabbard slid onto the stranger's back. Red eyes came into view as they moved into the light.
"Elsword?" Empire stumbled over to Knight with arms extended.
Shit. She was still here.
Devi twisted her body but could not speak, too stunned by Rune's mirror image. He was Elsword, but something about him was different. She sensed the heightened power of the El from within the Knight Emperor. It was unlike the living flames inside of Rune amplified by the El's influence. When Devi looked into the boy's eyes, it was like he was seeing past her.
Her eyes flashed between the scenic apocalypse painted by a combination of their fight and that of the newcomers. What was that monster? It exuded similar energy as the Dark El, but more concentrated than the remnants she had encountered in Feita. The man in purple, who was he? What was he doing here with Knight?
"Sis?" Knight didn't take his eyes away from her, wiping some tears running down his cheeks. "Is that you?"
Devi lowered her head. The princess had finally reunited with her brother after painstakingly fighting strangers that looked like the people she knew. She was rewarded for her gallant efforts. What did that leave Devi with? Defeated teammates while Ran was still running amok among demons and imprisoning her brother's body? Was this the end to her duet with Empire? Knight has returned. There was no other reason to continue the fight. Empire had won.
"I'm here," Empire smiled, soft pink shells curling up against her tan complexion. She wrapped her arms around him. "How did you find a way out?"
"I didn't," Knight said. "It's Add-, I mean Paradox. This is all his doing."
"Add?" Empire was confused, "but I thought he was fighting Eve. I heard from her just an hour ago when she spoke to me."
"There's another one!" Knight tugged her arm, "please. We need to stop him. I don't know who else he's going to go after."
Although no longer a boy by any means, Devi continued to see him as one. So naive and eager to save everyone involved with him. Knight was no different from Rune, although he lacked a sense of humor, Devi snorted. At least Rune was funny. It was strange to see someone be so similar to their leader, yet dissimilar enough to stop her from getting sentimental about Knight's entrance.
"What do you want?" Empire barked when Paradox landed beside them.
"Man, is that all everyone here asks?" Paradox yawned, "I didn't think there would be so many of you, but I suppose this will suffice."
"If you come any closer, I'll have to fight you!" Knight shouted.
"Isn't that what we were doing before we were rudely interrupted?" Paradox leaned his head back and waved lazily to Empire, "I suppose you must be the red brat's sister."
"You can fight me, but let Knight go!" Empire readied her blade.
"If you insist~" He sang, "Reverse Stigma!"
Blue light covered Paradox and Empire, a series of numbers and vectors unwinded from the light. Empire tumbled away from the man shooting out electrical spheres, slashing her claymore into Dynamo and leaving a dent on one of the drones. Paradox ordered Dynamo to arrange themselves into a triangular formation as he inputted the coordinates and angled them upward with intent. A powerful force tore the surrounding space apart. Explosions propelled Empire and launched her into the sky.
"Elesis!" Knight ran after her.
Devi thrust her spear into Paradox and stunned him momentarily. She pulled her spear out and sprinted. Devi stuck her spear in the ground for leverage, using it as a springboard to launch herself high and brought her arms out to catch Empire. The additional weight and momentum from Empire's fall crushed them back into the earth just as the world began to turn on its axis. The monster!
"Y-you?" Empire opened her eyes. "But why?"
Devi didn't answer.
Paradox planted a pair of Nasods stationed at the base of the monster, setting off explosions and hauling the Dark Agate down to its knees. It fought to break free from a paradigm coordinated by the time traveler to restrain its movements. Black tar oozed from the man's lower lip, shaken from having his stamina drained from the ongoing fight. His eyes flashed black and released his hold on the monster. It slammed into the ground.
The cavern began to collapse. Devi shoved her spear between the Dark Agate's mouth and used the last of her energy to summon an Energy Wave to push it out. She raised Empire with one leg and pushed herself to keep going. Devi could feel her stamina being drained away. At least… Empire got to see Knight and was safe. She struggled to stay awake and closed her eyes as the cavern's entrance was sealed shut by the destruction from all sides.
Author Notes: Sorry for taking so long to update. It's been a rough month for me with work and classes going online. Thank you dez for always beta-reading my stuff and feeding me ideas when I meme about my fanfics. Credit goes to them for giving me wonderful ideas for the Paradox fight and by wonderful, I mean awful ideas on how to torment Knight.
