Got it up! It's a bit short, but that is because I was writing in the car on my phone. I hope it turns out okay. Here you go, and enjoy this Template update!
The faint rays of light from the rising Solace slipped through the flaps of Elsword's tent and onto his face. The boy rolled around in his sleeping pack a few times, trying to keep the bright glare off his eyelids but to no avail. With a tired groan, he admitted defeat and his eyes fluttered open, squinting painfully against the light.
"Mmm... I hate mornings..." He grumbled, slowly stretching his stiff limbs. He was never fond of early morning hours, but his adventures with the ElGang taught him to overcome this aversion.
Sort of. He still hated getting up, but he knew he could not afford to be lax. Today was the day they would march on Elder. The day they would figure out what the El was going on in that city.
With this in mind, he threw the bed roll cover off him and sprang to his feet. "Alright, let's get ready." Poking his head out he looked to a yellow pile of feathers near his tent. "Choco, get your fluffy butt up. We're leaving within the hour." His feathered partner stirred awake and let out an awkward squak, his way of yawning.
It did not take long for the rest of the camp to wake and prepare for their departure. By the time Solace finally cleared the canyon, all that remained was for Raven to finish his examination of his weaponized limb, Ara to tie the last ribbon into her hair and Chung to load up his Hamling. The small dragon was not particularly thrilled with the cumbersome load, but it begrudgingly bore this burden out of respect for its rider.
Penensio looked over the men and nodded his head. "Alright men. We will arrive in Elder in a matter of hours. Be ready for anything. If there is a need to fight, remember your training from the demon invasion: watch each other's backs and call for back up if you need it. Move out!" At his command, the Knights began their final trek over the Bethma mountains.
While some were eager to see combat again, others amongst them prayed that they would have no need for their swords. But what they would encounter would exceed all of their expectations...
The expedition encountered no problems as they traveled the winding Dragon Road and closed on the crest of the mountain. Nothing even remotely stood out until they caught sight of an orange glow over the peak.
"Scouts, forward!" Penensio shouted and the aforementioned scouts spurred their mounts ahead of the group, galloping to the end of the road. Moments after they disappeared over the hill, Elesis felt her sword hand twitch in anticipation.
She knew that glow. It was the light cast from flames. Flames of a burning city.
As the group edged closer to the peak, the smell of smoke reached their nostrils. Ara's hands tightened anxiously on Chung's waist. "No... Please no..." She pleaded silently, but the ashes that soon fell from the sky denied her even that naive hope.
Finally, they reached the peak, and a terrible sight awaited them. Black smoke billowed from ruined fortifications and orange flames roared across the mountain face. What were the Twin Watchtowers, the Elder - Bethma border garrison, laid in ruins and angry blazes dotted the distant landscape.
Elder was burning.
Raven recalled the sight of his home during the demon invasion, but not even that compared to the destruction before him. "Lady El... What the hell happened...?" While everyone's first guess to the culprit was the demons, something about the inferno seemed off.
"... I don't see any bodies... Where are the men?" The Tactical Trooper muttered, his grip tightening on the reins. His inquiry was met with silent dread, but the returning scouts have it a voice.
"Chief Penensio, nothing but ruins for miles. No bodies either. Elder City is in flames." The head scout saluted his superior atop his mount. This was beyond what they expected. It was like Velder all over again, but what was this feeling?
It was as if whatever came through here was precise. Only the manmade structures were destroyed, while collateral damage to the surroundings was minimal. Every speck of raging fire in the distance were defensive fortifications, dwellings and other buildings shaped by human hands.
It was too calculated despite the widespread destruction. Even Elesis felt a lump in her throat at this realization. What kind of foe were they dealing with?
"Chief, we were unable to get close to the city due to the smoke, but we heard the sounds of an ongoing battle. Whatever came through here is still there." At that, everyone drew their weapons, their expressions grim.
"Then we haven't a moment to lose. All units, forward!" Penensio cried out and spurred his cockatrigle into a gallop. With him leading the charge, the knights and allies tore across the ruined landscape.
Before long, they reached the shattered city gates and caught sight of a great shadow behind the curtain of ash.
It was massive.
That was all they could make out with the obscuring smoke before it faded away. But there was a small detail they were able to discern before it disappeared.
A buzzing sound, like someone had taken a cicada and replaced its wings with metal. A mechanical hum persisted amongst the flames and faint arcs of blue lightning could be seen in the craters that littered the street.
"... Everyone. Divide into teams of five. Leave your mounts. Disperse into the alleyways. Prep your flares for the moment when you make contact." Raven now took command as Penensio was out of his element when it came to these kind of battles. The Cross Guard Chief was more at home in large scale battles and skirmishes, while the Veteran Commander was very familiar with squad tactics and small engagements. And he was more adept at dealing with the unexpected, which the veteran Rune Slayer, unfortunately, had little experience in.
So, the legion of knights dismounted from their cockatrigles and split themselves into teams of five. Ara, Chung, Elesis, Elsword and Raven banded together with Raven taking the lead. Once everyone was consolidated, the knights and their heroes spilled into the ruined Elder streets.
The rancid stench of burning wood suffused the air and the glowing ashes stung their eyes, but they pressed forward. Like the ruined outposts before, the group saw no bodies, making the burning alleyway uncomfortably eerie. And with only the crackling flames as their only perceivable noise, an unnerving sense of dread gripped them.
Except Elesis.
"We should make our way to the castle. The... Lord of Elder should have an idea of what's going on." Her emphasis on the word 'Lord' caused her brother to shift awkwardly on his feet and Raven's golden eyes to narrow.
"That was the plan, Elesis. But you are not to lay a hand on Wally. Your vengeance has no place here." The Veteran Commander warned in a low tone, earning him a threatening glare from her.
"You do not tell me what to do, Commander. Let's not forget that I have senior rank over you." Her sword hand slipped into the hilt of her claymore, a murderous glint in her eye.
Sensing the building tension, Elsword leaped between the two. "Guys! We have a job to do. Let's stay focused. And sis, Raven has bailed us out more times than I count. Would you really be want to take him out just cause he won't let you get what you want? Stop being such a kid! I am supposed to be the younger sibling, not you!" He quickly sucked in a shocked breath. The sight of Elder burning, his concern for the citizens and the accumulating hostility from his sister compounded until he reprimanded her. And harshly at that.
But he saw something he did not expect; Elesis' eyes widened in surprise and her hand fell off her weapon.
In her mind, the primal urges that controlled her thoughts were pushed back and were replaced with a feeling of disgust. How could she allow herself to fall so far? So far, that her brother, her younger brother, had to take on the mantle of responsibility that was supposed to be hers?
She felt dirty. She felt inhuman. What happened to her that she would become so... foul?
A multitude of emotions played across her face, but this epiphany did not last long.
A massive claw of gleaming metal broke through the wall of the alley and swept across the path, threatening to crush the party in its grasp.
"Everyone down!" Raven shouted as he threw himself on the pavement, Elesis and Elsword following suit. Ara almost ended up in its grip, but Chung's quick thinking saved her as he dived into the Asura and pinned her to the ground. The steel appendage passed over the quintet before pulling back out of sight.
"What in El Lady's name was that!?" Elsword cried out as he pulled himself to his feet. Even the Crimson Avenger's usual lust for battle was replaced with wariness.
"Retreat! Retreat and regroup! Brady, get awa - Dammit, Brady!" Cries of despair reached their ears and the party looked beyond the now destroyed wall. What they saw was a pair of Elder soldiers fleeing from a great shadow in the smoke. The shade looked similar to the last titanic shadow they saw at the city gates.
Frozen in awe and fear, the party watched as the dark shape lifted a gargantuan form that looked like a hand. At this moment, the two men met their eyes. "Please! We aren't trained for this! Please, save u -" The man who began pleading was cutoff as he and his partner were crushed beneath the massive appendage. But the silence soon gave way to screams of terror from the victims.
Ara managed to catch sight of one of their hands fading away in a flurry of electric blue dust under the palm's pressure. Their cries of dread reached their ears before they disappeared in a cacophony of metallic shrills.
Finally, it was over. The screams stopped and the hand lifted, revealing nothing but crackling arcs of sapphire lightning. The party's breath hitches in their throats as the giant behind the veil pressed forward and pierced its cloak.
"You're kidding me... What the hell is that... thing doing here?" Chung was not one to use such rough language, but this was one of those rare moments.
"I... I thought it never left that place. Why is it here...?" Ara quivered in fear, her heterochromic eyes wide with fear.
"This... I never expected this..." Elesis stood stock still, unable to even draw her weapon before this titan.
"... I never imagined I would see this thing again..." Raven's body seized up, his mind recalling one of the ElGang's most perilous encounters.
"Uh... Anyone got a plan? Cause we are about... four short." Elsword took in the sight and did what he could to formulate a plan, which was ask the others if they had one.
All this because of the being that stood before them. It stood at a massive seventy five meters with a body of glittering grey-silver steel. Its cold, electric blue eyes in its elongated head shifted to focus on the heroic quintet, and a pair of metal wings extended from its back. A digital hum from a set of thrusters permeated the air, and glowing spots of blue pierced the ash.
They knew what it was, but they never thought they would ever see it again. The last time they saw it was when they were still journeying across Elrios as the ElGang. That encounter nearly claimed their lives, and all they were capable of was to force it to retreat.
Was it here for revenge? Or was its purpose more sinister? It did not matter. It stood before them, prepared to annihilate all who crossed its path.
Anomalies detected. Commencing removal. A synthesized voice cut through the crackling of the raging inferno and the steel juggernaut slowly closed on them, its claws surrounded with blue lightning.
Eltrion, The Iron Guardian, commenced its assault with calculated aggression...
There you have it. The enemy this time around is my favorite raid boss, Eltrion. I loved fighting this guy. It is truly a fight you cannot approach as you do with other bosses. A single hit is all it usually needs to take you out, so you can see why something like this could shape up into a great adversary. But this story is just getting started, so strap in if you plan to follow. There is much to come. In the meantime, please Read and Review! Until next time!