An Echo's Answer
Cutting through the chill night air, a stream of silver glistened as it painted the dripping teeth of a mountain cave. Rainwater from the afternoon storm collected in every hollow and crevice it could find, each tiny pool and puddle a faint portrait of the moon wrapped in mist. Guarded steps fell across the slick surface of the cave floor and soon their echoes were swallowed up by the veil of pitch and shadow. As a soft breeze ventured into the cavern depths, a swirling flame sprouted in the air and splashed the walls with a flickering golden glow.
Aisha held the fire in hand, keeping a close reign on its light as she led the way through the bandit's cave. After running through the mountain trails for the better part of the night, Rena had finally picked up on a fresh set of footprints that hadn't been washed away by the storm. Though they gave little indication of where the El might be, the tracks did lead down into the mouth of a massive cavern that lay just within the bounds of the area Rena had pegged as the El's location. While Elsword was more than ready to storm the bandit's lair and beat information out of anyone inside, Aisha was not entirely convinced that they should even be there.
"What does it matter if the El was here hours ago? They're already moving it somewhere else."
"Tch..." Elsword scoffed as he swatted a bat away from his hair. "Stop whining so much. We'll take down the bandit leader and he'll tell us where they took the El, and then we'll take it back."
The flame in Aisha's hand growled and spit as she turned back and shot Elsword a stern glare. "And what if they've already loaded it up and shipped it off to the other side of the world?"
"So?" Elsword shrugged and carried on past Aisha, "We'll still chase them down and get it back."
"You- do you have any idea how stupid that-" A sudden, frightful sound and image froze them both in place.
"Bllarrggghhh~!" Popping up between the two, Rena pulled her lips back and stuck her tongue out, making her look more than a bit otherworldly as the light of the flame fell across her face. Though they both recognized her immediately, Elsword and Aisha both backed against the cave wall and stared on in horror. With the two now silent and standing shoulder to shoulder, Rena resumed her cheery smile and nodded. "Now, remember what we talked about. No fighting with each other when we're sneaking around dangerous caves, right?"
Aisha and Elsword nodded, more shocked than afraid though still somewhat unnerved. Rena motioned for them to continue and Aisha took the lead with a steady flame in hand. Bringing up the rear, Rena softened her voice to a near whisper as the cavern narrowed.
"This time, you're both right though... If they get the El onto a ship and carry it across the sea, we may not be able to get it back on our own and it could be years before we have a chance to retrieve it. At the same time, we don't know where they're taking it, and we can only tell which direction they're headed if we stay miles away from them at the edge of the El's light and watch how it recedes."
Aisha closed her eyes a moment and sighed. "So, we gamble on being able to find out where they're headed so that we can cut them off."
"Yup." Rena tilted her head and gave Aisha a thumbs up, "At least, if this works out for us, it'll be the quickest way to get the El back, and that means the least amount of suffering for the villagers."
Between them, Elsword glanced back and forth, struggling to hide his confusion at their exchange.
"What are you talking about? We're here to beat up the bandit leader, and then he'll get his lackeys to put the El back, that's the easiest way to fix everything."
Behind him, Rena chuckled awkwardly while in front, Aisha was mortified.
"You... can't honestly think that plan could ever work in the real world. Why would the bandit leader even be here if the El isn't here anymore?" She glanced back at him and opened her mouth to issue another insult when Rena's broad, ominous smile appeared behind him. Turning forward, Aisha walked on and held her tongue. As they rounded a sharp corner, the cavern opened up into a vast chamber filled with light. Torches lit the surface of a shimmering pool that poured out into an underground stream, its source a steady shower of melted snow from a crack in the ceiling leading to the mountain above. The remnants of scaffolding and makeshift beds littered the ground, evidence that there had indeed been a great number of bandits here recently. At the back of the chamber, a massive pile of gold coins, weapons, and gold trinkets gleamed in the torchlight, absent any guardian or keeper. Seeing that the chamber was clear of its previous tenants, Elsword rushed over to the pile of treasure with Aisha and Rena following close behind.
"Where'd they even steal all this?" Aisha sifted through handfuls of gold coins and ingots, all stamped with the seal of Lord Wally, the regent of Elder. Next to her, Elsword furiously dug through the pile as though he thought he might find the El still buried beneath it all. Moving alongside them and drawing her bow, Rena looked over the area for any sign of large animals, yokes, spare wagon wheels. Their apparent scarcity troubled her.
"There's something wrong here..." Rena moved back and kept her eyes focused on the chamber entrance, "How did they take the El from the village in the first place?"
Elsword grumbled and kicked a pile of statuettes over. "Lowe said they pushed it off the tree and then got it onto a wagon with a lotta horses and just rode off. Why's it matter now?"
"Because we haven't found any sign of horses or a wagon since yesterday morning. Why did they take it off the wagon, and what could they do with it then? It weighs more than a house." Rena turned the matter over in her head, trying to make sense of it.
"Maybe they have mages with them?" Aisha turned away from the treasure hoard and pondered. "Wait, that still doesn't make sense... they had a good way to carry it, but instead they unloaded it and carried it into the mountains... there weren't any patrols on the highway to avoid, so why did they bother coming here just to leave again?"
Elsword stomped down through a mess of gold and steel as he grimaced. "What's that matter? There's nobody here! We gotta get out of here and chase after the El!"
"Elsword, wait! We need to think about this first!" Rena hurried after him but he had already reached the exit and was about to head around the corner, grabbing a torch and heading off into the dark. After two paces, he was sent flying backward, landing hard on his side.
A huge brutish man filled the chamber's narrow entrance, a scarred eye and a huge, tasteless gold necklace hanging among filthy, mismatched linen tunics clearly marking him as a bandit. Behind him, a dozen other similarly disreputable men and women tumbled out into the open.
"Boss, move it! What the hell's-"
Before the unfortunate bandit could finish, three arrows knocked him to the floor. Those remaining took to cover while their leader unwrapped a giant cutlass and held it flat, shielding himself from Rena's barrage. He leapt forward and made a broad swing down at Elsword who was just getting back to his feet. Raising his sword, Elsword blocked hastily and his knees shook from the force bearing down on him. The bandit leader grinned viciously and pressed harder, using his size and the weight of his blade to force his opponent to the ground. He laughed and drew a leg back, preparing for a strong kick when he was smacked squarely in the face with a wand and forced back by a burst of flame. Rolling back, the leader of the bandits covered himself at the entrance to the chamber while Rena kept him and his comrades in place with a stream of arrows. An obnoxious young bandit began shouting from around the corner,
"Damn it! Banthus, What the hell do you want us to do now!"
The bandit leader chuckled and turned to his followers. "Ain't that obvious? Kill 'em all and take their cash!" At his order, the bandits rushed inside the chamber. Two fell to the ground almost immediately as arrows pierced their shoulders and toppled them over. While Banthus rushed for Elsword, the bulk of the bandits headed to Rena who was now leaping across the pile of gold, dodging spears and clubs as she loosed as many arrows as she could manage. Jumping back, she barely avoided the cutting edge of a hatchet but as she landed, the unsteady mound of gold below her gave way. She slid to the ground and was quickly surrounded by the remaining nine bandits. Rena hooked her bow to her belt and shifted into a defensive stance.
"Okay~ Do you guys mind charging in one or two at a time?"
In response, the bandits shouted and rushed toward her all at once. Once they neared, Rena leapt high into the air, planting her feet on a bandit's head and then bounding off onto the solid ground below. As the rest of the mob headed toward her, a bright light flashed and Aisha appeared in their midst. She spun her wand in a tight circle and a wave of fire and wind swept the bandits off of their feet and through the air. Rena took her bow in hand and started after everyone that tried to get back up.
"Thanks!" She smiled at Aisha as she drew back an arrow.
Aisha grinned proudly. "Now I just have to help the stubborn one over there."
On the far side of the chamber, Banthus pulled back and thrust his fist forward, missing Elsword by inches as he ducked low and swept the ground with his blade only to be blocked by Banthus's cutlass. Their swords clashed and echoed loudly as they each darted back and forth, looking for an opening and finding only a solid defense.
"You're pretty good, punk. What's your name?"
Elsword scoffed and glared, "Elsword, and you suck old man. How long are you gonna take to land a hit on a little kid?"
"You punk bastard!" Banthus raised his cutlass and brought it down hard. Elsword held his ground and blocked, holding his blade at an angle and throwing Banthus off balance as his cutlass plowed into solid rock off to his right. Three steps, and Elsword was at his side. Firm grip, low stance, eyes straight. The lessons he'd been drilled on since before he could even hold a weapon rang through his head as he sliced through the air and struck his adversary in the back of the knees. As Banthus lost his balance and staggered forward, another blow landed across his back. Three. Four. Elsword shifted his hands just the way he'd practiced, turning his body after an upward stroke and using gravity to bring the blade down again. Seven. He couldn't waste time thinking, but he didn't have to; the fluid motion of his hands and feet carried on without pause. It was what he'd done almost all his life, and what his sister had trained for going back to the furthest reaches of his memory.
Breathing heavily, Elsword dug his feet into the cave floor and looked around for the next enemy. In front of him, the leader of the bandits lay face down, his shoddy leather armor rent beyond repair and covered in blood. In the distance, Rena had just finished kicking the last of the straggling bandits unconscious and restraining them with a long golden chain from the treasure hoard. Nearby, Aisha stood blinking, frozen in the midst of a long incantation when her target fell unexpected. Once the tension of the battle had passed, she regained her composure and turned to the panting Elsword.
"Are you okay?" She ran over to him, nearly slipping on the slick rock but righting herself by the time she was at his side.
"Yeah... I'm fine." Lifting his sword to his back, Elsword steadied his breathing and started to strap his weapon in when a sharp pain shot through his left thumb. Aisha noticed the gash on his hand immediately and grabbed hold of it.
"You've got a huge cut, hold still a minute."
He jerked his hand away as a trickle of blood dripped onto the ground "Leave it alone. It's from this morning, it's fine."
"It's not fine! If it reopened then it's not gonna heal on its own. Let me wrap it up or it'll just get worse." She reached for his hand again and he pulled it away, though too slowly. Glowering, blushing, and looking as far away as he could, Elsword surrendered his hand and Aisha got to work bandaging his wounds. By the water's edge, Rena looked on and laughed to herself.
"Well, it's a start..." She washed the dirt and blood from her arm and covered her cuts with a thick green balm. Stealing glances at her younger companions, she concealed a devious grin. "I'll have to remember to tease them both about this later."