Pristine Snow
As afternoon waned into early evening and the sun's scattered beams faded among thick, silken clouds, Aisha hurried out of town and left a faint trail in the gathering snow. The stone of the city streets faded into rough gravel and finally gave way to the frosted grass of the wood around Wally's castle where Elsword waiting impatiently.
"Are you ready yet?"
Aisha tightened her belt and nodded, stifling a scowl as she readied her wand. "Once Rena's done talking to the head of the merchants and the other important people in town, she'll be waiting on the far wall for us. You'll have to hold onto me so I can take us both inside" She was less than thrilled at the prospect and Elsword could tell, glowering as he grabbed her elbow.
"I got it. Just hurry up or it'll be dark soon." Elsword stared up at the sky that held, at the most, another hour of daylight. Chanting under her breath, Aisha swung her wand down sharply and they both disappeared in bright flash.
Atop the wall of Lord Wally's castle, Aisha popped out of the air and floated gently to the smooth stone floor below. Flailing his arms, Elsword appeared next to her and tumbled face first into a snowy slab of granite.
"I told you to hold on!" Aisha reached down to pick him up as he turned to glare at her angrily. He opened his mouth to argue when a deafening screech filled the air. In the courtyard below, a mass of steel creaked and groaned as a towering nasod marched from the gatehouse to the keep, sinking its broad feet into the soil with each step.
"That's... a nasod?" Aisha whispered into the breeze. "I thought they were a lot more... human than that..." The gargantuan machine in Wally's courtyard was just that; a strictly mechanical, artificial creature with bulky, twisting arms and legs held together with steel and fire. If this was a nasod, it was nothing like the etchings and accounts found in histories of the ancient world.
"What are you doing? Come on!" Elsword tugged at Aisha's sleeve and tore her away from her momentary fascination. Keeping low, they headed for the nearest tower and ducked in through an open door. Inside, the halls and chambers were quiet and bare. There weren't nesarly as many knights as either had expected, not that they would complain, and it was fairly easy for them to sneak down the tower, past a drowsy guard, across the courtyard and into the keep's side entrance. In fact, there were scarcely a half dozen knights standing watch as they made they way through dimly lit stairwells and vacant corridors, fostering a slow, creeping sense of dread in the back of Aisha's thoughts. As they neared the top of the keep and approached Lord Wally's study, a crude, jarring laugh erupted from an open doorway nearby. Pressing himself flat against the wall, Elsword crept closer and peered inside.
At a grand dining table, Banthus and his dozen underlings emptied huge flagons and shoveled meat and bread into their mouths. At the head of the table, the knight-captain who took Banthus into custody sat hanging his head.
"Show the least bit of dignity, won't you? Lord Wally expects you to be at the ready in the event he's attacked, not slovenly drunk and sprawled across the floor."
Setting his cup down, Banthus clapped his hands together and chortled. "Oh, certainly! Boys and girls! Shape up, or they won't give us a sack of gold to top off the mountain we've already got!"
"Quiet!" The knight captain stood and slammed his hands on the table "Lord Wally has already given you more than enough, so give him your respect or I'll send you off to work the mines with the nasod."
Elsword's eyes went wide and he turned to look over his shoulder. "Aisha! Get over here!" He motioned to her, but Aisha was preoccupied with the view from the window at the end of the hall.
"Elsword, look!"
"I said get over here! They just said Wally hired the bandits!" He whispered as loudly and harshly as he could while taking his sword in hand.
"No, the El! Look-" Aisha turned from the window only to see Elsword charging into the crowded dining room. Chanting and gripping her wand, she ran. Elsword rushed in and hit the knight captain in the back, slamming him face first down onto the table as the bandits all leapt to their feet and backed away. Just as Elsword opened his mouth to demand their surrender, Aisha tore into the room and shoved him aside. Holding her hand steady and closing her eyes, she threw back her cloak and lightning shot into the room, racing through the air and latching onto the bandits' weapons. One by one, they dropped to their knees and fell across the table and floor. Confused and caught off guard, Elsword looked up at Aisha, first annoyed and then dumbfounded. She reached down and pulled him up by the elbow, dragging him back into the hallway.
"Hey! What the hell was that-"
"Look!" Aisha pulled him over to the window overlooking the courtyard. "It's the El!" In the courtyard, a battalion of knights stood in formation as one of the enormous nasod effortlessly hefted the massive El in its arms. Archers and knights were assembling all along the curtain wall, wearing tabards emblazoned with Lord Wally's crest and marching in lock step. In the center of the courtyard, a huge statue of the world shifted forward, sliding away to reveal a set of stairs that delved into the unseen reaches of the underground. From those stairs, Lord Wally strode confidently, another huge nasod following close behind him as he raised his arms and addressed his knights.
The moment Elsword saw the nasod and its cargo, his eyes went wide and he bolted for the stairs. Aisha reached out to stop him without success. Gritting her teeth, she rushed after him as he barreled through the knights left inside the keep and burst out onto the outer wall. The wind had picked up in the minutes they spent inside and snow was beginning to pile up on the frigid stone. Biting her lip, Aisha tossed away her cloak and threw a bright fireball into the sky as Elsword rushed the nearest archer.
Seeing the bright glow of fire in the sky, Rena leapt from the top of a quivering tree and landed on the castle wall between a pair of Wally's soldiers. She swept her leg out and dropped them to the ground, pinning them there with a pair of arrows in their sides. In the single moment she had to breath and survey the battlefield, her heart caught in her throat. "This..." She was robbed of any time for contemplation by an arrow whistling past her shoulder. She dove immediately, tumbling past the nearest knight and kicking him over the wall as she loosed a volley downwind and stole a glance at the shimmering El.
"Raise the gate!" Lord Wally stood in the midst of his knights and shouted to those on the wall, leading his nasod through the courtyard as he studied the two youths fighting on the west wall.
Shifting his feet, Elsword raised his blade and an arrow shattered against it edge as Aisha pelted the knights ahead of them with a hail of fire. As they advanced through the ranks of Wally's knights, she turned and blasted the nasod below. Creaking, the steel golem shambled on toward the gate unscathed.
"We've got to close the gate!" Aisha shouted over the roar of soldiers rushing toward them and Elsword swung broadly, knocking two men over into the courtyard. They stormed toward the gatehouse through a flurry of arrows and blades while the remainder of the knights stampeded up through the nearest tower and onto the wall. Across the courtyard, Rena jumped over the mound of fallen soldiers around her and ran along the parapets, picking off as many of the knights moving to surround Elsword and Aisha as she could while barely sidestepping those closing in around her. Seeing a swarm of raised swords racing toward her, she slid across the wall and to the top of the tower steps, planting her foot in the visor of a charging knight and sending him toppling into his comrades below. Searching for higher ground, Rena grabbed onto the jagged stone of the nearest tower and threw herself up onto its roof, grounding herself and taking aim at the soldiers below. As she leveled her bow at Wally's nasod, the piercing winter wind blew a pair of arrows off course, grazing Rena's leg and thigh as she released a volley of her own into the air.
With blood spilling through the air and falling on the fresh white carpet below, Elsword thrust forward, doubling a knight over as his armor bent inward. A burst of fire ripped across the wall sending the staggered knight as well as the archer behind him flying backward and clearing the path to the gate house. Eyes fixed on rising gate below, Elsword raced to cut the rope holding it aloft. Covering him, e Aisha faced down a rapidly advancing wall of blades and armor. Spinning quickly, she sent a wave of fire and wind whirling out and toward the charging crowd. Just as she readied her wand for another spell, a heavy blade sliced through the air and flame, its edge seeking Aisha's heart. She raised her hands and just barely traded a wide gash across her palms for her life. A sharp crack rang out as Elsword hacked through the rope and the outer gate fell and he immediately rushed back onto the wall, hurling himself past Aisha and knocking over her attacker.
"You okay?" He muttered as he panted and struggled to block his opponent's relentless assault.
Aisha bit her lip as her blood painted the ground. Clenching her wand tightly with both hands, she stood firmly and smashed the nearest soldier in the knee. "Don't worry about me! Wally's getting away with the El!"
It was just as she said. Despite their path being barred by a heavy iron gate, Wally's nasod had started to tear through the gatehouse itself and was already halfway through. As Aisha and Elsword glanced over at the tumult below, one of the hulking nasod turned to face them. It hummed and crackled, twisting its gears and billowing smoke until a brilliant flash encompassed the courtyard. In the breadth of a heartbeat, Aisha grabbed Elsword and waved her wand, teleporting them as far away as she could. From the nasod's eye shot a solid beam of light, destroying the castle wall and all that stood atop it. Turning to the inner wall, it focused its gaze on the tower where Rena stood. Just as the air filled with light for a second time, she dove from the rooftop, tumbling to the wall and landing hard on her side. As stone and iron crumbled around her, she pulled herself up to her feet, her legs quivering and her breath stolen by the fall. The remnants of the tower cascaded toward her, looming like a monstrous wave as she yanked herself over the wall and let gravity pull her to the courtyard. Within an instant, a jagged cornerstone smashed into outline of her body had left in the snow.
With the wind roaring through the trees, the snow stung at every inch of open skin and the sinking sun offered no relief. While his castle crumbled and nearly all of his knights lay wounded or dead by his own hand, Wally stood between his towering metal soldiers and watched as they tore their way to the road. Coughing, trembling, and barely able to stand, Rena limped across the courtyard to the prone silhouettes of her companions. Shaking snow from their backs, Elsword and Aisha fought the fatigue in their legs and ran toward Wally only to lose their hard won balance to the winter wind. As they struggled to stand, Rena threw herself in front of them and drew her bow.
"Stop right there!" She held her ground as Lord Wally turned back to face her, his nasod guardians at his side.
"Young woman, why are you fighting us so desperately?" Wally tilted his head, genuinely confounded. "We are trying to make this world a better place for everyone!"
Elsword climbed to his feet and glared fiercely. "Like hell you are! Do you know how many people died when we lost the El?"
Wally shook his head and clasped his hands together. "I had no idea that people had lost their lives, but if that is the case... then I am truly sorry, but this loss will soon be overshadowed by a much greater boon for us all! This El crystal of yours will be our key to mass producing nasod of every kind imaginable! We'll finally be able save people from dangerous and backbreaking labor, from war and from the suffering of daily life! I am truly sorry, young man, but even if the death toll is tallied in the thousands, it will be a pittance compared to our reward."
"How can you say!" Aisha shouted into the snow as blood poured from her hands. "You're not making life better for everyone that died!"
Frowning, Lord Wally turned his back to their protests and signaled to his guards. With a deep, unsettling roar, the el-bearing nasod marched off through the remains of the gatehouse and into the forest surrounded by Wally's remaining soldiers.
"It is a shame that you cannot see the promise of our bright future, but I assure it it will come with or without your approval. So that you might better understand the future we're working toward, I will leave No. 7 here with you." As Wally walked off after the El, Rena loosed the arrow she had aimed at him. As the arrow flew through the air, the remaining nasod rumbled and lurched forward, shielding its creator and suffering less than a scratch for its effort.
With Wally gone beyond sight, the mechanical colossus stared vacantly at its targets. Gasping for breath in the midst of a blizzard, Elsword locked his knees in place and gripped his blade. Beside him, Aisha and Rena were both bleeding heavily, their legs trembling under their own weight as the cold seeped under their skin. The El was so close, and yet he couldn't take it back. The ones responsible for all the deaths in Ruben and the other forest villages were in front of him just moments ago, and he couldn't even reach them. Staring up at the silvery mass of steel and steam in front of him, his eyes burned fiercely and he charged forward.
"Elsword, wait!" By the time Rena shouted after him, it was too late for him to stop. Once he neared the nasod, its arms spun rapidly, slamming into Elsword's chest and sending him hurtling through the air. While he clambered to his feet, Aisha jumped in front of him and swung her hands out, sending a mass of scorching flame through the air. Creaking and groaning in the heat, the steel beast lunged through the flame and threw its arms forward, flinging Aisha to the ground and knocking her wand into the air. All the while, Rena pelted the towering nasod with a relentless barrage, every arrow doing scarcely more damage than the fluttering snow. Scrambling to his feet, Elsword raced around to the back of Wally's No. 7, slamming his blade hard into its leg. Twisting and buzzing, the machine pitched to the side and opened its jagged claws, snatching up Elsword and hurling him into Rena. They skid through the snow, tumbling and rolling across the courtyard, slowed only by the snow and the broken chunks of granite that fell from the wall above. Once they came to a stop, neither of them got up.
Trudging through the snow with its heaving gait, Wally's nasod drew back its arms and flung them toward Aisha. She rolled to the side just as a mass of steel drove into the ground beside her and jagged shards of stone and earth flew through the air. Despite all the times she faltered while learning magic, despite all the times she failed before she could finally cast the tiniest spell, pushing herself off of the snow covered ground and up to her feet was the hardest thing Aisha had ever done. Wheezing and gasping for breath, she forced her legs forward as she desperately retreated from the advancing machine. By the time she made it to Rena's side, her strength began to fail her and she plummeted to the ground, screaming in pain as she landed on her aching hands.
"Rena... Rena, get up..." Aisha's voice cracked and faded into the snow, drowned out by the unsteady rhythm of metal pounding into the earth. Her own hands trembling, she shook Rena's shoulders and tugged on her arm to no avail. Beyond exhaustion, she crawled across the ground as the melting snow mixed with a tear and rolled down her cheek.
"Elsword, stand up... You idiot, stand up!" Gasping amid sobs, she grabbed his arm and pounded on his chest. "If you don't stand up, we're all gonna die!" Raising both hands into the air, she slammed her fists into the ground.
"...So?" A faint, weary voice rose from Elsword's lips. "...I couldn't bring the El back... I can't... beat this thing... so..."
"Stop it!" Aisha screamed into bitter cold. "You're supposed to be too stubborn and stupid to die, so get up! We can still get away if you just get up!"
"You don't get it!" Elsword clawed at the ground and winced as he pulled his head up. "I can't run... I have to fight... but..." He reached for his sword but it was further than his arms could manage. As he glared up at Aisha bleakly, his eyes swelled with tears. "I can't beat it... so what am I supposed to do?"He collapsed to the ground, his eyes wet and vacant as he stared up at the sky and listened to the clattering of metal just yards away. His lips moved and a timid whisper escaped into the air, barely strong enough to reach his own ears. "...Sis..."
"Don't... worry..." Just behind them, Rena hacked and gasped, blood trickling down the side of her mouth as she looked back to Aisha and forced a smile. "Nobody's going to die today." Using all the strength left in her legs, Rena lifted herself to her knees and, trembling violently, rose to her feet. As her body wavered and shook, Aisha and Elsword looked on, amazed. It was obvious to them both that Rena couldn't even level her bow, much less fight anymore, but the image of her standing before them, her bloodstained hair blowing in the frozen wind as the shadow of the hulking nasod loomed over her shocked them both. Dropping her arms and her eyes, Aisha gathered the last scraps of her resolve.
"Elsword..."
"Yeah..." A groan of pain spilled out as Elsword pulled himself to his sword and pushed himself off the ground. "I don't... wanna see her die either..."
The vicious wind faded to a whisper as Wally's nasod screeched to a halt in front of Rena. Steadying herself, she looked up and stretched out her arms as the lumbering machine reared back for a final strike. Whirling and humming, its arm swung forward and cut through the air, landing with a sharp metallic clap that echoed through the courtyard. Shaking beneath the nasod's fist, Elsword strained to hold his blade steady. He grunted and cringed as Rena looked on, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Elsword grinned. Twisting his body, he deflected the heavy steel arm into the ground and leapt back, swinging his sword and hurling it into the nasod's glowing eye. Wally's No. 7 recoiled from the shock, fire spouting from its head and smoke shooting from its neck as it raised its fists high in the air for another strike. As it did, Aisha appeared from a bright flash in the air and grabbed onto Elsword's blade, whipping back and forth through the air as the metal behemoth twisted and turned violently. Once it settled, A defiant spark spread across Aisha's face. Raising her right hand and chanting swiftly, she discharged a massive burst of lightning right into its damaged eye, sending the nasod tumbling backward. As it fell, its movements became erratic and its innards began to rumble and Aisha quickly dropped to the ground.
"Run!" Rena rushed to grab Elsword and Aisha and they all ran across the courtyard, stumbling and wincing as their bodies screamed in pain. Smoking viciously, Wally's No. 7 roared and flashed, exploding in a massive burst of light and fire and scattering bits of iron and shrapnel through the air. Closing her eyes and hoping for the best, Rena grabbed Elsword and Aisha and covered them as they dove to the ground. Steel and fire smashed into the ground around them as they shielded their heads and listened to the the last remnants of the monstrous machine fall to the earth. Soon, silence fell over the castle. Panting, aching, and shivering in the cold, Rena rolled over onto her back.
"Are you two... okay?"
Aisha moaned as she shifted onto her side. "Ow! No. But, I am alive, so I guess it could be worse..." A sharp pain shot through her hands as the adrenaline in her blood started to thin. "It doesn't feel like it could be worse though."
"Stop complaining..." Elsword grunted as he tried to raise himself to his elbows and faltered, plopping face first into the snow. "Oof..."
Rena chuckled and coughed. "Ha... we don't really look cool at all right now, considering we just took down a hundred guards and a giant nasod..."
"I don't care what I look like, I just wanna get someplace warm... And apple cider. I want some apple cider. Elsword, get me cider." Aisha mumbled as she rolled onto her back and reached up for her toes.
"Why do I have to get it?" Elsword grumbled as he rose up to his knees, pausing to catch his breath.
"Don't worry about it... I'll buy everybody a gallon of cider, once we make it back to the inn..." Rena stared up at the sky, still too tired and weak to stand on her own. Looking up at the lifeless sky, she saw a pair of hands held out toward her and she reached for them. As Elsword and Aisha pulled her up to her feet, the final snowflake of the storm fell and the sun retreated to the other side of the world. Hobbling toward town, the three of them were greeted by a crowd of spectators and curious townsfolk, led by Hoffman.
"What on earth..." Hoffman's mouth dropped when he saw the state of Wally's castle and the shape of the three people walking away from it.
Aisha huffed as she held up Rena's right arm and smiled awkwardly. "Um... we'll tell you about it...in the morning."