Chapter Four: The Abandoned City
The morning came, but not its warming rays. The clouds had formed a thick blanket over the sky, only allowing a dim glow to pass through. Raven slowly woke up, and grasped his arm in pain. The cold was finally getting to his circuits, and he slid some of the plating out of the way to reveal a panel. He set his arm to a special coding that Eve had given him, and his arm began to heat up, cooling off. As he woke up, he could smell something coming from down the hall. He got dressed, and entered the kitchen to see Alirah cooking breakfast. She saw him enter, and smiled.
"Morning Raven, almost done here." Raven saw her flip a large egg in the pan, and then return to the sausages she was frying. Raven walked up to her, and was taken by surprise as she turned and kiss him.
"I thought you were too nervous to be like that." Alirah smiled at this.
"I was still just wrapping my head around everything that had happened." Alirah finished breakfast, and they both sat down on the couch to eat.
"This is really good Alirah." She blushed slightly.
"My brother taught me how to cook, I'm glad you like it." Alirah felt the heat in Raven's arm, and grew concerned, "Raven, is your arm alright?"
"Yeah, it has to be warmer in the cold."
"I see." They finished eating, and placed their dishes on the table. Raven held her face gently.
"You have such mesmerizing blue eyes, they remind me of the sea." She blushed again, and Raven ran his hand through her long, black hair, "And you're hair is so smooth."
"T-Thank you."
"Alirah, I'm curious. Why are you always so nervous?" Raven felt a story brewing as Alirah looked down.
"I fell in love once before, when I was fifteen, when I still lived in Hamel. He was so nice to me, and always did everything to make me happy. But...one day, he just began to avoid me whenever possible. I began to think I wasn't worth anything, that I wasn't attractive." Raven held her hand tightly, and she continued, "One day, I saw him with another girl, and I ran home and locked myself in my room, and cried for the rest of the day. I thought I'd never love again." She looked into his eyes, and held his shoulder, "But then I met you, and I had hope again."
"I'm sorry for what happened to you. I swear I'll make up for it." They kissed, and then heard someone knock on the door.
"I'll get it. Could you wash the plates?"
"Sure thing dear." Feeling adventurous, as Alirah got up he slapped her ass, making her squeak. She glared at him, and he smiled. She did as well, and answered the door. Vayne was there, and the rest of the gang was on the lawn.
"Morning Vayne, what's up?" Alirah liked Vayne quite a bit, he was the reason she had Raven now after all.
"I was wondering if you would like to join us for a little hiking trip. There's something I want to show you all." Vayne looked over Alirah's shoulder just as Raven walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Would you like to go hiking Raven?" She asked, staring into his eyes. He nodded.
"Sure, sounds like a good way to start off the vacation." They stepped out into the cold, and closed the cabin door. They walked to the others, and everyone followed Vayne into the forest.
"Why are we going off the path?" Chung was worried they might get lost.
"The place I want to show you is sacred, so no one knows where it is." Vayne replied, and everyone grew much more interested.
They walked for about an hour, and then arrived at a giant chasm. Everyone thought they went the wrong way, but Vayne began to examine the floor at the edge of the chasm, brushing away the snow. It was obvious he was looking for something, but what?
"What are you doing?" Eve was getting impatient. Vayne was silent, then stood up.
"Alright, see this rune on the floor?" Vayne pointed to his feet, where a faintly glowing rune was etched into a small rock. On each side were indentations in the shape of feet, "Step onto the indentations next to it, and enjoy."
"Enjoy what?" Elsword couldn't see anything other than a boring rune and a big hole before them. Vayne smiled, and stepped on top of the rune. A sudden white glow shone from the rune, and a giant, winding path of ice appeared before them, circling down into the darkness below. Soon after, the chasm lit up, the brilliant lights making one able to see down to the bottom, where the stone opened up to reveal an entrance. To where, only Vayne knew. He held out his hand towards Aisha, and everyone noticed a snowboard had materialized under his feet. It was of obvious elven origin.
"Want to come with me?" Aisha knew she couldn't snowboard, and didn't want to fall. She climbed onto Vayne's back, and held him tightly, "If you get scared, just close your eyes." Aisha nodded, and Vayne sped down the icy ramp. Everyone watched carefully as he slid down and soon entered the hole in the wall.
"This seems awesome." Elsword looked at Rena, "Wanna come with me or go solo?" Rena answered by jumping onto his back. She only held on just tight enough, not wanting to distract Elsword with her breasts. Elsword stood where Vayne showed them, and after the board materialized, rocketed down the ramp. Rena looked back, and saw Raven and Chung coming after them, both with Alirah and Eve on their backs. They soon all entered the darkness of the cave.
"Vayne, what is this?" Aisha looked around, as did everyone else, trying to make sense of what was around them.
"This," Vayne turned to face the group, "Is the sacred, lost city of Izrameer." The dark cave suddenly lit up, and everyone stared at the city. The buildings seemed to be carved from the rock, then turned to ice. Intricate fountains still circulated water, cold and refreshing. Statues lined the streets, depicting ancient heroes of lore.
"To imagine, something like this could exist under the mountain." Alirah was in awe, and took out a sketch book and pencil from her pack.
"You draw?" Raven leaned over her as she began to sketch the eastern side of the city.
"Yeah." She looked at Vayne, "Is it alright for me to do this?"
"Yes. If anyone wishes to join me, I'm going to the shrine." Vayne began to walk off, and everyone walked after him, aside from Alirah and Raven, who stayed at the exit while she sketched.
After several minutes, they arrived at a massive temple of ice. The frozen structure seemed to glow gold, and Vayne parted the heavy doors and the group departed down the hall. The silent halls of the temple made everyone feel uneasy, especially Rena and Vayne.
"Why are you so on edge?" Elsword realized Rena's distress, and was concerned.
"We can hear the voices of the dead." Vayne answered for her, "The painful screams of agony from when the denizens of this city were slain." He turned to Rena, "I'm sorry I brought you here."
"It's alright Vayne. It's something I've always wanted to see anyway." They stopped in front of a large altar in the giant central chamber, and Vayne and Rena both sat down on their knees, and prayed. They spoke in elven, so none of the others knew what they were saying. They then stood up.
"What was that for?" Eve asked.
"Just a simple payer for the dead." Vayne walked up to one of the countless coffins on each side of the temple, and placed a hand on it, "It took so long." He muttered.
"What took so long?" Chung felt like he was invading sensitive territory as Vayne turned to look at him.
"I came here again after my pilgrimage, because when I returned home, everyone was dead. I ran here, but the same Wayward Demon that killed my people, had killed everyone here. I dispatched the demon, and performed the burial right for every single person." Aisha ran to his side as he collapsed to the floor, and tears began to roll down his face.
"Vayne, please don't cry. You did all you could, and you laid them to rest." Aisha held him tightly, not knowing what else to say.
"I think we should give them some space." Rena said, and everyone left the temple, and headed back to Raven and Alirah.
Everyone sat around the table in Rena and Elsword's cabin when they returned. Everyone was tired, and hungry. Rena headed for the kitchen, and Alirah got up to help her. They decided to make stew, as it was cold, and got out what they needed.
"So, Alirah." Rena glanced at her as she turned on the stove, "How's Raven?"
"Kind, strong, everything I've ever wanted." Alirah sighed, and glanced out the kitchen door.
"Mind if you tell me about yourself?" Rena wanted to know if she would have to give her any advice.
"Well, I grew up in Hamel, and my brother took care of me as our parents passed away when we were very young. He made us money so we could both go to school, and we lived in a ragged shack in an alleyway. When I was six, my brother managed to get a job as a butler for one of the noble families, he was twelve then. I was allowed to live there and would have to work once I was older. The family's daughter was really nice to me, and we were good friends. I lived there for about ten years, and then I moved to Elder, where I set up a store to become a jewel crafter." They both continued for a little while in silence, making sure all the food as being cooked properly before Alirah continued, "Soon after, I met Raven. He came into my shop, and we talked for a little while. I didn't know it at first, but something about how he acted around me made my heart feel fuzzy. After I met the rest of you, and you told me about Raven, I just..." Alirah trailed off, a hot blush flooding her face. Rena smiled.
"You thought naughty things didn't you?" Rena teased, making her blush more.
"Y-Yeah... two years ago, I never thought I would be here today though."
"Alirah, you're such a good person. We all hoped you would try to get to Raven, and we're all grateful you did." Rena whispered into her ear, "So, what do you want to do to him?"
"Rena!" Alirah glanced at the door, making sure no one heard them. Then, while incredibly embarrassed, Alirah told Rena what she wanted to do to Raven, hopefully on this trip.
Rena and Alirah quickly finished making supper, and everyone eagerly dug in. The couples chatted amongst each other, talking about the trip they had today. Vayne was still quiet, causing Aisha to constantly reassure him. Alirah and Raven sat next to them, and Alirah got up and stood up in front of Vayne.
"Vayne," He looked up at her, "You did all you could. You have to move on. You told Raven this, so maybe you should take your own advice? None of those who died hold anything against you, as it wasn't your fault." Vayne sighed, and stood up.
"I just need some time. Heading back there was hard to do, but I felt like I had to do it." Vayne headed out the door, and Aisha ran out after him. Raven stood up then.
"We should probably leave as well. It's late." Everyone realized what time it was, and said goodnight before heading back to their own cabins.
Elsword and Rena quickly retired to their room, and wrapped themselves tightly in the sheets and each other's arms. They gazed at each other in silence, lost in their own worlds. Elsword held her face, and kissed her gently.
"Did you enjoy today?" Elsword asked, remembering the difficulties Rena had to endure. She nodded.
"Yeah. I've always dreamed of one day finding the lost city, and paying respect to the dead is just something that needs to be done." Rena sighed, then rolled on top of him, "But let's forget today, and focus on now."
"Rena...I'm not ready." Rena smiled and shook her head.
"I don't mean that Elsword. Just this." Rena kissed him again, sucking his tongue into her mouth. Elsword sighed, pleasure and relief, and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He rolled over, pinning her to the bed as he took control of the situation. Her body getting hotter, Rena couldn't help herself as she spread her legs, trying to invite him in. Elsword felt the movement, and stopped.
"I think that's enough." Elsword lay down next to her.
"Yeah." She panted. She turned her back on him, as did he, and they went to sleep. Rena was getting worried. He got me wet this time. I don't think I can hold it much longer. Christmas is in four days, got to at least hold it for five.
Elsword, meanwhile, was hot himself. I almost didn't want to stop. Oh man, why does it have to be like this? Got to keep things under control.