AND NOW FOR A QUICK RECAP IN FIVE MAJOR POINTS:
1) Rena unleashes her magic!
Raven: Not to freak you out or anything, Rena, but the whites of your eyes are showing. Just saying.
2) Ara throws a hissy-fit over her clothes!
Ara: MY CLOTHING! MY BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL CLOTHING!
3) Infi loses an arm-wrestling contest!
Infi: How the hell did I lose to She-Ra?!
4) Chung's left arm is metal!
Infi: So THAT'S how I lost to She-Ra...
5) Aren's optimism will save the world!
Aren: We're doomed. Case closed.
ONWARDS TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Somewhere deep in the earth, a wriggling mass of darkness stirred. The earth pulsed to an invisible heartbeat, power rippling through its very core with each beat.
Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
The shadowy mass writhed, recoiling from the power that thrummed through the earth's veins as if it burned. It hissed, curling in on itself, forming smaller blobs of darkness. The ebony figure struggled against its earthy prison, its struggles growing more frantic as the earth's power grew.
Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.
Snarling viciously, it wriggled restlessly, growling deep in its throat.
Elsssworrrd...
Who was that? Why did it hate him?
Elsssworrrd...
As if reacting to the name, the earth throbbed faster, energy building up quickly. The earth was excited. It welcomed home its master.
The shadowy blob growled, thrashing about as the pain slowly overrode its consciousness, unable to get away from the earth and its power.
From the middle of the room, a single spot of blinding green light appeared, growing wider and taller until it nearly filled its rock tomb. The ebony blob screeched, shielding its invisible eyes from the offending light. Retreating into one of the few shadowy recesses left, it watched with dismay and frustration as it - that infernal light - grew.
Within the light, a glowing figure appeared; her eyes were closed and her hands were in front of her, clasped as if she were praying. Her golden hair shone like sunlight, her skin as white and smooth as an unbroken sheet of snow. Curiously enough, the mass noted, her ears were pointed, but it couldn't look for too long without burning its vision. Slowly, her eyes opened, revealing two eyes that glowed so green they would pass for emerald stars. As her feet touched the ground, the green light behind her shattered into thousands of glittering fragments, drifting to the ground like feathers.
The woman drew closer, an infinite amount of wisdom pooling in her verdant eyes.
"Sleep. It is not your time to awaken, dark one. Sleep, and let sweet dreams wash over you; let them bathe you in the warmth of the land, of the protection it gives."
The mass hissed as she approached, shrinking itself as small as it could.
This woman was dangerous. It didn't like her.
"I will not hurt you; I have only come to bring you slumber."
No! She tricking it! Already it could feel its consciousness - its traitorous, traitorous consciousness - falling prey to her sweet words and velvety voice. No! It would bite her, maim and torture, kill and mangleflattenMAUL -
It was cut short as the woman placed her hand on it. It shrieked and tried to retract further into the corner, but there was nowhere left to run.
"Sleep."
No! It was going to CRUSH her, beat her and bloody her and DESTROY her and -
Slowly, ever so slowly, its consciousness faded, falling into a slumber deeper than any other it had known.
The woman straightened once the dark mass was asleep, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear with a sigh.
"Raven... It is time to awaken. The world needs you."
Raven awoke with a start. When had he fallen asleep?
Rubbing his eyes with his non-metallic hand, he looked around Elsa's tent. It seemed like he was not the only one who drifted off into dreamland while they were meeting. Aren was low in his seat, twitching every so often, a pained expression on his face.
He was having a nightmare.
Then again, who wasn't?
Elsa was perfectly straight in her chair, betrayed only by the soft bobbing of her head as she struggled to maintain upright. Aisha, who had claimed part of the floor as hers, was sprawled out, her jacket rucked up and exposing the purple shirt beneath it. Rena was curled up on the bed, muttering what sounded like an Elvish prayer under her breath.
Running a hand through his hair, Raven sighed. He had dreamt of something he shouldn't have seen, of the evil forces that were beginning to live within the earth...
And of Gaia.
By all means he shouldn't have seen her; they should never have crossed paths. But he saw her, and she spoke to him, which meant that it was time.
Standing up, Raven stretched out his metal arm, carefully peeling away a thin layer of metal to reveal a small vault. Unlocking it, he reached in with his good arm and pulled out a small yet thick book bound in blue leather. Taking a deep breath, Raven undid the gold clasp, opening it. The pages glowed with a soft silver light, welcoming him.
Calming his nerves, he began to read.
Rena woke up to a soft light dancing across her eyelids, glowing warmly. Groaning slightly, she lifted her tired body off of Elsa's bed, eyes opening reluctantly.
"Good afternoon, Rena. Are you hungry? It appears we missed lunch when we fell asleep."
Swinging her head in the direction of the voice, Rena blinked. "Raven...? When did I..."
He chuckled. "I'm not quite sure myself. Did you sleep well?"
Sitting up slowly, she yawned. "I guess. No one can really sleep well with everything that's going on."
Raven sighed. "I understand. Just... don't let it affect your health, alright?"
Giggling, Rena turned to face Raven properly. "Goodness, it's like you woke up a whole other person, Rave-" She froze mid-sentence, mouth dropping open. In front of her was Raven, but at the same time it wasn't Raven. This Raven had short, inky black hair, not a single trace of red in sight. His tanned skin was still marred by the same scars, but they were softer, more rounded, and less defined. Amber eyes gleamed cool, radiating a sense of calmness and comfort all at the same time. His left arm was different too, more humanoid and less ominous. It wasn't bad, it was almost a refreshing change.
"...Raven? What happened?"
Raven chuckled again, leaning against the wall elegantly. "You should be able to tell, Rena. No need to ask."
Looking down at Elsa's gray covers, Rena combed her fingers through her blonde hair in an attempt to detangle it. "...You're awake." Raven nodded. "But how? I thought you were light-years away from your awakening!"
Smiling softly, Raven picked up a leather-bound book, offering it to Rena. Accepting it gingerly, she ran her fingers over the cover, admiring the softness of the navy leather. "It's called the Book of Revelation. My awakening key."
Rena's head snapped up, a flash of anger crossing her face. "Your awakening key?! So you had it all this time and you never bothered to use it?! Raven, we needed your power! Why not do this earlier?!"
Sighing, Raven took back the book, gently patting Rena's head. "Now, now. You know exactly why I couldn't. Don't make this more difficult for me."
Pouting, Rena swatted his hand away, fixing her hair once more. A sly grin crossed her face, marred by the bright light twinkling in her eyes. "Everyone's going to have a fit when they see you like this, Raven."
Raven blinked owlishly, before throwing his head back and laughing - a rather joyous sound for someone who was usually so grim and serious.
Rena's smile widened.
Yes, she quite liked this Raven, maybe more than the previous one.
"You mean to tell me that... that... that THING over there is really RAVEN?!"
Infi spluttered, pointing an accusing finger at the offending raven-locked man. Raven smirked, crossing his arms.
"Such a warm welcome, Infi. Really, I do feel appreciated."
From behind him Rena giggled.
Infi gaped, at a loss for words. "What the... Raven! I thought you were an okay guy!" He narrowed his eyes, glaring sourly at Raven, still unable to comprehend the sudden change in hairstyle and mechanical arm. Scoffing, Infi turned. "Whatever. You're still Raven, so you should be okay. But if you ever bother me, I won't hesitate to slice you to pieces..." A confident smirk crossed his face, his crimson eyes alight. "...you herbivore."
Raven blinked in surprise. "Did he just call me a herbivore?"
Rena smiled widely. "He definitely called you a herbivore."
Raven made a noise of shock, turning to Rena with an incredulous expression on his face. "What does that even mean?"
Rena shrugged, unfolding her arms as she idly drew patterns in the dust beneath her boot. "That you're unable to consume meat? Or maybe he's saying you're not vicious at all and are a docile little creature?"
Raven snorted, flicking silky strands of hair out of his eyes with a boyish jerk of his head. "Hey, a hippopotamus is pretty damn dangerous when angered."
Rena giggled.
Ara, totally ignoring their conversation, swooned (now dressed in a military uniform, thank you very much), fanning herself with one hand, the other pressed against a pink cheek. "Ah~ Infi, you're so cool! As I thought, Infi is so much better than all the other guys!" Aren looked aghast. Ara turned to Raven, sniffing with disdain. "To think I once considered you cute. I'm so stupid! He's all yours, Rena." Her head snapped back to the retreating form of Infi. "Infi! Wait for me!"
Rena looked mildly amused. "...She thinks we're dating?" Raven shrugged, looking just as entertained. "You never know what she'll think of next."
Aren sank to the ground, his face ashen. "My dear baby sister Ara... What happened to you...?"
Elsa sighed, shaking her head and gently patting him on the shoulder. "She's all grown up now, Aren. Although it would've been nice if she chose someone other than Infi to fawn over..."
Crestfallen, Aren continued to stare at the ground. "Oh Ara... of all the people to choose from why that idiot...? Why not his sweet older brother Knight...? Or Chung...? Or Lento...? Even Add is a better choice at this point!"
Somewhere in the background Add screamed loudly, praising the beauty of the 'Goddess of all Creation.' The scream was then followed by a disgusted looking Eva fleeing from a reverent Add, ignoring his protests and shouts of 'Please wait! I am but your eternal slave, o Goddess! I shall humbly serve you for the rest of your life!'
Elsa raised an eyebrow. Aren sighed. He wasn't taking it back. Elsa raised her other eyebrow. Aren rolled his eyes - he wasn't going to take it back, goddammit! Add was still a better choice than Infi, because he was at least semi-coherent at times and wasn't a psychotic - never mind. He still wasn't taking it back.
(They both conveniently ignored Chung who was chasing after the silver-haired duo, shouting something about going to knock over a tent)
Sighing, Elsa shook her head. "Right now we have more pressing matters to attend to. Rena, Raven, I need you two to try and work out a plan to stop this - if we can. At least try to buy us some more time. Would it be possible for Raven to help with Rena's spell?"
Aren ran a hand through his hair. "There should be something that can -"
Cutting in, Raven held out his hand. "No. There is absolutely nothing I can do. Besides just having awakened recently, there is a limit to how effective my powers will be. Ran's already encountered them in his first conquest of Elrios; he'd know many countermeasures and probably has something planned out already. We got lucky with Rena; she wasn't a participant in the first war, and neither was her spirit-bearer."
Growling out a curse, Aren massaged his temples. "Alright then, there goes that plan. Just great."
Elsa raised a fist to the sky, shaking it angrily. "Curse you, stupid plan-destroying monsters!"
Rena giggled slightly in an attempt to alleviate the tension. "Back to the drawing board it is, then! Maybe we can solve the problem through playing Hangman and Pictionary?"
Knight sat on a log, completely abandoned by everyone around him. First, Aisha had run off screaming something about how terrible things were, cursing to the Lady El over and over again. Then he had gone to seek companionship with Chung, but it turned out that he was getting arm maintenance from Eva. After a fairly awkward hour (Eva wasn't easy to talk to on a good day, especially not when Eve was glaring at him over her shoulder), they had left the tent, only to be confronted by Rune. Chung and Eva slapped him, as usual, and then Add appeared out of nowhere and started worshipping Eva. Horrified, Eva turned and ran like a scalded cat, only for Add to follow her and successfully crash into a tent. Chung then sighed, running after then, shouting at them to stop knocking over tents and to be safe.
At this point Eve had emerged from the tent, sent Knight a nasty glare for being loud, and then left. Rune, feeling awkward being alone in a military tent with his older brother, said that he was going to go find some food.
And thus he was alone.
Again.
He found that he was alone a lot since coming to this military camp.
Sighing, Knight absently drew patterns in the ground with his foot. Now what was he going to do?
From further in the camp, Ara stomped around, grumbling to herself as she headed straight for him. "Ugh, I can't believe that I thought Raven was cute! RAVEN of all people! What was I even thinking?! And then somewhere along the way I lost my beautiful Infi!"
(Somewhere in a Velder Military camp a redhead with a shot of black hair sneezes, falling off of his chair from the force of the sneeze. He is not amused.)
"What has this world come to?!"
Ara stopped, staring at Knight. "What're you doing here, loser?"
Knight sighed. He really didn't need this now. Scratch that, he NEVER needed this. "Nothing."
Ara sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Aww. Was little Knighty-Witey abandoned? How sad."
Knight rolled his eyes, focusing most of his attention on the ground beneath him as he drew patterns. "You could say that. Say, what happened to your school uniform? I thought you refused to take it off unless it was to sleep?"
Ara scowled, glaring at Knight nastily. "It got rumpled. What? Have a problem with me wearing a military uniform?"
Knight shook his head absently. "Nah. You look good in it." It took a few moments for either of them to process what he had just said. Ara flushed. Knight's head snapped up, waving his hands frantically as a peachy blush blossomed across his face. "I-I didn't m-mean it like that! I mean it's... it's different! Yup! It's totally different from your usual clothes. That's it."
Shaking her head, Ara sat next to Knight on the log. "Whatever. Y-You look terrible in your uniform, you know." Ara would die before she said that she liked men in uniforms. Never EVER would she say that to anyone, least of all Knight.
"O-Okay."
Awkward silence.
"Why are you staying around me anyway?"
Ara scoffed, drawing her feet towards herself. "Everyone's busy, and my beloved Infi is somewhere but I don't know where. It means that he wants some private time, okay? So you're the best method of entertainment I have for now."
Knight nodded.
More awkward silence.
Clearing his throat, Knight looked up at the sky. "So... It's a nice day today?"
"Why is that a question?"
Knight cringed. "...Because it is?"
Ara snorted, tucking a strand of ebony hair behind her ear. "It is nice outside today."
More awkward silence. Ara was the first one to break it this time.
"...Let's never try to have a normal conversation ever again."
"Agreed."
Standing up, Ara sighed. "You're useless. Can't stand up for yourself, can't be cool, can't be a source of entertainment. What can you do, useless being?"
Knight shrugged. "I can cook. And I'm nice."
Ara snorted, sassily cantering out a hip. "That's exactly why you're useless, idiot. What kind of knight are you supposed to be? A helpless one? Pathetic."
Now Ara was beginning to annoy him. Letting out a massive sigh, Knight looked up at Ara through his eyelashes, his gaze cold. "Exactly. You're cute, and I'm pathetic. But then you still bother me with your petty insults and tricks. Do you hate me? Do you not mind me? Do you not even care?" He looked away. "Don't confuse me."
Ara stood with her mouth open.
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"I-I MEAN YOU'RE NOT CUTE! Y-YOU'RE A... A BOTHER SOME CHILD! I MEANT TO CALL YOU A CHILD!"
Ara flushed again, turning around to fan herself. "You're not half bad... for a wimp." She then ran away, screaming in her mind 'WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO LOOK LIKE THAT?!'
And now Knight was alone. Again.
Yay.
...Now what was he going to do?
The second of our three favorite redheaded idiots was bored.
Very bored.
What would the others be doing if they were bored?
Infi would probably go bully Knight, Knight would probably be busy running from Infi, Ara would probably be chasing after Infi with that oddly dreamy look on her face, Eve would probably be drinking tea with Eva (Or slapping Rune, whichever came first), Add would probably be worshipping the two Nasods, Chung would probably be out helping someone with something, Aisha would probably be reading, and Raven and Rena...
He didn't know what to say about the two of them.
They had been acting strange since their arrival to the military camp; Rena literally disappeared from her tent and hadn't been seen for the rest of the day. Raven had left his tent sometime in the morning, only to come back the next day as a completely different person. Heck, he was even beginning to suspect Aisha of being up to something; the purplenette had never looked so worried in all the three months he's known her.
Something was definitely up.
Well, it looked like Rune had found a way to keep himself entertain for the rest of the day! First he needed to get into Elsa's files to see what there was recorded on the situation; Elsa always kept extensive records on everything and anything that happened, no matter how miniscule.
But where would she keep them?
Rune smirked, quickly scanning the area before settling on the dining hall tent. It wouldn't be suspicious if Elsa went to the dining hall in the middle of the night; she was notorious for being a midnight snacker. What better place to hide important documents?
Glancing around to make sure no one was following him, Rune quickly darted towards the tent, pushing the flap open as he stepped inside. Immediately he was assaulted by the smell of lemon cleaner, the long plastic tables wiped down until they shone. He had only eaten with the rest of the soldiers once, but he had a clear enough idea of where Elsa would hide her papers. Slowly walking down the row of neatly tucked-in chairs, Rune stopped at one about a third of the way in. Bending down, he ran his fingers across the ground and grinned when he felt a slight, unnaturally smooth dip.
"Found it." Carefully brushing the dirt off of the lid of the metal box, Rune pulled it out slowly and examined it, inspecting the metal padlock and magic barrier. "Oh Elsa, silly little tricks like these won't keep me out." Placing it on the ground, Rune made a finger gun, pointing his index finger at the padlock.
"Reseregeum."
A glowing run gathered at his fingertip, a coiling dragon flashing within its fiery depths for a brief moment before it started sinking into the magical barrier. The color of the barrier changed from a translucent blue to a pale orange, stiffening and changing into hard orange crystals. The crystal layer sizzled and crackled, breaking off and falling to the ground in chunks. The rune reappeared as the dragon opened its mouth, spewing flames that took the shape of a key. Wiggling his fingers lazily, Rune directed the key into the padlock, a satisfied grin crossing his face as the lock fell off and hit the ground with a soft 'plunk'.
Unlatching the box fluidly, Rune opened it and revealed several neat rows of stir, crisp white vellum. Before he could reach in and pull out the first file, a smooth voice cut in, drawling slowly in an almost bored tone.
"You are much better at magic than suggested. 'Reseregeum' is a Level 5 spell; for you to compress it into a form that opens boxes without damaging its contents... Astonishing."
Rune turned to face Eve, eyes quickly darting to see if anyone else was with her. She held up a hand, motioning for him to relax. "I am alone. There is no need to worry, I am not planning on telling your elder sister of your... investigation, shall we say? After all, I too am interested in what those records have to say."
Pursing his lips, Rune glanced at the papers, then back at Eve. "Why do you see them? What could a Nasod possibly want with military records, especially when you're trying to form alliances?"
Eve snorted, pushing her silver hair behind her shoulder haughtily. "That would be my cousin, Eva. I have no interest in petty alliances; I am the Queen of Destruction. Why should I care if we ally our country or not? So long as I can fight, I am happy." Slinking closer to Rune like a predatory animal, she dragged her fingers along the table, speaking softly. "I am, however, curious. Raven, who holds Nasod technology in the form of his left arm, managed to devolve his advanced equipment into its most primitive form.
"His arm was the pride of Altera; never before had an adaptable prosthetic limb been created. It brought him glory in battle that he never would've achieved otherwise, safeguarding his own life alongside the life of hundreds of others. Yet now this arm is the pathetic pile of scraps it was before. Does it not intrigue you?"
Rune sighed, standing up while tucking the box under his arm. "I'll make a deal with you, Eve. I'll let you read the files and give you access to them whenever you need, but in exchange you have to swear that no one else will find out about this, and that no one else will ever hear about me using Reseregeum."
Eve smiled coyly, extending a hand delicately. "It is a deal."
Rune reached out hesitantly, grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly.
Meanwhile, back in Elsa's tent, our five schemers stared at a whiteboard covered in black, green, red, and blue scribbles in awe and slight horror.
"...Did we actually just come up with one of the best plans in Velder Military history by playing Hangman and Pictionary for an hour?"
Rena smiled brightly, waving the green whiteboard marker in her hand around wildly. "I told you it would work!"
Oh. My. El.
And I'm back! Did you guys miss me?
So I have a sort of funny/scary story to tell you guys.
On Saturday, I went with my older sister and my cousin to Halloween Haunt, which is a big Halloween event run by an amusement park called Canada's Wonderland. Basically you walk through these mazes and employees dressed in scary costumes scare you. The first maze that we go into is called 'Clowns at Midnight', and everything's painted in glow-in-the-dark paint. At the end of the hall there's this girl dressed up like a clown. She's not hiding or anything, and everyone can clearly see her because she's glowing too. As we're walking past her (I was on the side closest to her), she says 'Hi! What are you going to be for Halloween?' I screamed at the top of my lungs. Yeah. Aren't I brave? Now here's the scary part. It was really busy that day, so we decided to leave at around 11:30 to beat all the traffic. Literally thirty minutes later the park closes, and as everyone's leaving two people get stabbed and one of them DIES while the other is sent to the hospital. I know, it was thirty minutes after I was gone, but HOLY SHIT I WAS IN THE SAME AMUSEMENT PARK AS A MURDERER.
AND, as I just remembered, there was a question last chapter! Answer time:
Q: What chapter of 'Oh My El' is the only chapter that does not end (before the A/N) with 'Oh. My. El.'?
A: Chapter 11!
Congratulations to our winner, ImAKawaiiPotato! For those of you who didn't win, feel free to try again next time!
Now that that's done, onto REVIEWER REPLIES!
The Hikokomori - Not yet :P
Yami - I was actually in Beijing, but everything was really hot and sticky and ewwwww. YAY FOR STUFF HAPPENING. MORE STUFF IS HAPPENING NOW, TOO! Rune can get past 1 if he tries really, really hard. Maybe.
ImAKawaiiPotato - Congratulations on winning! One shot requests can be made via a PM or a review, whichever you prefer.
Ruby - Isn't he so cheery? Aren't going to win the optimist of the year award. She-Ra is SUCH a fitting name for IP XD But really, it was metal vs. flesh. Poor Infi was just overwhelmed :P At least Rune didn't get hit in this chapter...? MM is fun to play with. Because he's insane but smart but sarcastic. Which is hard to balance out without making him seem like a complete ass and/or idiot. WHAT?! They're harassing you to return?! No. Just... no. That totally goes against all author etiquette! I'm ashamed that they're in the same archive as me... Oh well, there's only so much I can do :3
DevilWolf641 - If you say so! Eh, Ara is Ara. If she has to borrow someone's strength, that's fine (especially because it makes some interesting plot lines for future stories... Ku fu fu fu fu...). Ooh! The EPoA! It's almost like Epona but it's missing the 'n'! That sounds like fun, the EPoA. Metal cannons ftw!
AvidMind - Your answer was correct, but... You were second! I be sowwy :( Aww, that's so sweet of you! Hearing comments like that always makes my day a little brighter ^^
HelloKitty55443 - The tension's still rising! But I'm planning to swing the axe sometime in the next two chapters :P
whitemist0 (Chpt. 5) - Thank you very much!
whitemist0 (Chpt. 14) - I hope you enjoy the update as well!
Astaria Mel Kanariane - Correct answer, just you weren't first. Good try, though! I hope you enjoyed this update, too!
LikeItOrNot - Lol, I'll take your suggestion into consideration. After all, when someone begs like that it's hard to say no!
AND NOW WE'RE DONE.
...I have nothing else to say, so! Don't forget to R&R, favorite & follow if you want, and see you all next chapter!