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overanalyzingelswordiswhatido · 5 years

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Job Classes I made for the two timelines I created for The Depths of Time like an impulsive dummy

Since @sunneflower said they were interested.

I decided to include the Elsword job paths these were inspired by. This is mostly spoiler free!! Mostly because I kept everything purposefully vague since, while I did solidify the premises for these two timelines, I don't have a lot of the actual STORY fleshed out other than the beginning and tidbits here and there.

Anyway, on to the job paths (gonna do a cut because this post is actually really long)

Destruction Timeline – a timeline where the El Search Party was defeated and only a handful of them remain (though I haven't included what happens to who all that much), fighting a losing guerilla war purely to ensure their survival, unable to help the people they swore to protect.

Elsword (based on Immortal): Execution Knight/Blade Reaper/Hel’s Emissary

Elsword decided some people didn’t deserve a second chance and that he would dirty his own hands to ensure they never caused trouble for the world again, honing his sword skills until he could wield two smaller blades with deadly accuracy.

Aisha (based on Aether Sage): Storm Magician/Hurricane Eye/Vengeance Seeker

Aisha channeled her power into creating storms of unmatched magnitude to easily take care of the hoards the El Search Party found themselves facing off against but after escaping capture with Ara, she started to push her friends away, becoming cold and distant.

Rena (Based on Anemos): Assault Ranger/Cyclone Striker/Maelstrom

Rena found her abilities in combat to not be enough to protect her friends and asked the wind spirits to help her be faster and stronger so she could become the tip of the spear so to speak, plowing through even the strongest enemies with power to spare.

Raven (Based on Rage Hearts): Scale Taker/Dragon Fist/Wyrm Soul

When Raven came across a dragon, he decided to attempt harnessing that power to protect his friends and created highly durable armor from a dragon’s scales and refining his sword to be as sharp as dragon claws. He redesigned his Nasod arm to be able to harness flames equivalent to a dragon’s breath.

Eve (Based on Code: Ultimate & Code: Esencia): Code: Revival/Code: Assimilation/Code: Ragnorak

Eve focused on the revival of her people but she realized that humans and Nasods could never peacefully coexist. Rather than despair, she came up with a rather unorthodox solution to the problem and pursued it with single-minded determination and vigor.

Elesis (Based on Bloody Queen): Judgement Knight/Purgatory Blade/Vindicator

If Elsword is the executioner then Elesis is the judge and jury. Determined to right the wrongs of the world, she makes sure those who hurt others cannot escape punishment, never doubting the righteousness of her actions, with an unpredictable but precise fighting style.

Chung (Based on Centurion & Comet Crusader): Shield Guardian/Phalanx Cannon/Victory Herald

With the hordes facing Hamel and then his friends, Chung focused on strengthening his defense as far as he could push it. He created a phalanx-like set of shields he commands at will, as well as providing friends/allies with support with his long-range attacks and plethora of buff abilities.

Add (Based on Dominator): Splinter Tracer/Void Watcher/Fenrir’s Master (as in the wolf from Norse mythology)

Early on in his research into time travel, Add discovered the existence of alternate timelines and created portals that allowed him to send drones into those other timelines to monitor them. With the El Search Party, he’s a wild card who’s only known loyalty is to himself yet he has made himself an invaluable ally despite their inability to trust him.

Ara (Based on Shakti): Little Wisp/Holy Revenant/Spirit Harbinger

Ara partnered with Eun to better defend her friends and find her brother but when she woke up in Lu and Ciel’s fortress having escaped capture, Eun was gone. Left on her own in a way she never thought she would be, she desperately tries to hold out hope that everything will be okay.

Lu (Based on Innocent (Ishtar)): Final Ruler/Eternal Shadow/Genesis (Rapture)

Lu set to regaining her power and through an unexpected twist of events succeeded much sooner than she had anticipated and is now the sole ruler of the demon realm.

Ciel (Based on Catastrophe (Abysser)): Final Ruler/Eternal Shadow/Genesis (Entropy)

Ciel takes being Lu’s shadow literally and becomes her left hand, performing tasks most would stay far away from to ensure their success and survival.

Ain (Based on Richter & Herrscher): Lofty: Warrior/Donner (means thunder) Essence/Blitzkrieg

Ain doesn't manage to catch himself in time and falls to the Dark El. He becomes a demonic deity similar to the demon god Scar was trying to summon in Lanox.

Rose (Based on Minerva & Prime Operator): Novice Hacker/Signal Echo/Cyber Wraith

Rose arrives to Elrios and finds herself in conflict with Nasods. She manages to capture some models mostly intact and reverse engineers ways to get into their program and shut them down without causing any damage to their physical structure. That way she can repurpose them.

Laby (Based on Eternity Winner & Nisha Labyrinth): Shadow Child/Twilight Mist/Midnight Specter

In an effort to protect herself from the world, Laby learns how to fight. Because people scare her, she often finds herself in the shadows, cast off to the side, and she becomes comfortable there. She learns to use people's tendency to overlook her to her advantage.

Nasod Timeline – a timeline where Nasod technology is a common fascination among the people of Elrios, almost like mythology in the modern world, and many have at least dabbled their toes in Nasod technology, and some are able to utilize it (though not to the same extent as in the past).

Elsword (Based on Knight Emperor): Wandering Knight/Honorable Sellsword/Gladiolus

While Elsword did advertise his services as a swordsman so he could get out and see more of the world he loves so much, he still insists on doing the right thing, upholding the values of a knight just like his sister would.

Aisha (Based on Aether Sage & Metamorphy): Saber Magician/Elemental Duelist/Arcane Fencer

When it was still just her, Elsword, and Rena, Aisha witnessed a duel where one party wielded a rapier and, despite thinking of swords as barbaric beforehand, she became fascinated by the precise and quick movements that were so similar to how she directed her magic.

Rena (Based on Twilight): Ambush Ranger/Spectral Hunter/Supreme Predator

With the El Search Party having been ambushed too many times during their journeys for Rena’s liking, she decides to beat their enemies at their own game. She perfects her abilities and becomes better than any enemy ever could be.

Raven (Based on Furious Blade): Arsenal Taker/Weapon Master/Gilgamesh

Raven refused to lose any of his new friends and in their battles, he found his sword skills to not be enough. Not wanting to use his Nasod arm, he began carrying multiple weapons on his person and soon it grew until he was carrying an arsenal all his own that he was more than proficient with.

Eve (Based on Code: Sariel & Code: Esencia): Code: Constellation/Code: Pulsar/Code: Andromeda

Eve woke up in a lab instead of her capsule but she escaped and found herself in the wilderness, completely alone, as the only Nasod remaining in Elrios. She wandered, without much of a destination. On her journey, she was inspired by the powerful beauty of the stars in the sky and set her mind to finding a way to mimic that in her abilities using condensed El energy.

Elesis (Based on Empire Sword & Flame Lord): Wing Knight/Flame Empress/Nike (as in the goddess of victory)

While perfecting her sword and fire skills, Elesis came across designs for wings made from Nasod technology and wondered if she could turn the wings into blades that could be directed. The only problem being, while she was decent at following directions, she was unlikely to ever understand the calculations she was plugging into the apparatus, let alone actually make her own additions to it but luckily when she met up with the El Search Party they found someone more than willing to help her add blades to her set of wings.

Chung (Based on Centurion & Fatal Phantom): War Guardian/Iron Battalion/Unlimited Armory

Not wanting to get trapped should he find himself in a situation where he couldn’t use his cannon, Chung set to mastering any weapon that was similar enough that he could learn it in the short amount of time he had. With some help, he developed a piece of Nasod technology that would allow him to summon to his aid any weapon he wanted as long as it was connected to his device and he set to creating his own artillery that he could summon to any location.

Add (Based on Doom Bringer): Empty Tracer/Nasod Mimic/White Star

Not much is known about Add beyond his inability to speak and that he can create particle projections that mimic the abilities of any Nasod he has come into contact with.

Ara (Based on Apsara & Shakti): Little Lance/Ouroboros/Amphisbaena

Ara decided one spear was not enough and, with Eun’s help, developed a unique fighting style using two spears and created her own secret arts: Phoenix Secret Arts and Serpent Secret Arts. She honed her new fighting style until she was faster and deadlier than ever before.

Lu (Based on Catastrophe (Timoria) & Diangelion (Iblis)): Shepherd’s Crook/Steeled Ka/Osiris (Lotus)

Lu wanted to work as a team with Ciel, but it was difficult coming up with something that worked the way she wanted it to with their clashing fighting styles where she preferred to get in their enemies’ faces and he preferred fighting from a distance. She stubbornly continued to work with Ciel until the two of them became unstoppable.

Ciel (Based on Innocent (Chevalier)): Shepherd’s Crook/Steeled Ka/Osiris (Duat)

Determined to protect Lu, Ciel decided it was best to attack from range, picking off the targets she missed in her sweeps but Lu wanted to work more as an equal force than leader and support. So, Ciel worked with her to adjust their fighting styles to be more in line with the team dynamic she wanted.

Ain (Based on Bluhen & Herrscher): Lofty: Reflection/Doppelganger/Ersatz (means replacement)

Ain was never drawn out of the rift by Elsword’s presence so a copy of him was created to fulfill his purpose. Ain is alone, searching for the El, when he comes across Eve and the two of them team up to achieve their individual goals.

Rose: Metal Heart/Optimus/Prime Operator

I decided this route worked REALLY well with the overall vibe I was going for for this timeline, so I decided to slap it in instead of making a whole new Rose route (making everyone else was hard enough).

Laby (Based on Radiant Soul & Eternity Winner): Wonder Child/Sparkle Champion/Heracles

Laby wants to help people and see all the world has to offer her but she also wants to protect everything she's come to hold dear. Not wanting to lose another friend, Laby asks Gaia to teach her to fight and teams up with Nisha to do that.

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rainsonata · 5 years

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Doppelgänger 2/15

Chapter 02: The Search

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: K+ Word Count: 6,960

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternate Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

Knight Emperor

Starlight lit up the darkened sky. Their brilliance was as blinding as the El, a meteor shower pouring overhead.

Knight raced to where he thought the source of light was coming from. They burst like fireworks and rocked the earth when they came falling through the atmosphere. It was difficult to find the right word to describe the moment in which his mind zoned out and everything zoomed into focus. All his senses intensified, not unlike the surreal sensation he had in Elrianode. There was a strong energy coming from those falling stars. Could they be El shard fragments?

Heavy boots crushed the worn down road. Knight was sure he would lose his footing and sink into the muddy floor flooded from last night’s rain shower - or was that last morning? He watched the moons rotate through their cycles before he made the decision to leave camp. Periods of sunlight were rare and lasted for a few hours at most according to the elder of the dark elves.

“Elsword, slow down!”

He waited for Bluhen to catch up. A friend for as long as he could remember, Knight couldn’t say no when the priest insisted on coming with him to investigate the sudden recurring earthquakes arriving in waves. Sometimes the aftershocks came one after another. Bluhen caught the knight leaving camp after restless hours tossing and turning in his sleep.

“It’s not safe to put yourself in danger’s path again,” Bluhen rolled his shoulders up to prevent his fur coat from slipping past off. Rather than running, he hovered midair with his feet sliding over the ground. He placed his hand over Knight’s shoulder for support with worry reflecting in his face.

“You didn’t have to come with me,” Knight said despite wanting his friend to stay. Was it naive or stupid or him to wish that? His intuition told him something was off, but everyone was still recovering from the fight with Nephilim Lord and there wasn’t enough evidence to bring the rest of the El Search Party with him to validate a haunch. He didn’t want to worry everyone again.

“I said I would come,” he said. “Besides, it’s not safe venturing in the Demon Realm by yourself.”

His last words forced Knight to bite back his tongue. It didn’t take effort for him to understand it was because he made his friends feel guilty again. After he woke up in Elrianode, his teammates all had worn down dispositions and treated him like a child, insisting that Knight stayed closer to the middle of the group rather than the front. Extra precautions, Rage Hearts explained in a short crisp manner with a smile as if that could alleviate the insult to injury.

“And you’re okay following me?” Knight asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Bluhen slowed his pace. He had his hand over his temples with a thoughtful expression. His gaze fixed into Knight’s, an awkward silence where the priest stared at him longer than necessary. Knight could somewhat feel the El’s influence radiating from Bluhen, although being in demon territory had dimmed it until all he could feel was a flicker of what it once was.

“Demonic energy doesn’t bother you?” Knight placed care in his words.

Not that Bluhen ever shown anger to him, but Knight knew it wasn’t a light topic for either of them. It was no secret that Bluhen had distaste for demons and being in their territory left him in a constant state of wariness past the cheery facade. After Bluhen almost fainted in Elrianode because of the Dark El’s influence, Knight was hesitant to push his friend and relied on other team members for demon related tasks. If it wasn’t for Ishtar, what would have become of the priest?

Bluhen paused before shaking his head, “No. I’m still adjusting, but I can carry my weight.”

It smelled of ash and sulfuric gas. Much of the fire was diminished by the downpour and reduced to ashes, but smoke and flames singed the tree branches. He could still feel the warmth from the remnants of a fire. Orange lines glowed through the cracked tree bark and whispered harsh sounds to the wind.

Uneven lines gashed over tree trunks, deep cuts left behind by a sword or a spear. Silver light flickered drew Knight’s attention. Silver bullets scattered and seeped in demon blood, their metallic surfaces shining under jet black ink. This wasn’t a meteor shower. It was the aftermath of a battle.

Bluhen saw the bullets and frowned, “Do you recognize them?”

“No.”

Crafted with elegance of an experienced blacksmith, the silver bullets held familiarity and reminded Knight of the white pristine palaces in Hamel. He didn’t know many that relied on pistols or handguns for fighting. Comet Crusader’s destroyer was the closest thing he had to compare, but the difference in size was significant and made it a stretch to say they were similar.

“Can humans coexist with demons?” Knight’s words held weight and consideration. How could humans be here before they were? It took little imagination to imagine how the fight ended. Kicked up dirt and debris left a beaten path of a body dragged across the ground, likely in a struggle.

“What makes you ask such a question?” Bluhen asked with amusement, “I don’t think so. If it occurs, I doubt it lasts long-”

Bluhen stumbled over his words and placed his hands over his mouth, all the more puzzling with the sheepish smile after and coughing. His former confidence was replaced by a new emotion of furrowed brows followed by a curt answer in an attempt to repair his embarrassment.

“Well, it’s. It’s unlikely, but it’s a possibility, I suppose.” Bluhen muttered. “It isn’t something we can rule out yet...”

Knight covered his laugh with a cough. He went on his knees to gather the silver bullets and pocketed for later. Crusader would be interested utilizing them for battle use. Maybe they could determine the story behind the battlefield.

Pain panged at the nape of his neck for Knight to snap his head forward. That strong energy source. Something with strong El Resonance was here. Adrenaline rushed through his blood veins and Knight turned to shout.

“Did you feel that?”

Bluhen was already one step ahead and pulled out his pendulum. Green light enclaved the priest as he and Knight charged into the forest. Deep within the mass of trees, dark bulky shapes were revealed in the light as deformed monsters they haven’t seen since Elrianode. Did Henir’s followers find their way into the Demon Realm before they did?

Soil eroded under Knight’s feet. He slid under a Mutated Ent’s swinging arms and pulled his sword out to block its attacks. Metal clashed against its bark exterior, leaving angry gashes across its belly and the corrupted beast howling. Black tar pooled at his feet.

One of the bigger monsters walked with a limp and had burnt marks over its blue armor, rusty edges on the metallic part of its body. Gashes and scars decorated the rest of its exoskeleton. Wait, that’s the Spatio Reaper. Those injuries, they’re the same as the damage from the forest! It was walking slower than usual with something in its grasp. One of its appendages was wrapped around…

“A civilian!” Knight hollered in hopes that Bluhen could hear him, “I’m going after them! Get backup if I don’t come back!”

Knight threw himself onto the Spatio Reaper and dug his nails into the monster’s cracks as it tried to shake him off with no success. He hauled himself and climbed over its arms and legs. Placing his hand over the other, he breathed on a realization. A human in Demon Realm… was that possible? Knight was frantic on moving an unconscious person and scrambled to get them to safety first.

He struggled to pull them out. Gripping his right hand wrist, Knight forced sparks to emit from his palms. Heat buildup at his fingertips and flared out into miniscule fireballs. They were weak flames, but enough for the Spatio Reaper to jolt from its feet and loosen its grip.

Knight used both arms to pull the civilian out, bringing their right arm behind his neck. Knees bent to lift their legs for their upper body to lean over his shoulder for support. Now he had to get them back to the ground. He turned his head to face the corrupted monster glaring at them. How a creature with no facial expression could come off as angry was a mystery and something he didn’t want to stick around to find out. Glowing blue didn’t look good.

Oh, no.

He and the unconscious person slid off the creature’s back for Knight to land on his butt. The other landed on his back with arms stretched out and loud snores coming out?! Knight tugged their arms and threw them over his shoulders with their legs over his waist. They tucked their head into his shoulder with a sleepy smile. How could anyone sleep through a battle?

Knight groaned and covered his face with his free hand.

A screeching noise ached his eardrums. Peeking behind his hands, a dark shadow approached them. Long blue appendages stretched out in reach of them with tiny claws extended. Knight emptied his bag and grabbed a water orb, blue crystals forming at his fingertips as he tossed it to his opponent. Mist formed and ice crystals flowered the ground, frosting blackened trees and hopefully the Spatio Reaper.

His heartbeat was thumping in his ears, the wind urging Knight to keep moving. Blood and sweat clung to his clothes. He was out of breath, his legs felt like jelly, and his arms were getting tired from carrying the extra weight.

Beneath a tree with lowered branches was a dense overgrowth of bushes and shrubs. They were green and purple, but Knight recognized them for growing edible berries that had no effect on humans besides having a purple tongue. Turning his head to confirm that no one was following them, he lowered the civilian and laid down to gasp for air. Each painful breath had his lungs protesting in pain. He had ignored his body again and Bluhen was going to chide him later about it.

Knight chuckled. They were pursued by corrupted monsters and his worst fear was the wrath of his friends. It was hardly a laughable matter, but he found comfort in remembering that his friends cared about him.

At least the civilian was safe. Now that they were out of danger’s reach, Knight had a better look at them. Muscles carved into their calves suggesting an active life with burn marks and scars caked over tanned skin. Their clothes were more appropriate for the beach than for the Demon Realm. Hair the color of fire tangled past their shoulders and tied into a low ponytail.

Knight stopped breathing. It was like looking into a mirror. Their faces were identical.

Abysser

Static broke out, quiet buzzes filling his ears and giving Abysser a headache. No signal. A deafening sound broke out from the mouthpiece when he tapped a communication device clipped to his jacket collar. Communication became difficult over time as the El Search Party expanded in number overtime until Dominator, although he was known as Mastermind at the time, produced a set of communicators for them. He didn’t understand the in-depth mechanics of it, but he knew it had a limit in distance. How far could their friends be for communication to be broken?

Fighting Spatio Reaper caught the attention of demons and left little else for them to do but run. Until they caught connection with the rest of the party again, they took refuge between dense trees and bushes. Logs reduced to ashes and worn down paths were clear signs it was an abandoned camp site. With their numbers dwindled, it was a risk to rest in a place that may belong to demons.

Herbs and ointment filled the air with fresh minty aromas. Injuries were minimal and required cleaning cuts and bandaging burning scars and cuts. Flame Lord was conscious and laid on her back, curled up against a fire lit up by Phantom and soaking in its tender warmth. Leaves were used as a makeshift bed for the redhead, fire flickering and its light forming shadows over her exposed skin.

“Corrupted monsters must have followed us into Demon Realm,” Phantom was hard pressed to sugar coat himself. It was what it was. The constant battle against demons had taken a toll on the young man, where his cheery disposition was replaced with wariness. A solemn smile was all he had to offer.

“It was an ambush,” Devi curved her hands into tight fists and formed creases on her dress. “They attacked when we let our guards down.”

It wasn’t an accusation, but a statement. They placed too much faith in the belief that entering Demon Realm would be their biggest obstruction. It never occurred to Abysser that other beings may follow them and take advantage of their resources.

Despite the corrupted monsters running rampant, it was apparent they were in a new dimension untouched by sunlight. Fluorescent plants dominated the fauna, neon particles outlining shapes unheard of in Elrios that would have fascinated Abysser if it wasn’t for their dire situation. Their intention was to visit Demon Realm to investigate the territory, but they were already ambushed within minutes of arrival.

“Have you noticed something is off?” Timoria asked. It was something that has been bothering her since they left battle. She looked at Phantom and Devi before she uttered, “It feels like my power is a fraction of what it once was.”

Devi gave her a curt nod, “You feel it too? Eun’s been complaining.”

Abysser once wondered if weakness in the El’s influence would affect Eun’s presence, but that didn’t seem to be the case. At least they could rely on Eun and Devi for fire power if opportunities required them to, for better or worse.

“The El Masters said Demon Realm lacks the resources we have,” Phantom thought out loud. “Maybe the El’s influence is weaker the further we are away from Elrios.”

“Add said these were powered by the El,” Abysser remembered. “So our friends may be closer than we thought.”

“That’s optimistic of you to think so. How cute,” Devi laughed. A faint smile appeared on her otherwise flawless features, “Things will be harder without our dear leader.”

“Where’s Elsword?”

Flame sat up. The fire user had her legs tucked in and her hair swept to the side. Her hands twitched in anticipation to pull out the Claymore mounted to her back to fight nonexistent corrupted monsters.

“Don’t stand!” Timoria tugged the knight’s arm down. Her small figure did little to help, waving her arms and flapping her bat-like wings in a flimsy effort to stop the red knight from moving. “You’ll open your wounds.”

“But what about Elsword?” Flame did mental headcount: Abysser, Timoria, Phantom, and Devi. “Is he safe?”

“He’s gone. The monster left with him,” Abysser said. “You need to heal first.”

Physical contact snapped Flame out of a trance, kneeling on one knee for support and hissing from the pain. Clean bandages wrapped around her forearm and around her forehead, sweat accumulating inside her palms. Red sparks crackled from her fingertips and her hair faded back to a dull shade of red.

“Let us find him.” Devi smirked, “We’ll take care of the culprit.”

“It’s my fault that thing got away,” Flame gritted her teeth. “If I had been faster-”

“You would be dead and snapped your spine,” Devi said with curtness. “Five of us fought and it still walked. Do you really think you can take it on by yourself?”

“If that will save my brother, so be it.” Flame was stubborn, “I’m his older sister.”

Devi snapped, “Does he need a dead sister?”

The piercing question silenced Flame, trembling hands and the redhead biting the side of her cheeks from retaliating. She blinked, but there were tears, dampening one side of her face. It was painful to see the red knight losing confidence after the El Search Party narrowly rescued Elsword and brought him back to Elrianode.

Devi placed her hands Flame’s, fingers intertwined and clasped together. In closing the distance between them, she pulled the fire user up. They stood inches apart with Devi placing one hand over the other’s shoulder and leaning towards Flame.

“Elsword can take care of himself. Have some faith in him, he’ll be safe,” Devi reassured her. Her voice was light and chirpy, but her eyes narrowed and glistened at the next words. “Because if he isn’t, I’ll make sure the kidnapper knows that.”

Flame laughed weakly, “I’ll make sure to remember that.”

“Let’s think of a plan first.” Abysser interrupted the two, “Our chance of survival will be better if there’s more of us.”

Devi and Flame glanced at each other and let go, hands and arms falling to the side. Flame wiped her sore face and fixed her eyes on the ground with newfound interest, using her Claymore encased in its sword sash as a base to support her weight. Lips fell back into a small frown as Devi lowered her head, deep in thought and seriousness traced over her features.

“You can’t reach them?” Flame played with the microphone’s mouthpiece.

“No,” Phantom shook his head. “But they can’t be far. I heard voices on the other side of the river. That might be them.”

“Let’s find the others,” Flame said. “We can’t afford to lose another member.”

“Is finding everyone so important that we need to do it now?” Timoria asked, “It’s getting late and demons are more active at night.”

Devi glared at Flame. “You’re not moving anywhere after I bandaged you.”

Abysser sighed. Not that he had didn’t trust his teammates, but they were above all still children, especially Devi with her hard headedness. Emotions ruled over her heart and too often lead to unnecessary conflicts.

He understood Flame’s frustration in wanting to regroup after Rune was taken by the monsters, but was it wise to reunite into a bigger group and attract more attention? They defeated the corrupted beings, but not all of them. He had a feeling they would meet those monsters again if they were still lurking in the shadows. It was a close call to survive and they almost burned down the forest if not for the downpour that came after.

Where was Blade to tell them off on starting foolish fights? No wonder the old man was always tired.

“Hey, we don’t need any more broken bones.” Abysser scratched the back of his neck with exasperation. “We can always decide tomorrow on what to do next. Let’s sleep over this before making rash decisions.”

Night was quickly approaching, or at least that’s what Timoria claimed anyway. As it was his first time in the Demon Realm like all of his teammates, he could only rely on what the smaller demon knew for information on enemy territory.

Threading into enemy territory was a commonality. Today would be the first time Abysser had to care for those besides himself. His former occupation gave him the luxury to fend for himself, although having teammates helped ease his mind from the implications of being in foreign realm.

“Fine,” Flame crossed her arms and fought to keep her lips pursed.

Silver shooter in hand, Phantom played with the pistol, relaxing his fingers before toying over the trigger again. Resting his hand over Flame’s shoulder, the blonde gave her an encouraging smile.

“I’ll keep watch for the first two hours,” Phantom volunteered. “You don’t need to do that tonight. Go ahead and sleep.”

Flame blinked at the offer, but accepted with a grateful smile.

Timoria grinned, placing her hand over her hips, “Wake me up so I can take over when you’re done. I don’t think any monsters will go after someone as strong as me, but you never know~”

Abysser snorted at Timoria’s cheeky comment, but chuckled. Energetic as always. Things certainly didn’t stay boring after he met Timoria and the others. For them to be excited over something as simple as keeping night patrol was endearing, if not childish. Years of traveling didn’t dull their enthusiasm. It was good for his teammates to make decisions for themselves rather than wait for others.

“I’ll go last,” Devi looked at Abysser. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” Abysser replied.

They have known each other for at least two to three years, but her disdainful gaze hasn’t dulled. How Devi viewed demons was poorly disguised, not that she made effort to hide it. Meeting a demon that maintained his reason was enough to make her snarl on command. And yet, she never raised her blade on him and willingly followed the group into Demon Realm. Abysser couldn’t pretend to act like he understood her, but her loyalty over the few that did win her heart gave him rare insight into the spear user’s mind.

Going before Devi means having Timoria will have to wake him up once her shift was done, Abysser mused. He would have roughly four to five hours of sleep before Timoria invaded his consciousness with some stupid meme joke Rune told her. Maybe he could make coffee and breakfast for everyone while Devi kept watch.

“Sleep well,” Abysser said, but he knew Devi wasn’t listening. Her eyes were only on a redhead, who was already asleep.

Bluhen

Knight didn’t come back.

The presence of his El slipped away from Bluhen’s subconscious like flickering flames. How could he allow this to happen? Monster blood dripped over his gloves, staining them with dark blue metallic grime. It wasn’t until every last corrupted monster he could find was taken down did he notice Knight’s disappearance. Waves of El washed over him, sending the priest over false trails to where he thought his friend was. He should have known better than to believe that his senses wouldn’t be affected by the Dark El.

Night fell when he returned to a scattered campsite. Tents were still perched up, but there was a discernible sense of urgency among the chaos. Firewood piled over a pit with smoke and flames fanning over, ashes dusted over twigs and fallen logs feeding off of it. With a party as big as theirs, it was getting difficult for Bluhen to see who was present.

“He’s not with you,” a voice came from behind.

For the first time, Bluhen experienced a dry mouth in seeing the familiar red colored hair. It wasn’t Knight’s hair, but Empire Sword’s. Long hair tied into a flowing ponytail with braids, she was Knight’s sister. Empire was the youngest person to become a captain and led the Velder army. Apparently impressive according to humans, but it meant little to the priest. Ms. Wizard was a prodigy in magic and Mr. Ancient could wield nasod technology with ease. Was it unusual to say a woman could lead an army at a young age as well?

Bluhen made eye contact with the red knight with reluctance before lowering his head with shame. There was no way around it. He couldn’t lie, especially to someone Knight held to in high regards. Knight would never forgive him. The priest shook his head, his eyes wandered anywhere but where Empire was.

“What happened?” Empire asked. “Aisha and Chung were gone all day and Rena was thinking of asking the dark elves tomorrow about Elsword. Was he with you?”

Mr. Guardian was supposed to be resting! Bluhen pressed a finger over his lips. Did everyone spend all day looking for Knight? He should have known that their group would go into a frenzy should their leader have gone missing. Envy bloomed in the depths of his heart, gnawing at his insides. Knight was fortunate to be cared for by so many people. Crude thoughts sat on the edge of Bluhen’s tongue, who fought the urge to chide at their trite efforts when they should be conserving their energy. It was his fault Knight went missing, not them…

What happened, Bluhen mouthed in mimicry. Ambush. In the forest. They were outnumbered and outpowered. Knight urged him to head the opposite direction to cut down on their opponents’ forces against them. It worked, but where was Knight? Bluhen laughed without humor.

“Corrupted monsters,” was all Bluhen could muster, afraid to talk more in betraying his voice. “He’s gone.”

“Here?” Empire was alarmed, “But we left them behind in Elrianode.”

“Well someone or something must have let them in,” Bluhen was relieved to find his words again.

“You, Red.” A man with a fringe over one his eyes appeared to the sound of their voices. Doom Bringer glanced over to Bluhen.

“Is there something you need?” Empire ignored the nickname gifted by the brawler. For someone who had received news of her brother gone missing, she remained composed with her lips sealed into a straight line and an even voice. Many in her position would have burst into tears, but Empire left little vulnerabilities in her exterior.

“Nasod Arm wanted to show you something.” Bringer said. There was no jeering from the tracer, all business in his tone. What did Mr. Half-Nasod see in making Mr. Ancient the messenger boy?

“Raven found something?” The red knight’s attention turned to Bringer. “What is it?”

“You don’t have it with you?” Bluhen asked.

For once, Bringer was uncertain on his choice of words, scrutinizing them with an unreadable expression. Was that pity he sensed from the brawler? He mumbled, “Nasod Arm wanted you to see it first before anyone else.”

It was as if Bluhen wasn’t there, although it was far from the first thing that made him dislike the brawler. Two sharp tongued individuals holding a conversation could only erupt into a full spar. The strange clothes and the way Bringer talked made him an easy target for Bluhen to pick on. With Knight gone, there was little else to obscure them from having more disagreements.

Looking at Bluhen, the tracer shrugged. “Guess you can come too since Elbrat liked you.”

Bluhen didn’t like the use of the past tense. The short gasp from Empire told him the same, the red haired woman gritting her teeth before forcing a smile. Did she always do that? Ms. Knight Captain may not have it all together as he initially thought.

A man with impressive armor was waiting for them inside a pitched up tent. Black armor outlined with orange highlights plated around his arms, shoulders, and over his back with chest exposed. Bluhen made out something black and metallic case gleaming from under Rage’s arm.

A black scabbard. Clutching it in hand, Rage handed it to the red knight, “I found it lying in the forest. I’m sorry.”

She grasped the case with clenched teeth, breathing light shallow breaths. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks as Empire mourned. Her body visibly shook, dropping her defense and cradling the greatsword with care.

Bringer and Bluhen exchanged glances at one another before the brawler approached the red-haired woman. Arm extended out, Bringer placed his hand over her head - what was he doing? It took Bluhen a split second to realize that he was patting her back, an awkward gesture, but not one with bad intent. Bringer wore a scowl not directed at her.

Seeing Empire cry struck something deep within Bluhen, who held no reaction even as he witnessed the once prideful knight fall into despair. Even Mr. Ancient had enough sense to comfort a crying woman when the priest struggled to speak more than two sentences at a time. He was supposed to have more self-awareness of his emotions, wasn’t he?

“You look pale,” Rage’s voice brought Bluhen back to the present. “Are you okay?”

Bluhen shrugged it off with a laugh, “It’s nothing. You should be more worried for Ms. Knight Captain.”

The older male gave him with a serious expression (Did he ever smile?), “I can be worried for all of you.”

He couldn’t fathom that kind of response, but Bluhen nodded as if he understood. Maybe once he gets some rest, he’ll have more time to process and sort out his emotions. His head spun as one thing after another was said to him.

“Excuse me, am I interrupting something?” Daybreaker entered the tent with urgency.

Perched over her glove was an entity that vaguely resembled a bird. White wings branched out with lime green ends matching its tail feathers and a single gem carved into its pale chest. Big enough to put up a fight with the eagles inhabiting Lanox, it flapped its wings a few times before settling on top of Daybreaker’s shoulder with content, cooing as the elf stroked its feathers. Despite having no eyes, Bluhen felt its gaze if it could have one because its head turned to him with scrutiny in its gestures.

“I just talked to Aisha,” Between the elf’s index finger was a green notepad with simplistic flowers bordering the edges. It was the first time Bluhen had seen it, but he caught a glimpse of neat handwriting in emerald ink, letters curled and intertwined at the ends to one another.

“Aisha’s here?” Empire wiped her tears away, fixed her posture, and was quick to get back on her feet. No matter how long he had known them, Knight’s friends never failed to impress Bluhen. It was hard to believe she was crying just moments ago.

Daybreaker shook her head, tapping her finger over a communicator identical to the set the rest of the party had, a black device with deep purple lines marked on the sides. After losing Apsara in Hamel ten times too many, Bringer pulled an all-nighter to build a set so they could keep tabs on each other for long distances.

“She said Chung was with her,” Daybreaker said. “They’ve at the edge of the forest where the dark elves are.”

“What are they doing there?” Bringer asked. “Unless they’re suggesting the brat pissed them off-”

“I would watch your mouth when talking about someone who was recently declared deceased, Mr. Ancient.” Bluhen set his tone to what he thought was a friendly one, but the brawler’s reaction told him an opposing story. Arms slumped over the side, a sheepish expression over pale features and artificial eyes that made him unearthly to look at. The priest shared no guilt in making Bringer uncomfortable for the unruly comment.

“Guys,” Empire glared at the bickering men. “Ain, I know you’re upset, but now is not the time. Add, please refrain yourself from talking about my brother like that.”

“I was going to say it’s unlikely because the idiot spent too much time making friends with the dark elves,” Bringer grumbled.

That didn’t change his view of Bringer for the better, but the answer wasn’t one Bluhen expected. With the amount of complaining and snide commentaries, he thought the tracer loathed Knight for petty reasons he still didn’t understand. “Nasod King,” was all Bringer would offer for an explanation when asked. Just when he thought he had stayed long enough with the El Search Party, humans continued to surpass his expectations for them. How peculiar.

Sensing the tension between the party, Rage coughed. “There’s valuable information she can’t disclose,” he read off the notepad from his angle. “They want us to meet up with them first thing tomorrow morning.”

“That’s right,” Daybreaker breathed in relief for an excuse to change the topic. “It sounds like Aisha and Chung found something big because they want all of us to be present.”

“What do you think, Add?” Empire asked, “does it look like a trap?”

“Now you ask me for my opinion?” The brawler cackled, “Bring us all together and we’ll be a neatly wrapped gift for someone to ambush us. But you’re going to ignore me, aren’t you?”

“It’s true that our big number has made us easy targets,” Empire rubbed her forehead, “However, I think our chances of survival are higher if we stay as a group if we see those corrupted beasts from Elrianode.”

“I’ll tell everyone else in camp to pack for tomorrow,” Rage offered. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Daybringer rescanned her notes and paused, scrunching up her brows in confusion. Placing her finger over the last line, she was hesitant.

“They said to bring extra potions and to have Ain close by.”

“Did they forget to bring medicine with them?” Empire pondered out loud. “That’s unlike them. What’s going on?”

Bluhen couldn’t begin to guess what the answer could be.

Anemos

Hair tied back into a ponytail, wind picked up beneath Anemos’ feet. Leaves scattered into the gusting winds around her. The sky painted a vibrant contrast of blues and reds as she observed Furious Blade cleaning his blade for the umpteenth time that evening. Fire crackled in a pitch for Anemos to curl up closer for warmth, closing her hands tight before opening them to feel the night air.

Not unlike some parts of Elrios, the Demon Realm held many species of flora and fauna she had never heard or seen before her journey with her teammates. Uneasiness settled after dinner when Anemos finally had the time to assess their situation.

They have spent almost a full day in a new world where night and day held no distinction unless they checked for time from Dominator, who was more than happy to tell them down to the last second. Half of their friends have gone missing despite having spent much of the day searching for them. Anemos prayed that they didn’t suffer a similar fate as Rune, who was snatched away by the monsters from Elrianode that showed up out of nowhere. By the time she and the others arrived at the scene, their friends were nowhere to be found. Were Henir cultists waiting for them?

“I take it that your arm is healing well?” A perky voice asked. Arms crossed, Oz elaborated when Anemos raised a brow. “Those demon thorns were pretty nasty.”

“Works perfect like a charm,” Anemos beamed. “You really are something for coming up with something on the spot.”

Oz smirked, “What can I say? I’m a natural, but I have to say your knowledge on those herbs were spot on.”

None of the elixirs could heal the burn. Anemos was an alchemist, but she had more faith the dark mage, who specialized in antidotes and curse remedies. Finding ingredients that wouldn’t harm elves and humans wasn’t difficult when combining Anemos’ knowledge on plants with Dominator’s technology. The fauna here weren’t too alien to the ones she knew as a child when she lived with elves. Even if half of the plants were fluorescent, the similarities were enough for Anemos to question if Demon Realm was a mirror world to what Elrios was. It fit the theory they learned in Elrianode.

Beside her was Dominator, who had Dynamo rearranged into a seat for the scientist to sit on. Anemos couldn’t imagine how anyone could be comfortable sitting on blocks of cubes for support, but Dominator didn’t seem to notice or care. Mumbling to himself, he leaned over, scrutinizing his codes over an impressive array of holographic screens. Light from the screens lit up his face, an eerie glow in the dark.

“Is that the communicator?” Anemos saw the device sitting in the scientist’s hand. At a glance, it was unimpressive and could fit inside one’s palm, white with lilac highlights. It had a magnetic clip to pin on their clothes and could communicate long distance for days at a time.

“And now a piece of trash,” Dominator snorted. “The Dark El is making it hard for it to connect to the others.”

“So you’re throwing it away?” Oz asked.

“I never said that,” the scientist was offended by the suggestion. “It just needs recoding and adjustments.”

Anemos laughed, “Thank you. That’s more than enough.”

Even if Anemos was old enough to remember the Nasod War, her knowledge in Nasods and human technology was limited. She more often than not relied on Dominator and Code: Ultimate to explain the technicalities. Elves had their own branch of science and technology, but the progress humans made was admirable, even if the outcomes weren’t always benign.

The coy expression off Dominator’s face evaporated into nervousness when he heard the sound of steel boots quickly approaching. He stood up and laugh. “Ah, Eve. Did you finally decide to join us? How-”

“I have a question,” Ultimate cut him off. “Did you set the correct coordinates?” Her wings were hidden from lack of use, but her helmet remained in place. Moby and Remy floated beside the Nasod queen.

“Of course I did!” Dominator protested, “Are you saying I miscalculated?”

“I’m asking if you are aware that we are weeks ahead than yesterday,” she said with more iciness than should be possible for a Nasod. Pointing at Oz, the Nasod queen narrowed her eyes. “Moby and Remy are detecting your El resonance in two places.”

“Weeks ahead?” That caught Blade’s attention.

“What do you mean there’s someone with my El resonance?” Oz demanded to know and turned to Dominator, “Explain.”

“Hey, this is all new to me too!” Dominator sweated and chose to address Ultimate’s questions first, “Maybe there was a time jump, but as long as it’s the right dimension…”

“Demon Realm is indeed a dimension of its own, but Ms. Queen is correct. There is someone else with El resonance like Ms. Wizard. I sense someone with Mr. Guardian’s El as well, but I don’t think it’s him.” Richter contributed his opinion on the matter.

“Aren’t you the chatty one today,” Dominator mused.

Richter ignored the scientist.

Chung and Aisha? Anemos shook her head. Phantom’s status was unknown with their means of communication being down, but Oz has been with them the whole time since they have crash landed into Demon Realm. It reminded her of the shadows plaguing the Hall of El. Could this be the enemy luring them out? This was strange.

“But this is Demon Realm, is it not?” Blade asked, “Does it matter if it’s not the exact one we had in mind?”

Dominator checked his screens for a detail he may have missed with furrowed brows. Panels ran a multitude of programs all at once, an overwhelming maze of colors blinking numbers and letters too rapidly for one to process.

“The Queen and priest are right about the El resonance,” Dominator said. “Time differences aside, there’s a possibility that the Demon Realm is occupied by us from another dimension. We might run into them.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Oz grumbled. Looking at her teammates for a reaction, the dark mage backed away when no one rejected Dominator’s explanation. “Seriously? Really?” She groaned, “Nothing is ever simple when Elsword is involved!”

“Add brought us here,” Ultimate corrected her.

“Who joined us because of Elsword!” The purple haired woman threw her arms in the air, “I swear, when I find that idiot, I’m gonna... Who thought it was a good idea to come here?”

“It’s already done,” Blade shrugged. “It can’t be helped.”

Another version of themselves. Anemos wasn’t sure what to think about that. They have encountered Henir’s dimension because of Glave, but knowing that there were others like themselves was a harder concept to wrap one’s mind around. What should happen if they were to meet themselves?

“Hello?” Dominator’s voice was soft, “Ah, lab rat. Still alive I see. Huh? No, everyone’s here.”

“Is that Chung?” Oz twisted her body in seeing the scientist talking into the communicator. “You got it to work?” She fumed when her question was left unanswered.

“The brat isn’t with you? I see… You’re close to the riverbed, okay.” Dominator seemed aware of the sudden attention he had earned from his teammates, grinning when he caught them looking at him for information. “Tomorrow morning? Got it. Demons active at night… that will be valuable information to know for the future.”

When Dominator hung up the call, the campsite broke into chaos.

“You sure enjoy hearing yourself talk,” Oz had her arms behind her head.

“You’re one to talk, witch!” Dominator quipped back and turned red at her comment.

“Everyone must be well rested,” Blade raised his voice. “Go straight to bed after this!”

“I’ll have Remy and Moby scan for the safest route tomorrow,” Ultimate said.

Anemos sighed, “At least we can sleep tonight knowing where everyone is.”

Richter closed his eyes, “we still need to find Elsword.”

Anemos’ expression softened, “I know. Please be patient. We’ll find him.”

Richter didn’t respond.

The elf raised her hand to touch his shoulder with kindness. She wanted him to know he wasn’t alone in worrying for their friend. Rune would have chuckled and called them mother hens for fussing over him. His cheery and optimistic personality was naive, foolish, but it was something that beckoned Anemos to keep an eye on him, ever curious to see what his decision would be when confronted with troubled waters. She wondered if that was what made so many join him on a never ending journey most humans would have grown tired to after weeks.

Finding a place to rest, Anemos laid out her sleeping bag when she heard sparks. It didn’t sound like it was coming from their campfire. A demon or a small animal? She thought she saw something in the forest. Four thin black tails poked out from a bush in a distance, but when Anemos went to check, there was nothing.

What was that?

#Elsword #eltag #Doppelganger (Elsword)#Elsword fanfiction #mywriting #my writing #Elboy #Aisha (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)

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