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Leader

Pairings: Lord Knight x Reckless Fist Rating: G Wordcount: 1722 Notes/Summary: I just really really really like the idea of Elboy growing into this responsible leader who pushes aside his own nightmares to take care of his comrades, okay?

Elsword would bolt awake in the middle of the night, plagued by visions of darkness and fire. He would reach over the side of his bed, fumbling for the light, telling himself that if his sword was there then he would be okay. The wonderful, beautiful greatsword would always be there, lying innocently by his bed, so he would gratefully grab the hilt and pull it up onto his lap and check over the blade as he calmed down. Don't think about the images. Don't think about the demons. Don't think- He wouldn't go to sleep if it would stop the nightmares, he half-heartedly vowed to himself, but he knew it was a promise he couldn't keep. The physical and mental exhaustion of fighting and training and planning battles and dealing with people, all things that came with his role of Lord Knight, leader of the El Search Party, would nearly always make him collapse the moment his head touched the pillow. When his heartbeat had calmed and his usual bravery had returned, he would throw off the covers and stand up, hefting his sword in one hand and lighting a candle with the other. Then he would pad out to check on the rest of his friends, softly opening their doors to peek inside or walking to their separate bedrolls around their campfire. Rena always slept on her side, one hand clutched tightly around her bow. You could tell what kind of dream she was having by how much of a death grip she had on her weapon, Elsword learned, and when her knuckles were white he would sit by her and softly reassure her in her sleep until the grip lessened. Aisha was next, the purple-haired mage who hugged her staff like a teddy bear. At times, it would be crackling with electricity or patterned with frost or flame, and Elsword usually took a moment to watch the patterns and wonder what was going on in Aisha's head. If they were in a town and she had fallen asleep with a book open and the light on, he would gently pry the book from her hands and mark her place before laying it on her bedside table and helping the mostly-asleep girl into a normal sleeping position before snuffing her light and exiting, glad that she was way too tired to nag at him about how he wasn't getting enough sleep and he should get his hands off her. Ara often got much the same treatment, since she tossed and turned and would usually get her blanket twisted around her. She always slept close to the campfire, so Elsword sometimes had to carefully drag her away from the jumping embers before rearranging her blankets. When they weren't camping, Elsword would step inside her room to pull the covers up properly, then turn off the lamp that she had fallen asleep by. With a demon for a brother, she probably couldn't fall asleep in the dark, he rationalized, and wondered if leaving the lights on would help with his own nightmares. Chung bit his lip in his sleep, with his hand on the massive Destroyer that was always next to him. Sometimes he would shift and mutter something, and Elsword would crouch or sit by him until he calmed down. Elesis was never under the covers, normally lying on her stomach with her head turned to the side, one hand always under her pillow where Elsword assumed she had a weapon stashed. Her gigantic claymore would be by her side. Elsword sometimes lifted his own sword and put it by Elesis' claymore, comparing them in size, smiling to himself when his sword was once again the smaller of the two. It – and he – had always been the smaller of the two. When had that stopped being an issue? When had he stopped comparing himself so critically against his older sister? Lu slept soundly in the crook of Ciel's arm, held close to and protected by her butler's own lean body. Elsword sometimes wondered what it would be like to sleep like that, protected by someone you trusted completely. Lu was never disturbed even when the floorboards creaked under Elsword's weight or a twig snapped under his foot and Ciel's eyes shot open, his head raising from the pillow as he tried to identify and analyze the possible threat. He would relax when he saw Elsword's apologetic smile, putting his head back down and waiting for Elsword to go away. Elsword usually closed the door or crept away without much fuss after that, trying not to laugh at Ciel’s phoru pajamas. Add was normally sprawled haphazardly across his bed, Dynamo lined up neatly above his head and shut off. Elsword liked him a lot better when he was asleep and not staring at Eve, though he knew Eve could take care of herself quite easily. Sometimes, Add's bed would be empty, and after the first few times of mild worry and panic Elsword just accepted that. He would always be back by the morning. Eve would take “sentry duty” when they were camping, and Elsword would sometimes check to make sure she was still sitting on her drones and recharging her battery before pacing around the boundary and checking on the wards that Aisha always threw up before it got dark. Otherwise, there would be a crack of light showing under her door and Oberon posted as a guard outside, and the Nasod and the boy would stare at each other for a few moments before Elsword turned away, confident that Eve was alright. He always saved Raven for last. The Reckless Fist's nightmares were on par with Elsword's own. When Elsword stepped into Raven's room, he would immediately close the door and turn the lights on before setting to the task of rousing Raven. Sometimes Raven would be wildly thrashing, caught in the sheets and panicking. At these times, it only took a light shake to wake him, but Elsword did have to make an effort to avoid Raven’s flailing arms. Especially the metal one. Other times, like tonight, Raven would be totally still and almost completely silent. He looked almost normal, if you didn't see the tenseness of his muscles and know that his left arm was always supposed to be moving in some slight way. These nightmares were the worst, and Elsword had to all but throw cold water on Raven to wake him up, roughly shaking and slapping him. He quickly learned to leap back fast after Raven awoke out of a nightmare. Raven had a habit of blindly recoiling, striking out at whatever invisible demon he had been facing in his sleep. When his wild gaze finally landed on Elsword and he calmed enough to recognize the Lord Knight, his breathing would slow to resemble normality and he would turn his head away. Elsword would nod in response to Raven's murmured thanks and walk away, eventually curling up tight inside his own blankets and trying not to think about the monsters that were so obviously prowling right outside the borders, that were just at the door and ready to come in any second. Tonight, however, was different. Raven's heavy panting wasn't slowing at all. Elsword stepped forward hesitantly, and when he wasn't greeted by any bad reaction, he crossed the short distance between them to sit on the bed. Raven's waist was warm as Elsword slipped his arms around it, burying his face in the tense muscles of Raven's back. He smelled of sweat and metal and soap. “You're safe now,” he murmured, and he felt Raven's human hand cover one of his own.

#elsword #elsword x raven #elboy (elsword)#raven (elsword)#trickfiction #I JUST REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF GENTLE LEADER ELBOY TAKING CARE OF EVERYONE OKAY #also it's official classes so Aisha is EM #Rena GA #etc #uhhhhh yea #imma just #hide

Beginnings

Pairings: None Rating: G Wordcount: 893 Notes/Summary: A short sketch on how Elesis began training Elsword.

#elsword #elesis (elsword)#trickfiction #elsword fanfiction #OKAY SO #surprise fic!#I know I kinda foreshadowed this but this was just kind of an idea I wanted to get out of my head and onto my computer #and i thought ah what the hell ill post it #it's not beta read or anything so yes i know it's shit #also #i'm planning a Elesis x Raven ship series #won't tell you the plot for obvious reasons but #the classes are VC x BH #anyways hope you enjoyed this #and here's a cookie for reading to the end of the tags

Added Justice

Pairings: Sakra Devanam x Diabolic Esper Rating: G Wordcount: 3011 Notes/Summary: A present for an old guildie’s marriage, detailing how Eun just loves to fuck with Ara’s normally non-existent love life.

The first time Ara saw Add was a week after she joined the Elgang. Everyone was rushing around, packing to leave Hamel and go to a place called Sander. The guy who'd tried to kill Ara's brother, Chung, was coming with them, and Ara was pouting about that as she folded her spare clothes and made sure each of her tea packets was in the correct place inside the wooden box she used to keep them organized. Honestly, the nerve of some people, she complained silently to Eun, pausing in her packing to reach up and run one finger over Eun's hairpin. Trying to kill Aren, then deciding to come with us- What us? Eun interrupted her. You were taken in by the Elgagng in just the same way. Remember, you can't insist that a kindness be shown to you, and then protest when it's shown to someone else. Is that the justice you stand for? Ara made a disparaging sound in her throat. I didn't ask to join this group! Her protests went unnoticed. Ara felt the fox curl up and withdraw, a smug sense of amusement emanating from the hairpin. Ara reached up and lightly flicked the hairpin to annoy Eun, then went to find Eve to ask her if she still needed extra room for her luggage. Eve was one of the few people that Ara wasn't shy about talking to. She and Elesis had shown Ara the most kindness when they first met. Ara was just raising her hand to knock at Eve's closed door when she heard footsteps. It was a tread she hadn't heard before, somehow light and heavy at the same time. The footsteps stopped a few feet away from her. Ara turned, tilting her head back to see dully inquisitive purple eyes staring at her. Ara dropped her gaze first. “I haven't seen you before,” she managed to say, staring anywhere but at those intense magenta eyes. She noted the magenta line running down his face, the weird black bodysuit he wore of a material somewhere between metal, cloth, and stone, and the eight things hovering behind him. “I have.” His voice was rather soft. “Though I'm not familiar with your name, kuhuhuhu. Are you traveling with us now?” Ara wondered why he laughed. “Y-yes. My name is Ara Haan,” she offered, carefully sticking out a hand to the man. “What's your name?” He stared at her hand like he didn't know what to do with it. “Tch,” he muttered, then continued walking down the hall, leaving Ara with her hand outstretched like an idiot. Needless to say, this was not an amazing first impression.

Ara soon learned that the weird white-haired boy was named Add. According to Eve, he was a crazy stalker who should die as soon as possible. Of course, this last bit was what Code: Nemesis said about anyone she disliked, but Ara noted down the stalker bit. Nobody really seemed to trust Add very much, and he didn't exactly invite trust, either. He was always a little bit away from the group, it seemed, even when they made camp for the night. Then he would sit away from the cheery campfire on the floating metal things that everyone called his “Dynamo”, flipping through holographic screens and muttering. Not exactly what one would call normal social tactics. Only Elesis had a different opinion, when Ara asked her. She rubbed the back of her neck, then untied the black ribbon from her hair and redid it. Ara waited patiently for her answer. “I think he has some good in him,” she said finally. “But it was far more prevalent about six months ago, before he started being obsessed with a guy called Glave. He disappeared then, and only reappeared a couple months ago, acting like he does now. But before....” Elesis glanced over at Add. He was skating on his Dynamo, as he usually did when it wasn't his turn to fight point and clear the way in a field, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. “He was calmer. Less stressed. He was always insane, but his madness just seemed to get worse and worse after he reappeared.” Ara nodded. Eun poked her head into Ara's mind, wondering about the scar on Add's face and the Dynamo. Did Elesis know about those? Before Ara could ask, Eve called out a request to switch spots with Ara. Ara gripped her spear and complied, taking Eve's job as lookout while thinking about Add. He's lost his way. Like your brother, Eun commented slyly. Ara sighed. Eun, don't start this again.... If you were truly just, wouldn't you try to help him? Eun asked. After all, even mad people are deserving of help. He creeps me out! Ara protested. And face it. You just like watching me squirm when you confront me with a dictionary definition of justice, that's the only reason you're bringing this up. Actually, I think he could be useful. Ara felt Eun's wide yawn, felt the fox begin to withdraw. Now if you'll excuse me, that late-night training that you felt the need to do really wore me out. I think I'll take a nap. This has nothing to do with how foxes are nocturnal, does it? Ara asked, just to have the last word and get the conversation away from Add. Besides, she knew this was a rather sore point for Eun. Eun didn't respond. Ara let out a long breath, twirling her spear just to get her mind back to the present, resolving to watch Add and see if he needed any help. Just for the sake of pacifying Eun. There was no other reason to watch Add, right?

“Rena! Stay back and shoot! Aisha, gather mana! Chung, protect her!” Ara ducked back, using her spear to shield herself from the sharp boomerangs this Trock was throwing and listening for her name in Elsword's shouted orders. Elsword's crimson eyes stayed fixed on the attacking Trock. “Raven, stay back for now. Try and recover a bit from that Overheat you did back there. Add, if you're even paying attention to a single thing, Ara, Sis, I need your – AGH!” The Lord Knight's attention had wavered, turning from his opponent for a split second. The Trock had taken that opportunity to smack him to the side, the small red-haired boy flying to land and roll rather hard on the sandy ground. The Trock raised a boomerang to finish him off. Ara looked to the side, noticed that Elesis was engaged in a struggle with a Trock mage already, and called up Eun. Time to go! Ara launched herself into the air, handing off control to Eun halfway through her flip. She'd long gotten used to the sense of not being in complete control of her body when she landed in Awakening, feeling her limbs move without her orders and watching through her own eyes as foxlike ears and seven tails that DEFINITELY did not belong to her waved gently. Eun ran forward, jumping into the air before diving and smacking her spear into the ground at the Trock's feet. Ara felt Eun shake dirt off her tails as she rolled to her feet, spinning to stand in front of the Trock and giving Elsword time to get up. She was expecting orders from Elsword to get back or possibly duck when she heard a scuffling of movement behind her. Instead, Eun's ears swiveled to pick up a different voice. “Void Impact!” A purple crack in the air opened, dragging the Trock from the ground and spitting him back out. Eun jumped to the side as Add walked forward, his Dynamo humming with electricity, seemingly ready to fight. “What are you, kuhuhu?” he asked Eun conversationally. His weapons were in a fighting mode, but he himself didn't seem to be. “I have never seen a human with fox ears and tails....” Don't embarrass me, Ara pleaded silently. If she were in full control, she knew she would be blushing. Embarrass you? How would I do that? Why do you care enough to be embarrassed around this boy? Eun seemed to be laughing in her foxlike, mischievous way. “I'm not Ara. I'm Eun, the spirit of the nine-tailed fox that lives in Ara's hairpin. And if you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a battle.” Add turned slightly, seemingly noticing that the Trock was getting up. “If I kill it for you, will you tell me everything about this 'spirit of the nine-tailed fox'? Kukuku.....” “What-” Eun started, then turned in surprise as a few boomerangs sailed past her nose. Don't do it. Is Elsword okay? Ara wasn’t surprised when Eun ignored her. Eun turned slightly, clutching Ara's spear and readying herself to defend Elsword. The boy was kneeling, slowly prying his sword out of a rock. Damn, that blade was sharp, if it could wedge itself deep into solid stone like that. “Stardust Shower!” Add yelled. Eun spun again, seeing purple balls falling from a rip in the sky. Add himself descended on a last ball, the shockwave flinging the Trock away. Ara saw her chance. She urged Eun on as the fox dashed into the air, catching the Trock in a quick combo and tossing him to Elsword, who had just pried his sword from the rock. Elsword had no trouble dispatching the weakened beast. “Good job, Ara. You too, Add,” he said while panting. Ara felt Eun recede back to the hairpin. If Eun stayed in Ara's form too long, bad things could happen. Ara didn't know exactly what those “bad things” were, but she trusted Eun enough to not pry. Add said nothing in response to Elsword's praise, just giving Ara a long, hard stare with those crazy eyes. “You owe me,” he said, then laughed as he turned away. Ara had no response as the El Search Party regrouped and forged onward.

Add looked over at his shuttered window in mild disgust. For the love of the El, what were those noises from outside? Didn't they know that they were interrupting him and ruining his work? It was probably Raven again, doing his pathetic “training”. If this continued, Add might not be able to concentrate on his newest calculation. He would never be able to see Mother, never be able to change what happened to him, never.... In frustration, Add stalked over to the window and threw the shutters wide, drawing breath to yell at Raven for making this much noise at two in the mor- oh. That wasn't Raven. A different fighter trained outside, running and flipping above the sand, diving at what looked like a training monkey that she had set up. Her spear thudded into the wood and the surrounding ground time and time again. She looked exhausted. Add recognized Ara's thick, graceful black hair as the girl stopped for a moment, panting. He noticed that Ara's posture was drooping. How long had she been training? Ara twirled her spear and ran at the training monkey again with the blade outstretched. Add watched her graceful movements, noticing that she was just slightly off on some of them.... No, of course he hadn't been watching her fighting style since the day Eun revealed herself. Why would he do something preposterous like that? Oh, look. Ara had collapsed. Add sighed, jumping out the window and waiting for his Dynamo to catch him. They did so, exactly four feet from the ground. Add jumped off of their platform, adjusting his chain tails (and why were those still on his costume, all they did was get in the way), and strode over to the unconscious Ara. He took a moment to look down at her, lying helpless and prone in the sand. She wasn't going to be happy about the sand in her hair and clothes when she woke up, Add knew, and he chuckled at that. Following a gesture from their creator, Add's Dynamo whisked downward, lifting up Ara and hovering with her. They followed Add as he walked back into the house and up the stairs, finally laying Ara down on her own bed. Why had he done that? Add wondered as his Dynamo flocked back to his side. He could just as easily left Ara there, and it wouldn't have required his Dynamo to delve into the sand beneath her. He glanced at one as it shuddered, trying to clean itself of the clinging sand as it was programmed to do. No, sand was definitely not good for his electronics. Then why- Add looked back at Ara as her hair turned white, ears sprouting from her head. Nine separate tails poked out from under her, and her eyes opened red. “Eun,” Add said quietly, then chuckled. “What are you doing here?” “That question would be better put to you.” Eun showed sharp teeth as she laughed. “Isn't Ara just a silly, clumsy girl to you? You're more than that to her, of course, but....”

“Wait, kuhuhu. What was that?” Add ignored the first part of Eun's statement, latching on to the second. “Oh, you're more than that to her? Ha. Well, haven't you noticed the way she watches you at all times? Surely a genius like you could put together the patterns of her behavior and notice that she pays far more attention to you than any other Elgang member. And I, being privy to her most private thoughts, could tell you-” Eun paused, propping herself up on Ara's elbows, then shook her head. “No. She'd be mad if I told you that.” “Told me what, you pathetic animal?” Add snapped, taking a threatening step toward Eun. Eun simply looked at him and laughed again, and Add could feel the madness threatening to take over his mind. Give in to me. I'll make her tell you, it whispered, and Add was about to give over to it when Eun spoke. “Well, she hasn't admitted her feelings for you to herself yet, so how could I-” Her eyes widened innocently. “Oops.” The madness shut up. So did everything else in Add's brain, in fact. He despised error messages, but had he been a computer program, the user would get an error message. Add.exe has stopped working. Would you like to hit him over the head and kill him now? Eun chuckled at Add's reaction. “Well, I can feel Ara stirring. I won't be able to maintain control after she wakes. So I'll just do one last thing~” Ara's slim hands latched onto Add's high collar, dragging him forward. Add stumbled, leaning down to alleviate the pressure, and his heart nearly stopped when he felt soft lips collide with his. Through his shock, he noticed the white hair of Eun turn back to Ara's black, the foxlike markings on her face receeding as her eyes closed. “Add,” Ara mumbled, then she shot backward until she fell off the bed. Add heard a muffled squeak, then a crash, then a shout. “EUN!” He chuckled nervously, mind racing. Eun might be a problem in future dealings with Ara, but if what she had said was true.... He walked around the bed, his Dynamo racing to help Ara up. The least he could do was get some answers before he decided on that blasted fox's punishment.

#elsword #araxadd #SDxDiE #trickfiction #senatu #if this gets more notes than my previous BMLK thingie i will k i l l #anyhiddles have fun with this Wish

Science AU 3

1 / 2 / You Are Here / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Elesis carefully poured the chemical into a beaker, Add bending down to measure it.

“A bit more.... Slower.... Stop!” he ordered, and Elesis instantly complied, tipping the flask upright. They'd gotten extremely good at labs in the two weeks that they'd been partners, she thought. And thankfully, her chem grade reflected Add's genius. He was the one who did most of the work, anyways. Elesis just ran errands for him. And maybe it was just her imagination, but he had become nicer to her since their meeting two weeks before. Add inserted a glass stirring stick into the beaker, carefully mixing, and Elesis snapped her attention back to their experiment. “Right, kek. This should turn blue,” he directed, and Elesis could definitely see the faint tinges of cerulean within the clear mixture. As the chemicals mixed further, the cerulean widened and deepened. Elesis watched Add take the stirring stick out, tapping it on the side of the beaker to shake off the clinging drops of blue liquid. “Okay,” Add said, and Elesis stepped back to allow him room to lay the stick down. “Grab the hydrochloric acid from Mrs. Ariel.” Elesis nodded, reaching for her latex gloves and pulling them on as she walked to the front of the classroom. She and Add had chosen a table in the back next to the goggles cabinet and the emergency shower to do the makeup lab. Add had been absent for the actual lab. Elesis, of course, skipped class that day because there was no way she was going to do chemistry without Add. She had worried a bit about redoing the lab, but luck smiled on her and Mrs. Ariel let her and Add come in at lunch to do it again. Elesis' best friend, Ara, was also in the room doing the lab with her own partner, Chung. Elesis picked up the pre-measured graduated cylinder with the acid in it, noticed Mrs. Ariel's annoyed expression as she looked at a half-graded paper, and quietly turned to head back to her own seat. Weaving her way through the nearly silent lab, Elesis watched Add write on the lab paper, noticing again just how sure of himself he was in a science classroom. She was glad for the administration's mix-up, and not just because her lab grade had blown skyward. She was so busy watching Add as she drew alongside the table that she didn't notice Ara trip into her path. The two girls collided, and the acid flew from Elesis' grip. Ara's apologies were lost in the shattering of glass and Add's panicked scream. Elesis spun around, cursing profusely and mentally as she saw that about half the acid had landed on him. “Add, get under the emergency shower!” Mrs. Ariel yelled across the quiet room. Elesis had never seen Add run before, but he did now – dashing to the shower, reaching up to pull the lever that dumped water over him, and closing his eyes as the cold liquid doused him and made steam rise from his acid-soaked shirt.

#addxelesis #trickfiction #elsword #elsword (add)#elsword (elesis)#thank you anon for shaking me out of my PvP induced stupor to post this #sorry it's not as long as the others but #ok so i wanted to write fluffy shit sorry #don't worry there is a plot and it starts in the next installment #xD bai

Science AU 2

1 / You Are Here / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Add watched Elesis make a face as she tightened the plastic goggles over her eyes. “They feel weird,” she complained.

“They're not supposed to feel comfortable. They're supposed to keep you safe,” Add informed her as he turned to the lab instructions. “Test tube holder with four tubes.” A clinking of glass ensued as Elesis bent down, gathering the materials. Over the past week, she had finally learned that Add knew what he was doing when he gave instructions. Add himself pulled on latex gloves, not wanting to stain his pale skin, and reached for the bottle of silver nitrate. The test tubes and holder still weren't in front of him when he turned back to the lab table with silver nitrate in hand. With a sigh, he faced Elesis. “What are you....” She'd somehow managed to tangle herself in her heavy apron. “Help me out?” she asked, glancing up at Add, but Add's body seemed to be frozen solid. Holy hell, why does she look that good in science goggles? Somehow the thick plastic managed to bring out the gold flecks in her scarlet eyes, wrapping under the spiky pineapple part of her hair and making it look less weird. She.... “Add? I think I tied this wrong.” Elesis' bid to get Add's attention actually worked in the way she wanted this time. He stiffly bent down, untangling Elesis from her apron strings and – for some unknown reason – helped her stand upright again. “I'll retie that.” Crap, that sounded too much like he cared. He quickly added, “I don't want you slowing down the lab.” Well, that excuse was pathetic, as he told himself repeatedly and mentally. He was a genius, couldn't he have come up with a more plausible explanation for a completely non-plausible thing? Elesis seemed to accept it, though, turning around to allow Add better access to the apron strings. She made no complaints as Add tied her apron correctly. He also took a moment to tighten her goggles. Maybe she wouldn't look so good with raccoon eyes? Nope, he realized as she turned around and flashed him a grateful, blinding smile. The whitish clear plastic contrasted against her tanned skin, making him realize just how smooth it was.... Oh god, what was happening to him? Add firmly shoved that unwelcome thought from his head and turned to the test tubes, carefully measuring silver nitrate into the containers. This was just another lab, like any other he'd done in his life. Nothing special. But strangely, Add found that he couldn't concentrate for the rest of the period. It wasn't just the fact that he'd done variations of this chemical reaction at least fifty times, though that may have been a factor. He was able to understand why his mind might want to drift to the unfinished drone sitting patiently on his desk at home. He was not able to understand why he kept being distracted by his lab partner. And it didn't even seem to be her fault! He couldn't understand why he kept glancing over at Elesis, at her strong hands handing him materials, those scarlet eyes shining with curiosity as he placed copper wire in the silver nitrate. The curiosity in her face was doubled when a silver fuzz started forming on the wire and the liquid began turning blue, indicative of the metals switching places. “What's that?” she asked, jabbing one finger at the fuzz on the copper wire. “Solid silver. Dropping copper wire into the silver nitrate solution initiates a redox reaction between the silver ion and the copper metal. The copper is oxidized to copper two by bonding with the nitrogen in silver nitrate. That's why the liquid turns blue. The silver is reduced to elemental silver.” Add took up a thin metal spatula, inserting it carefully into a test tube and scraping some of the silver from the wire. “See?” Elesis nodded, bending down to see better. Add found himself with a very good view of the pineapple spikes in her hair, offset by the black strap of the goggles passing just below her hairtie. Nevermind that, why was he being so patient? He hated explaining reactions, especially to Elesis. She was so ignorant about it that it was sickening. And yet, she had lost a lot of that ignorance over the past week, hadn't she? Add couldn't deny that they worked well together. With Mrs. Ariel assigning a lab almost every day, they had quickly figured out a method to do these labs. Add would do the actual work, while Elesis would run errands and attempt not to be underfoot. It worked really well, and she had gotten more tolerable to Add.... Holy hell, what was wrong with him? Add took a step away from Elesis, gathering his books and checking the clock. As soon as the bell rang, Add grabbed his bookbag and fled, leaving Elesis to clean up alone. He had no idea what was going on with his feelings, and it scared him. Enough! He was a scientist, he could definitely figure this out. He just needed to get through the day, so he could get home and barricade himself in his room while he worked through these messy feelings. Nothing was so complex that it couldn't be analyzed and solved.... Right?

#elsword #trickfiction #add (elsword)#elesis (elsword)#add x elesis #I WAS TOO LAZY TO POST THIS SOONER QWQ FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEEE #*shows up late with shitty fic*#if I didn't drive all my readers away with this #the next one will be posted sometime before a week has passed #James out

Add’s Past

“So if we wired it like this, what would happen?”

I reach over and grab hold of one of the many wires on Daddy's table. He moves over to make room for me, as I twist two of the wires together and stick them carefully into the circuit. For a second, the tiny drone on the table shudders, and I'm afraid I've broken it. But then it steadies, and rises an inch off the table. I grin up at Daddy. “It worked!” He ruffles my hair. “Good job, Add. I don't know of any other eight-year-olds that could do that. But remember to record what you do in an experiment, ne? The difference between science and goofing off is whether or not you write it down.” Still grinning, I look back at the little drone. It seems to have a steady supply of power, since it's hovering without shaking.... but I want it to go higher. “How can we give it more power, Daddy?” “You get a stronger source,” Mama says from behind us. I didn't hear her come in, but who cares? Her white hair cascades over her shoulder as she tilts her head, examining the drone. “Are you letting Add play with electricity again, Maxim?” There's something off about her tone, coupled with the look she gives Daddy, and I don't quite understand it. Why would Mama be nervous? It's just a little drone, it can't hurt! Daddy opens his mouth. “Well, for Add's birthday-” The doorbell rings. Daddy's face changes, and he snatches the drone off the table. “Add, go to your room,” he commands. But why? I didn't do anything wrong! “Why?” I ask, but the stern glare Daddy gives me startles me into silence. “I'll explain later. Go.” That's Mama talking, and my body obeys her order without my brain fully comprehending it. As I run up the stairs, I cast one look back down the stairs to see Daddy dismantling the drone I built and scattering the pieces. ===== Mama doesn't come into my room until much later. I know it's later because I'm almost finished reading the physical science book that she gave me. She sits down on the edge of my bed, and I immediately close the book and scramble over to her. “What was that? Why did Daddy destroy my drone? Who was at the door? What took you so long? Mama?” She doesn't answer for a couple of long seconds, then she turns to me. Her face is deathly serious. “Add, listen to me. I need you to do something for me tonight, okay?” I nod. “Will it be fun? Is it another birthday present?”

Her smile looks a bit forced, but she's smiling, so it must be okay. “Yes, it'll be fun. It'll be a game, okay? A game of hide-and-seek.” Really? I jump up. “Okay! I'll hide-” She grabs my wrist to stop me. Why? Why is she so serious? “No, we're doing it tonight. When it gets dark, you're going to hide anywhere outside the village, okay?” “I'm not allowed to go outside the village!” I protest. “You said there were wolves out there!” “But there are also Nasods,” she says quietly. Suddenly she's kneeling on the floor in front of me, at eye level, and I see myself reflected in her bright eyes. “Add, pretend you're a researcher, okay? Sometimes researchers have to do scary things for their science. You have to go outside the village and stay hidden until I find you, okay? It'll be a game!” Her voice sounds desperate. Does she really want to play with me that badly? This seems like a fun game, so I agree. I'll find the best hiding place ever. She'll never find me! ===== I wrap my arms around my knees, snuggling further into the scratchy branches. I found the best hiding spot! It's a nook between the trunk of a tree and a niche in a bush. There's even a small, dry hollow in the ground where I can sit without getting too dirty. I don't know how long I've been sitting here, but I'm tired. Mama was counting to fifty the last time I saw her, facing a tree so she wouldn't peek. She should be looking for me by now. I yawn. How could I get that drone to fly higher? Maybe I could redesign the shape. Circles aren't very streamlined, maybe a more angular design would be better? And the wiring.... This position isn't very comfortable. I shift my body and yawn again. Soon, I'm not sure what's dream and what's reality. Thoughts of Nasodic engineering are mixed with the sounds of feet stomping through the woods. There's a reddish glow filtering through the trees. Is this a nightmare? I've heard Daddy talk about them, but they're just electrical signals from an overstimulated amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls fear. I don't have anything to fear from a dream. “Where are you, Mama?” I say, not sure if I'm actually speaking. Apparently I said it aloud, because there's suddenly noise near me. “Hey, I found someone!” I blink into a bright light, unable to distinguish who's behind it. But it must be Mama, because nobody else would be out here. “It's a kid!” a gruff voice says. That's not Mama, and suddenly I'm scared. Hands reach for me, but I crawl farther into my bush. Twigs scratch me, but I don't care – I need to get away! Finally I'm out, and I run toward home. There's a bright red light up ahead. It flickers like fire. Scratch that. It is fire. I stumble to a stop, staring at the flaming remains of my village. People are stomping through the burning streets, dragging others out and throwing them to the street. There's my neighbors, my best friend.... And then I see Daddy and Mama a couple of yards away. Daddy is being forced backward into a patch of flames. I tear my eyes away from him and see Mama struggling to break away from some men holding her. “Mama!” I cry out, and she sees me. Her eyes widen. “Add!” she yells, and with a powerful wrench, she breaks the people's hold and runs to me, falling to her knees. “Add, run. Leave us behind,” she commands. “Get away from here! Don't get caught! Your father and I will be fine, I promise.” The men come for her, and one of them reaches for me, but she pushes him away. “Go!” she screams. I don't want to go. But I also don't want to disobey Mama. Besides, she said she and Daddy would be fine. Sobbing, I turn and run, stumbling into the forest. I don't look back, can't look back. There are tears blurring my eyes. I stumble over something furry, and clear my vision enough to see Paranoia. The cat is lying on the forest floor, an unmoving black queen. Something else furry, something familiar, rubs against my legs. It's Apocalypse. The light gray tabby gives me what could almost be an apologetic look, then she turns tail and runs. I see Dynamo and Doomsday running away also, a white streak in the dark alongside the deep gray one. “Don't go!” I call, but the cats, of course, don't answer. I sink to my knees, unable to run anymore. “Don't leave me alone.” Heavy footsteps sound behind me, then everything goes black. =====

“Stop it, stop it, stop it!” I scream. I can't even feel my body anymore, it's just one screaming mass of pain. I had one month with an owner, a kind one at that, and then he went and died. Now it's my birthday yet again and I'm dropped back into this hell. Another sharp pain knifes through my side as someone kicks me. I don't think they're worrying about damaging the merchandise, and that's scary. “That'll teach you to kill your owner, foolish trash,” I hear, and holyElisthatablade- A streak of silver slices down, cutting shaggily through my hair and glancing off my metal collar. It's the only time I've ever been thankful for this thing. I hear cruel laughter before I am tossed into yet another cell, familiar in its strange coldness. The door slams, my body hurts, and everything is black. ===== When I come to, the pain immediately screams at me. But it's at a tolerable level, and I use the management tricks I've learned over the two years since the raid to bring it down further. When I manage to ignore the pain, I take a look around. I'm in an isolation cell, with the hulking block of the main trade facility on one side and nothing but an empty plain stretching out under the night sky on the other. It's been so long since I've seen that kind of freedom. I can't stop myself from walking over and clinging to the bars. My collar jerks at my neck suddenly and I gag, forced back. Now I see a chain staked into the wall, one end attached to my collar. I'm chained like one of the vicious dogs in my old village. “You can leave, you know,” a quiet voice says, and I whirl around. I could have sworn I was alone! Viru is there. He's smiling at me, his teeth a bit sharper than I remember. Stunned, I can only state the obvious. “Viru!” “I go by Virus now,” he tells me, and he walks silently to stand at my side. His patterns of speech have drastically changed in the two years since I saw him last. “The guards forgot to lock the door. All that stands between you and freedom is a simple turn bolt – oh, and that chain.” I look over, and he's right. I could easily escape onto that plain and find my parents, or at least continue their research. All I have to do is get this chain off. I shrink back as a patrolling guard passes, then look at Virus again when he's gone. Virus chuckles at me. “You know you crave freedom, Add. Isn't it better to take this chance?” He comes over and yanks the chain. One link must have been weaker than the rest, because it breaks just a few inches from my throat. It hits home that I have a chance to escape. Before I can think, I'm fumbling at the bolt of the cell, and it opens easily. I push open the cage door and look back at Virus. “Come with me?” He smiles. “I'll be there if you desire it.” He's suddenly not there. I stand paralyzed for a moment before a shout revitalizes me. “Oy, slave! Back in your cage!” I can't stop now, Virus be damned. I'll never get another chance. Adrenaline surges through me and I start running across the plain. Heavy footsteps sound behind me, and I put my head down and run harder. I feel like my feet have wings, but maybe that's just the adrenaline. In any case, it's not enough. The footsteps are catching up to me. The heavy links of chain bounce against my chest and make it hard to breathe. I don't see the ravine until it's too late. Desperately, I try to turn, to stop. A searing pain shoots through my ribs in protest, and I stumble headlong into the abyss. I twist around to see the sky. It's too late. The stars are already swallowed by the blackness, as is any hope of rescue from my fate.

When I come around, it's dim. Am I dead? No, I can't be dead. The constant itch of my slave collar is there, with the annoyingly uneven weight of that small chain length hanging from it. Well, since I'm not dead, where am I? A quick scan of my surroundings shows only white, with strangely pulsing blue lines running up and down the walls and floor. At least I don't hurt anymore. I try to sit up and quickly revise that thought. A sharp, stabbing pain in my side tells me that at least one rib is broken. But all of my other bruises are gone, and the pain is ebbing away. Now that I'm sitting up, I can see that the blue lines are completely erratic. I don't like that shade of blue. It reminds me of the raiders' eyes. Suddenly, one of the lines glows purple. The new color flows across the wall in curves and sweeps, outlining something that looks like a power sign. But what does the symbol mean? The purple keeps spreading, now outlining a huge door. The power sign motif gleams brightly across the door. Maybe if I step inside, I'll find out what it means? Drawn by my curiosity, I push the door experimentally. It swings open with no resistance and I step through. What is this place? All around me are books. Books, books, more books, and some floating, glowing screens. It's been so long since I've read anything, so long.... I dart to a shelf, drawn to the books and the knowledge they contain like a moth to flame. Running my hand over the beautiful spines, I select one at random and open to a page in the middle, scanning the text. The word coding jumps out at me, as does artificial intelligence. It's a book on a subject that I haven't thought about since the raid – Nasods. Eagerly, I tuck the book under my arm and check others. They're all on the same subject! This is a treasure trove of knowledge, and it's all mine! In the blink of an eye, my goals shift to accommodate this library. I will store the power and knowledge amassed here, and complete the work that my parents began. I will avenge their deaths. I will find the people that captured me and make them pay. The power sign motifs scattered around everywhere seem to glow a little brighter. I select a book, looking around for a spot to curl up and read, when I notice a giant wall screen surrounded by other, smaller screens. There's a control panel in front of it. I remember Papa telling me about the knowledge stored in the Nasod databases.... It takes a while, but I figure out how to turn on the control panel and the screens by extension. When I do, holographic bits of data begin to float around me. This is really cool! I wonder how this technology works? Could I implement it in another device? Can I touch it? I reach out to try, and suddenly, all of the data disappears. Panic sets in for a moment – did I break it? - before the main screen starts flashing a message. New User. After a few seconds, that disappears and is replaced with a name prompt. I check the control panel, but there's no keyboard to type with. So I just speak aloud, addressing myself to the library at large. “Add. My name is Add.” A hum sounds, and I can't tell from where it is originating. The strange power sigil appears on the main screen, glowing a bright magenta. Then the smaller screens all around it wake up, the magenta sign gleaming on their surfaces. “Welcome, Add, to the Nasod Library,” a mechanically silky voice greets, and I grin as I look around. So I wasn't wrong in assuming that this place was a stockpile of Nasodic knowledge? So much data, all of it mine! I approach the big screen, placing my hands on the control counter and trying to spread my fingers to feel as big as possible. “Bring up a map of the library.” My voice definitely doesn't shake. The central screen obliges, the magenta seal disappearing and a blueprint coming up in its place. The room I'm in appears to be the center of a wheel-like structure, and other rooms branch out from it. Looking at the map, noting that there's a kitchen, a store-room, and other necessities, I feel my heart pounding. I could conceivably survive here for several years. There's everything needed for human life – but wasn't this a Nasod library? Why is it stocked with human supplies? That's something to research. Most importantly right now, I see a room indicated where I can wash up. In the two years that I've been enslaved, I've only had three proper baths. I turn and make my way to that room, rubbing my slave collar. This thing comes off as soon as I find a way. And I will.

I am awoken from a deep sleep by a weird rumbling. I lift my face from the open book – did I fall asleep while reading? Well, it's not the first time – and look around. The library is shaking. Purple lines flow in bursts and waves across the walls, so unlike the normal steady pulsing. Come to think of it, they're purple. Weren't they blue when I came here seven or so years ago? I file that away to analyze later. The sigils on the walls are also flickering uncertainly. I tense, trying to take comfort from my Dynamo hovering around my shoulders. Something is wrong. The library shakes again, a sparse drizzle of dust coming down from the ceiling. Something is very wrong. A web of thin cracks begins to creep its way across the ground, and I act on pure instinct. My Dynamo are there the moment I tell them to be, and I jump up on them and hover above the floor. With one violent tremble, the cracks widen and start creeping up the walls at an alarming rate, shaking the books off their shelves and into the growing abyss. I can only watch in horror as the cracks reach the roof of my refuge, mind spinning. How is this happening? Another shower of dust from the roof falls, prompting me to action. I furiously brush off the dust and set my Dynamo into motion, flying around in an attempt to save at least some of the books. I gather up a grand total of three before another tremor sends all of the books flying off their shelves, and I have to dodge them. They all fall to the now-gaping abyss in the ground. No.... No! All that knowledge, all that power.... There's an ominous cracking sound from the roof that immediately draws my attention. Dust and chunks of rock start raining down. I dodge them all, my Dynamo reacting perfectly to my every signal. When I look up again, I see something that surprises me. Is that.... Is that the sky? It's blue. So blue, a bright blue with puffs of white floating across it. Such a contrast to the dimly glowing stone that has been my world for nigh-on seven years. This is my chance! I can escape from the confines of this library and punish my captors, follow my trace on the Nasod Queen, and expand my power at the same time! I fly eagerly for the crack. It's right in front of me when a chunk of stone is shaken from the edge and hurtles for me. I don't dodge in time. The last thing I hear before the familiar blackness overtakes me is the humming of my Dynamo.

#add elsword #elsword #elsword fanfiction #trickfiction #soooo i feel like this isn't as good as the Raven one #but eeeeh idk hao 2 write slow demises into insanity #probably cuz ive never done it before #haha fuck my writing #my beta chastised me for making Add seem almost innocent at one point #but he was #he was a precious cinnamon roll #and then the slavers killed it #kbai

ummm... umm... hello, I adore all your fanficts /w\ um... will you someday write LPMM AU? Umm... a vampire AU where MM is a demon bride that being targeted by every vampires...? *hides*

The first time Add met Lusa, he was running.

The third – but not final – time was completely unexpected.Add’s lab door opened, and Add whirled around, expecting to see the hulking form of Scar in the doorway. For the love of technology, couldn’t that imbecile understand the values of patience?“I told you, it’s not yet finished,” he snapped, then stopped as he saw a much leaner shadow blocking the light.“Why are you here?!”Lusa stepped into the lab, closing the door gently behind him. “Dunno. Felt like comin’ to see why ya helped me back there.”Add stood stunned for a moment, then let out a soft tch as he took a wary step back. “You saved my life. I saved yours. There are no outstanding debts left between us.”Lusa grunted. The two males stood in an awkward silence for a couple of moments. Add fleetingly thought of the repercussions if Lusa, a vampire, was seen in a demon’s lab.“Yer pretty smart, for a demon,” Lusa suddenly said. Add snorted.“You’re extraordinarily brutish, for a vampire,” he retorted. All the vampires he knew didn’t like to get their hands dirty. Not that he knew many vampires, or anything.Lusa laughed. “A demonic vampire an’ a vampirical demon. Who would'a thought?”Add decided that he liked Lusa.“If I wanted t’ see ya again, where would I go?” Lusa asked. Add blinked, thinking fast. Did he want to meet the strange vampire again?Yes, he did. “Well, you might have a slight chance if you were on the roof of the old factory at three AM,” Add said. He would be interested to see if Lusa showed up.Lusa gave a mocking, two-finger salute and went to open the door. He froze in place when a couple of demons passed, talking loudly.“I’ll hafta go through th’ back door,” he decided. “Ya’ve got one, neh?”Add rolled his eyes and pointed to the fire escape. “Don’t get caught.”Lusa paused as he was crossing the lab to smirk at Add. “Ain’t plannin’ t’ get caught. I’ve gotta meetcha t'night, right?”He ducked out before Add could respond, leaving the demon stunned and wondering why his heart was racing.

#In which I watch too much Durarara! and accidentally turn an anon request into a gang war #QwQ sorry #trickfiction

Raven (Part 2)

Part 1

RAVEN'S POV

Food gets shoved into my cell for the third time. I know from my stints on prison duty that they feed prisoners twice a day, and also know that it's the evening before I'm scheduled to die. I sit on the hard, low bed, staring at the food. I have no desire to eat it. I sigh, leaning back and propping my head against the stone wall. It's cold, but then again, so is almost everything else in here. It's better than it would be in summer, though - Velder summers are brutal. I would be roasting in my chains. I wonder for perhaps the hundredth time today what Seris is doing. Does she miss me? I hope she won't come to my execution, though in a way, I also hope she does. It would be nice to see her one last time. I sit forward again, staring at my right hand, and at the silver band that encircles the ring finger. A black crow decorates the otherwise plain metal, but I notice that it's slightly off-center. I straighten it on my hand. The jewelry transfixes my gaze as I think about what Seris and I had. My thoughts wander to my comrades, and then make a short leap to Alex. I never would have thought he would betray me. Why did he? My hand clenches into a fist as I remember what I've lost. It'll be doubly hard for anyone else to work their way up to where I was, since the stigma of the first commoner captain will be upon him. I silently wish luck to the commoner who dares to try. Hell, what was I thinking when I tried? I knew that it might come to this, but when I was promoted again and again, I let down my guard. And now look what's happened. There's a clash down the hall - a clattering that lasts for a couple seconds, and is quickly silenced. Maybe someone dropped something. I continue to stare at my couple's ring. I miss Seris so much, and it's worse knowing that I'll probably never see her again. Another outburst of sound in the stone hallways, but this time, it seems closer. I wonder who the unlucky, clumsy guard is that keeps dropping things. I suddenly notice light, rhythmic sounds coming down the hall. Footsteps, but of a small group. Prison guards patrol in pairs, not groups. What is going on? There's fumbling outside my door, and suddenly it flies open. Light shines into my cell, and I blink from the sudden brightness. Before my eyes can adjust, my body gets shoved to the side as someone throws themself at me. I sway to the side, then feel arms flung around me and hair of a familiar color streaming around my shoulder. "....Seris?" She pulls away to look at me. I stare at her, disbelieving, then look at the door through which she came. Miran, Chris, and Calum stand there, grinning. I notice that Calum is holding my sheathed blade as well as his own magical rod. "What....?" I ask, a bit stunned. Calum steps into the cell and lays my blade beside me, then kneels to undo my chains with his magic. "We're busting you out, Captain. C'mon." I stare at the blade, then at Seris, standing in front of me. A pang of regret singes through me. Any other time, I would have thought it would be Alex getting me out. Seris searches my face, and I think she can tell that I'm thinking about Alex. She smiles. "Wake up, Raven. No time for regrets." Calum finishes with the lock and the chains clatter to the floor. For the first time in days, my hands are free. I stand and slide my blade out of the covering, feeling the familiar weight. Seris is right. There'll be time to mourn the loss of Alex's friendship later. "Do they know you're here?" I ask Miran. He shrugs. "We knocked out a couple guards on our way down, Captain. I don't know if they've regained consciousness." I nod, racing through possible strategies in my mind. "Right. We need to get out of here as fast as possible, then, hopefully before an alarm is raised." I settle the sheath for my blade over my back, keeping the bare steel in my hand, and look at my comrades and fiancee. "Let's go." ===== Miran, it seems, was able to round up quite a bit of support for me – about twelve of my other comrades. Said support joins us in the woods outside the prison. Everyone there has served under or with me for about two years, and they're all people I would call my friends. Chris tosses Seris a bow, and she catches it. "Thanks," she tells him, and goes over to where a quiver of arrows is leaning against a tree. I catch up to her before she takes two steps, grasping her wrist. "You're not.... planning to fight, are you?" I ask quietly. I knew she was running away with us, but I wasn't planning for her to be in any fights. She looks up at me, green eyes nonplussed. "Why wouldn't I?" "Because it's dangerous," I say. "If you die, then-" "Stop being dumb, Raven," Seris says. "You're my fiance, I'm going to fight for you. Besides, I'm an archer. I'll be away from the melee fighting, and your men need cover from the back anyways." I open my mouth to argue, but pause when I can't come up with a good reason why she shouldn't fight. Seris sees this, and her eyes laugh at me. "Don't worry, Raven. I can shoot," she says lightly, breaking away from my grasp and taking up the quiver. I still don't want her to fight, but what can I do? She'll do exactly what she likes, and I've learned that over the time I've known her. With a sigh, I give in. "If you die, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you," I warn her with a smile. She smiles back. "If I die, it'll likely be over your dead body." We don't have any more time to talk, as Miran comes up to me with the news that everyone's ready, and they all know what they're doing. Only my closest friends – Chris, Calum, and Miran – are coming with us. The others will stay behind and cover for our disappearance, maybe send the Crow Mercenaries on the wrong trail. After a round of goodbyes and a fair amount of gratitude from me – they're all risking their lives and careers, after all – we disperse to go our separate ways. My friends, Seris, and I head into the woods, planning to go to the general vicinity of a town called Ruben. Though it's technically under Velder's jurisdiction, it's pretty much independent. We can lay low there for a while while we figure out what to do next. ===== After about an hour of walking, it's finally starting to sink in. I'm free. I'm not going to die. Seris and I can get married. I've gotten a reputation for stoicism in the Crow Mercenaries, but right now, I can't keep a smile off my face. Seris nudges me as we walk. “What's so funny?” I shrug. “It's good to be alive.” That's when the first arrow hits.

Miran goes down, an arrow in his shoulder. He hisses in pain. The rest of us are immediately on guard, looking around frantically. I reach for my blade and whip it out of the sheath, remembering to look up for a threat. Archers. In the trees. We just walked into an ambush. I curse myself – how did I not see this coming? Of course they would be looking for an escaped prisoner, especially someone they think is a traitor! No time to think about that now. I take a quick inventory of my men. Chris' longbow is at half-draw, and the point of the arrow swings wildly as he tries to decide where to aim. Calum grips his rod with white-knuckled hands, and he's touching the tip of the rod to Miran's pierced shoulder. Seris is right next to me, an arrow on the string of her bow. I can hear her quick breath, tempered by determined efforts to steady it. “Looks like we've caught a traitor,” a smooth voice says from behind us. Seris whips around in shock, and I turn more slowly. I know that voice. “Alex!” Seris hisses before I can say anything. My one-time friend stares at Seris with calculating blue eyes. “Seris. How lovely to see you. I suppose Raven dragged you off with him on this hare-brained adventure?” “I'm surprised you aren't coming with us,” Seris spits. She raises her weapon, the arrow pointing directly at Alex. “You traitor, why did you frame Raven?” Alex's eyes give him away. They flick to the archers in the trees, and also to the bushes around us. I can guess that we're surrounded by mercenaries, and my grip on my blade tightens. I won't go down without a fight. “Raven shouldn't have betrayed his country,” he says smoothly. Damn, he lies well. “I don't want to hurt you, Seris. It's obvious that you're innocent.” “You'd better not hurt her, Alex.” I finally find words. “Don't hurt Miran, Chris, and Calum, either. I'm the only one you want.” “They aided a traitor.” Alex's gaze switches to me with ease. There is none of the familiar warmth in his eyes. “That in itself is a traitorous action.” I grit my teeth, unable to find a response. I may not have had the extensive education that Alex has, but I know the laws well enough to recognize when he's right. Alex smiles, and it's a terrifying smile that I haven't seen before. He motions forward. “Get the traitors. Leave the woman alive, but incapacitate her.” Mercenaries come from the bushes, most of them men that I have seen and fought beside before. I slide one foot back, bringing my blade up, before they're on us. I find myself fighting three men at once. One of them is hesitant, and I take care of him first, disarming him with a quick flash of my blade and sweeping his legs from under him. A sword slices at me, and I quickly spin, blade outstretched to knock away the mercenary behind the blow. The second one tries to sneak up on me, but his lack of skill gives him away and I manage to dodge his spear's thrust. A couple quick steps back puts a bit of distance between them and me. The swordsman is on guard, while the mercenary with the spear makes a couple of experimental jabs toward me. I deflect them with ease, taking the risk of a quick glance around. My three comrades are fighting together in a defensive circle as Crow Mercenaries prowl around them. They work together almost perfectly. Miran's swordplay is definitely better than it was a month ago, Chris switches easily between offensive and defensive magic, and Calum is shooting steadily. Seris is at the edge of the clearing, in a duel with the archers. Her opponents could easily kill her, I see, but they're hampered by the occasional arrow from Calum and that order from Alex to not harm her. Seris has no such qualms. She shoots steadily, with at least two-thirds of her arrows finding targets. The persistent spear jabs again, and I again knock it to the side. Then the swordsman lunges, forcing me to step back and parry his thrust. And here comes the spearman, slicing at me. I duck, and the spear crashes into the mercenary with the sword. They both go down in a tangle of wood, steel, and limbs. I take a breath before going to help my comrades with their own fight. Maybe we'll get out of this after all.... “Raven!” Seris shouts, her grip on the arrow going slack. I whirl around as a knife from Alex spins past me. “I won't let you go,” he announces as he strides towards me. His right hand, the one with his sword, comes up in a guarding position. “It'll ruin my career if I do.” “Screw your career, what about our friendship?” I'm on guard too, watching Alex's movements warily. We're evenly matched when it comes to fighting. “Word to the wise, Raven.” Alex steps forward in a cautious slash as he speaks. “Friendship means nothing when it comes to rank.” I block the experimental slash and dodge the following knife strike. Before Alex can pull back, I move with an attack of my own, aiming for his wrist and legs. Alex either blocks or dodges all of the blows except one, which lands on his arm and scores a long, though superficial, gash. He grimaces and attempts to counter. We go back and forth for a couple of minutes, and I don't dare take my eyes off of him to check how everyone else is doing. Alex and I are just as well-matched as we were the last time we sparred, a week or so ago. The only difference now is that he obviously wants to win – he continually aims for vital points. I, on the other hand, am not sure that I want to hurt the man who was my best friend. I grit my teeth, lunging for him. He moves out of the way and my strike only grazes his neck. His knife, on the other hand, comes up and slashes at my face. My reflexes save me from losing an eye, but suddenly there's a stabbing pain in my eyebrow and blood in my left eye. Alex presses his advantage, following it up with a knife slash to my left arm. Pain lances through my arm and shoulder, nearly making me drop my blade. There is no way I'll be able to move that arm now. I switch to a right-handed grip on my blade, scoot back a couple of steps, attempt to blink the blood out of my eye, and thank the El Lady that I've practiced with both hands extensively. I ready myself for another exhausting back-and-forth, until a pained cry changes everything. Alex and I both look over at Seris, who holds herself up against a tree. A cruel arrow pokes clear through her leg. I dash over to her, but Alex gets there first, wrapping his sword arm around her and placing his knife at her throat. “I don't want to hurt her, but I will,” he warns, and I wonder again just who Alex has turned into. Seris manages to roll her eyes, even with an arrow through her leg and a knife at her throat. “He'll hurt me anyways, Raven,” she says, then is cut off with a choked scream as Alex uses his foot to poke at her arrow wound. “No talking,” he chides. I don't see anything but red. Seris' scream echoes in my ears as I lash out with my blade, all of my skill lost in my rage and desire to kill the one who hurt Seris. Caught off guard, Alex is forced to release Seris and counter my flurry of strikes. I hear Seris crumple to the ground as I drive Alex away from her. My rage makes me incautious, though, and soon Alex's blade is locked with mine, hilt to hilt. Alex grins, for some reason. Why is he grinning? A stabbing pain in my hip reminds me of the knife in his other hand. Stupid, stupid, stupid Raven! I've been fighting alongside Alex for at least three years; why did I not remember his knife? My leg gives out under me as Alex drags the knife down, then frees it and slashes at my chest. The ground rushes up to meet me. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. Where's Seris? What happened to Miran, Chris, and Calum? Still struggling to breathe against the searing pain in my chest, I manage to look over to where my friends are fighting. I'm just in time to see Chris go down, his bow snapped in half. Miran lunges out of their circle impulsively, managing to bring down two people but getting driven back by the majority of their opponents. I told him that his impulsiveness would be his death. Why didn't he listen? Calum has a magical shield over himself and Chris, but as he tries to extend it to Miran, it fails. His rod glows white-hot in his hand, then shatters, some of the iron pieces piercing Calum. He crumples to the ground in an awkward, unnatural position. Chris' back arches in pain as two different spears drive into him, one through his chest and another through his eye. There is no way he could have survived that, and even my pain-spiked brain recognizes that. Miran is now fighting furiously, but he can't defend against attacks from all sides. He goes down, bleeding from numerous slashes. I don't see his death, but I see his body as the mercenaries step back from it. Now there are three unmoving fighters on the ground. I led them here, my ignorance orchestrated their deaths. I close my eyes, then hurriedly open them as the pain spikes. Seris. Where is Seris? That question is answered as something – someone – stumbles to the ground next to me, and gentle hands are suddenly turning me over. I look up into Seris' bloodstained face. “You're hurt,” I say, and it's all I can think about for a moment. Seris grimaces, and then Alex looms over her. I open my mouth to try to warn her, but it turns into a coughing fit, and pain sears through my chest as Alex raises his knife. Protect her. I know I won't survive very long, but I still manage to raise one arm and shove Seris out of the way. Alex's knife buries itself in my left arm, the one that was already unusable, and I realize that the hoarse scream is mine. Seris is on the ground, scrambling up and putting herself between Alex and me. Alex studies her, blue eyes flickering to her pierced leg and noting the way that she can't put any weight on it. She'll be seriously at a disadvantage if Alex tries to strike. “Get out of the way,” Alex warns in a low voice. “You don't have to die today, Seris.” The sound of her name in his mouth makes me want to scream again. Oh, wait, maybe that’s the pain. “But Raven does?” she challenges him. Her voice is weaker than usual, blood still trickling from her arrow wound. “Raven is a traitor,” Alex says through gritted teeth. I can tell he's very close to losing his composure, which was never as tightly held as mine in the first place. Pain spikes through my chest and arm again, causing me to lose track of their conversation for a couple minutes. When I force myself to pay attention again, Seris has just delivered a comment that causes Alex to completely lose his temper. “You bitch,” he snarls, lunging forward. I can't protect Seris. I can't. I failed. Seris falls backward, blood spurting from a laceration across her throat. She lands on the cuts on my chest, and my vision goes black for a second before I force it to clear. Seris' lifeless eyes are staring at me, her lank, bloody blond hair spread over the ground. I want to deny it, to pretend that she'll get up in a moment, but the blood gushing from her throat and soaking my clothes says otherwise. She's a lot heavier in death than she was in life, I think, and I immediately hate myself for it. Suddenly, the weight lifts, and I'm both relieved and horrified to see Alex heaving Seris off me. Horror quickly takes over as he kneels beside me, placing his sword to the side and taking his red-stained knife in his right hand. Seris' blood is on his face, his clothes are nearly drenched with it. The sticky wetness on my own skin isn't all my blood, I know, but it's so much worse to see my one-time best friend soaked with my fiancee's blood. Alex raises the knife, centering it over my heart. I raise my chin as much as I can, trying to see the sky. I wonder why it's getting dark, then realize just how much blood I've lost. Death likely isn't very far away. “Feeling sorry for yourself yet?” Alex says softly, the words meant for only my ears. “I made sure you were the last to die.” “Get it over with,” I growl, staring at him. “I have nothing left.” Pain batters at me from so many places that I can't keep track – my chest and arm are both prominent contenders, as is my face. The debilitating guilt and pain over Seris' death will probably come later, if there is a later. “Just.... make it quick.” I look quickly at Alex's cruelly handsome face. Why did I not see the cruelty in those features earlier? Alex smiles, raising the knife a couple inches – only to set it down softly, the point just barely digging into the cuts on my chest, smile gone. “I can't do it,” he mutters, seemingly incredulous. Then he reclaims his smile, speaking a bit louder. “No, I don't think I will.” His tone is conversational, and I'm suddenly more scared than ever before. “You see, it won't be long before you die on your own, and what better way for you to die than racked with guilt over the deaths of Miran, Chris, Calum, and....” He pretends to think for a moment, like he's forgotten the final name. “Oh, Seris too, of course.” I hate him. I hate him I hate him I hate him IhatehimIhatehimIhatehim. Alex stands up, looming over me and purposely nudging my ruined arm. An agonized scream rips from my throat as pure, white-hot pain sears through me. “I'll collect your body after I deal with the traitors you left behind,” he says quietly, and leaves with his strike force trailing after him. Suddenly I don't even have the strength to keep my eyes open, and I let them half-close, keeping only a vague view of the sky. Seris is dead. My comrades are either dead or going to be dead soon. Only my best friend is still alive, and he is responsible for this carnage. I vaguely hear something, a voice, asking if I want revenge. It promises a new life if I agree, filled with vengeance and power. I don't know what it is that I'm hearing, but the tiny, tiny portion of my brain that still functions tells me that I shouldn't agree. The pain spikes again, as does my hate for Alex. I can't move, can't think, can't feel anything but the searing pain, can't hear anything but the tempting voice. It asks again. Do I want rebirth, vengeance for the wrongs done to me and the power to strike down anything that stands in my way? With what I am certain is my last breath, I manage to gasp out my answer. “Yes.” And there is nothing else.

#OH LOOK HE'S DELIRIOUS #haha i butchered Raven im sorry #elsword fanfiction #raven (elsword)#trickfiction