Fantasy [Private] El Stories

[MementoDei]

She closed her eyes as the ritual began. It wasn't painful, but the second she felt something crawl on her legs, she opened them, preparing herself to kill it. However, the snake vanished and the ritual was over. She let out a sigh of relief and took the priest's hand to stand up again. The wounds seemed to have almost completely healed and she thanked Phantom before heading back to the camp, where Allegro was being treated by Rain. Great. Just when she was thinking of keeping her cover up. The black-haired man turned towards her and thanked her for what she had tried to do for Feita.
"No problem. I only did a small favour..."
"Indeed, but we need your help once more and I'm glad you have now many companions by your side."
Lara simply nodded, ignoring how everyone looked at her in surprise. She rolled her eyes.
"It's a long story, guys, let's listen to Allegro first."
Heavengiver Late Breakthrough LegenDarius I iFlipTables Phant0m

 

[Late]

Xavier​

Xavier gave Lara a wary look but he didn't stare too long when Allegro started to clear his throat after getting a good fill out of the water.

"I am tremendously glad to find you all here. I really think I would die out in the desert without being able to help my friends back at Feita...it's just terrible," Allegro sighed, gripping onto the items he was given from Arya. "The demon invasion...its close to being a success."

"Demons..."

"The demons captured every towns south from here and our army is the only one standing in its way. But our army is weak and small, we have no other supports from neighboring towns and we tried to send a word out to Elder. Unfortunately our messager birds were shot down quickly and it wasn't long that were pushed out. In an desperate attempt, they send me to search for help as we are currently camped in a secluded area from the demons. From what I know, we are rather safe for now as the demon commander who lead the white-ghost army, Berthe, seem to disappear. We learned that they put a pause in their invasion to put in a new commander but I fear that it won't take long."

"Wait, you say that they took over the south?" Xavier questioned, slight fear creeping up in his voice.

"Yes. Every town tried to send out a plead for help but strangely the word never traveled far, and the messagers either died to an unknown plague or simply got lost on their way. Our birds never returned back or the people we send out. Its rather horrifying, almost like an outside force to trying to stop us from protecting the lands from the demons...fortunately it looks like I am the lucky one here."

Xavier felt a sudden form of anxiety building up inside of him. He had to take a moment to step out and try to calm his breathing. He was only this nervous because of his family, as majority of them are from the south. Xavier knows that the dragons have a very secluded area they all hide in. He fears that the demons managed to find them. They are powerful creatures but if the demons are really strong enough to take over the south, they might have no chance of survival. It might be too late to even consider trying to travel back to them.

Heavengiver MementoDei Phant0m

 

[MementoDei]

It was no surprise to know her efforts of purifying the shrines had been in vain. The demons had still won, but she had at least cut one of the heads of their organization down. Who knows what kind of desolate place Feita would've become if Berthe was still alive. The only good thing Allegro didn't know was her full name, but that was on the verge of changing, everyone else knew at least her first name.

And what if they found out? Was it still that important that nobody knew her old glory days as a powerful member of the Red Knights? Everyone could find at least one victory, one noble action that was tied to her name if they had not lived under a rock for the past years. Allegro knew, on the other hand, her true nature. However, Lara wanted to believe that she wasn't wrong when she had seen, many years ago, a tacit sign of trust tainted with pity from him. He had promised to never remind her what she was, what the demons had turned her into.

She frowned at the reminder that her town and everything she knew to the east and south of it had fallen. Yeah, she knew perfectly well that nothing but rumours travelled here and there and that not a single king or order moved to protect their land in time. She knew it all too well, but had to keep her rage in check until they reached Hamel and Resiam. Then, she wouldn't hold back, no matter who was in her way.

"You're very brave Mr. Allegro, to have made it this far. I'm sorry to hear that your town and many more have been struck with such a tragedy. Well, everyone, what shall we do about this?"

Allegro stared at Lara as she turned around to face her comrades. He remembered how desperate she was when she had come back from the shrine of dedication, mortally wounded, yet still on her feet and talking. She had been crying and shrieking that everything the demons had done had been her fault. It was an image that contrasted a lot from the confident voice she had today. He knew that it was better to keep quiet about her origins and the former dark water priestess seemed to wish it to stay that way. He was in no position to tell other humans the horrible curse that the demons imposed on her. He wasn't an inquisitor and Lara wasn't a witch.

Late Heavengiver Phant0m

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"So it has already spread that far...? The timing in this world is also the same as in my world."

"I wish we can ditch Altera and go straight to Feita, but there's that issue."

She stares at the spores covering his hands. Allegro catches her gaze and shakes his hands.

"Miss Rain, what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, Allegro. Just thinking about something. Those spores...are those from Alterasias?"

Being careful not to touch the spores, Rain examines his hand, slowly nodding when she confirms what they are. Lara asks what they should do, and Rain suddenly feels the urge to do something different.

"Let's not spend too much time in Altera then. Allegro, we'll escort you back to Feita."

Rain had observed the exchange between Allegro and Lara. It was not surprising that he knew her. The dancer learned quickly that ever since the demon invasion, everything flows to Feita.

"Thank you, Miss Rain. We would be eternally grateful if you can lend your services to us again."

"I would be happy to help, but I'm afraid I have my own agenda to fulfill, so I won't stay for long."

"That's a shame..."

Rain nods solemnly as she goes to pack up her stuff. She cannot stay in this world. That much she is already committed to. Seeing Allegro and how far he's come brings back familiar memories, though.

MementoDei Late Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom leaned on his staff, listening to the conversation. He would have responded to Xiopetec out loud, but something within the priest had him silent for a moment. At Lara's question, he tilted his head. What should they do? Help the people of course. Even if Phantom knew that a group of them didn't deserve it. His family frequented the south more than any of the other towns they stayed at, and Phantom knew that there was a high chance of him encountering them there.

"I'm with Rain," He finally said. Phantom grabbed his portion of breakfast and sat down, splitting it in half to give to Allegro, "Here. You need to get your strength up to travel. Healing magic can only do so much with the current state your body's in." The priest began to eat.

Heavengiver MementoDei Late

 

[Late]

"We...need to move fast..." Xavier mumbled. "Time is running out..."

All in his mind was to check on those dragons, to be sure that they're completely safe. That was all he cares about.

"Don't get yourself distracted now," Perkisas growled. Though Perkisas felt a bit unsettled as he received a wave of negative emotions from Xavier.

Xavier ignored Perkisas as he checked on his belongings, noting that he need to stock up on mana potions. Though Xavier does have steady flow of mana gain whenever he is resting. That may be sufficient for now.

"I need to leave," Xavier said to the group, making sure he got his own personal belongings with him.

Heavengiver MementoDei Phant0m

 

[Breakthrough]

"What, now?" Arya asked Xavier as she glanced up at him. There was a hint of surprise in her voice, and she wanted to ask him what was wrong. She reached out and grabbed onto his shoulder with a slight frown. "If you need back up, I can go with you so you're not alone." Arya offered. She had nothing to do and no reason to go to Feita anymore, but she would still have to go to Velder eventually, but she was allowed to help out comrades when she felt the need.

Late

 

[MementoDei]

Lara nodded, agreeing with what Phantom had said. Xavier's reaction was, however, strangely familiar to what she would've done if she had truly learnt until now that her town was under the control of the demons. There was nothing she could do to stop Xavier, but letting him go as unstable as he was now wasn't for the best for him. He would be dead meat on his own, but if he did survive everything, his power would've gotten much stronger. Lara wasn't planning on falling behind, but it would be difficult to measure the threat that Xavier would pose if he left so suddenly. She could keep a golem following him around, but that would inevitably blow her cover up faster than having Rena suddenly joining the team.

"Xavier. Take care." She said, pretending to be saddened and powerless for his decision before Arya caught up with him to stop him. Well, that increased his chances of survival, but Lara couldn't tell by how much. In the best scenario, Xavier would go berserk and kill Arya before falling to a horde of demons. In case they made it or even if one of them made it back, his or her level of power would've increased considerably. It wasn't exactly the best outcome, but at least she had one less immediate worry on her hands.

"Very well, Rain. I'll go with you." She said as she packed once more her things and got closer to the remaining members. As expected, Steele was still sleeping. That was certainly a good moment to get rid of him if the time came.

"Let's head to Pilgrim's gateway then, after we manage to wake that merc up... if that's even possible."
Phant0m Heavengiver Late I iFlipTables LegenDarius Breakthrough

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

Rain stares at Xavier and Arya, frowning as she watches the boy panic. Lara decides not to go with the two, and she already told Allegro that she'll help him.

"Okay, Xavier. I'll meet you in Feita, then. Arya, please take care of him."

A sudden thought came into her head. She pulls out the El shard from her time with the Inspector and tosses it over to the dragon boy, hiding the fact that the El has no influence on her.

"Here, take this. It'll be more useful to you than to me."

She glances over to the sleeping mercenary and his supposed love interest. Bending down to them, Rain firmly tries to shake them awake, sighing when they don't move.

"Hey, Steele, Airi. Wake up before my other self takes over and blow your ears off again."

Late Breakthrough MementoDei LegenDarius I iFlipTables Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom looked to Xavier. "Alone? In a desert? Towards a horde of demons?" He asked incredulously as he grabbed his sleeping bag.

"I can go with you, Xavier. Having a healer on the team is really helpful, just in case something happens," The priest said as he ignored Xiopetec's warnings going off in his head. She wasn't screeching them like she did with Lara, but it was still annoying. He'll give the boy a chance, damn it! The priest looked to the others and he frowned. He figured he'll go with whoever will have him, they were all going to meet in Feita anyway.

Late Breakthrough Heavengiver MementoDei I iFlipTables LegenDarius

 

[Late]

"Hm...fine. I guess both of you can come along. Plus, I think this is a fair number since Allegro probably need lots of hands to aid him. Also, the fewer the better, if we can make it there," Xavier said. He was surprised that the large chuck of El shard was tossed to him by Rain, nearly dropping it. He nodded his head in small gratitude and put away the shard in a safe place. "I pray I don't have to use it but we'll see." Xavier paused for a moment. "Well...safe travels to you three then, and same goes for the sleeping two. Hopefully, we all be in one piece at the time we meet back together." He paused again, unsure if he was forgetting something because it was such a rush. Xavier sighed and eventually turn around as he was ready to walk. "Let's get going then, Phantom, Arya."

"Your personal issues is going to blind you and lead you right to your death."

'Won't you worry as well? They are your species too.'

"Yes, but I don't belong in this dimension and have no relation with them," Perkisas growled.

'...Trust me. Please. They might help us.'

Perkisas continued to growl in annoyance but slowly he went silent.

Heavengiver MementoDei Breakthrough Phant0m

 

[KizayaTaishuro]

He knew it would be an almost foolish decision to stand for his own life, but was that not what humans do? What every living being did? They were born, they breathed, they sensed the world, and they grow, and they decide.

"I won't stand by your side," he started. "But I know who I want to protect. This life has been mine from the very start, but I have continuously allowed others to manipulate me like a puppet on strings. That's not going to happen anymore, I won't allow this world to fall as long as I have someone to protect!"

Fume

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom nodded and he waved his goodbye to the others as he fell into step with Xavier. The priest gave a small frown when Xiopetec gave him a backhanded compliment. "Well you can't do much," He muttered, "Just trust me ok? I can't always listen to you when I have my own instincts to follow."

Then the priest fell silent once more, pulling up his scarf and hood to shield himself from the sun and the desert sand blowing in the wind.

Late Breakthrough

 

[Fume]

"Good. That's good. You made the first step, now follow that road until the very end and protect that person. Don't let them manipulate you anymore or you'll just go back to the way you were before, a puppet with strings attached." He looked to the side, a small glance into the night and a smaller one to the rock formation below.

"You know, I'm almost certain that I'll be the next commander in Feita. When that happens I won't be able to protect you or Add or even Rena from the demon realm, since they are watching my movements. As you can deduce, the only time I'm free of duty is when I'm 'taking care of my business', but I have a limited time for that. And my time is running out, that's why Oblivio I'm going to ask you a favor. You don't have to do it, but you're the closest ally I'll ever get around here. Keep an eye on them.

In the end I might end up being an enemy to everyone, even if I don't want to." He walked away with his eyes down. He had no choice in the matter, not while he was still branded as a slave and being controlled as such.

Hopefully he'd reach Altera and spend what little of his time left with the three of them. He couldn't tell Rena nor Add out of them trying to track him down, Oblivio on the other hand didn't have enough attachment to him and hence he could disclose information to him without worrying much of him opening his mouth.

As he returned to Rena he looked at his plate, somewhat disappointed.

"Is something wrong, Dust?" She asked confused to his expression.

"Nothing, just eat up. We'll resume training after we eat." He responded while taking a bite of his salad, he wished that there would be more in his plate, but kept it quiet on the subject.

As he ate he noticed her eyes looking down, probably thinking something doubtful. Still he didn't ask, even if Samael tried to tell him to inquire.

"We'll train all night, by tomorrow we should be closing by Altera if Add goes full speed. By that time, we'll probably encounter resistance, don't let your guard down." He warned while taking a few more bites.

"Yeah..." She nonchalantly said while finishing her meal.

Samael rustled impatiently, telling him to just ask her.

"Do you miss them?" He asked due to Samael's bickering.

"Hmm? Miss who?" She asked a little surprised. In Rena's mind she thought if she could be easily read.

"Who do you think? Your old party. Dragon boy, the siren and that warrior." He calmly told her while finishing his own unfulfilling meal.

"What? I don't miss them, I promi-"

"Don't lie to me, if there's one thing I hate is people lying to me and to themselves." He showed a displeased expression as she tried to fool both of them in a attempt to console their minds.

"I... sorry." She apologized while feeling ashamed for trying to lie.

"You don't have to worry much, the dragon boy and siren are fine. The warrior, however, is nowhere to be seen. I don't know what happened to him and don't even care that much, but your original party is fine. Don't worry about them." He explained while taking a sip from his water.

"That's good to hear..." She replied with a small smile.

"If, and I really mean if, you join them again don't for a moments notice let them see that you haven't changed, show them a more confident side, a stronger willed and a much more assured stance to them." He encouraged her while finishing his drink. "Show them that the you from the past has moved forward and can now help them much better."

"You're right, I need to show them!" She said with her spirits lifted.

"Good, let's begin the training then." He snapped his fingers and chains moved on her legs. She let go a moan of displeasure since they made her slightly heavier. "We'll head into a new room, that way we can practice all that we want."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day came and things remained the same. Dust would take over and they would fly faster every time, even if it meant crossing over the road towards the Island.

Add was doing simple and complex tests on the samples that they got and actually got some results, although they only proved that the anomalies were present in Carna's corruption.

"Maybe this makeshift lab isn't producing the amount of desirable results because it's not equipped with what we want, plus we're low on resources to investigate. I guess we truly need to wait until we reach Altera to get somewhere." He theorized while seeing the Elf doing some stretches, waiting for Dust to return and continue to practice.

"The both of you have been spending a lot of time together, tell me is it rough sparring with the hybrid?" He asked a little curious.

"It's tough, since he's really strict, not to mention rough, but I can't complain. He's just making sure that the next time I see my friends they'll be surprised by how much I've grown." She responded while finishing her warm up. "You and Oblivio should train with him sometime, maybe you'll become stronger too, though be careful of him, he's very aggressive." A piece of sweat dribbled from her cheek to her neck.

"I'll think about it..." He didn't really think that was a good idea. "If I thought it right, we should be over passing the crossroad between Altera and Feita. We might arrive in record time."

"Really? What's Altera like?" She asked curiously.

"How am I suppose to know? I've never been there." He responded back while tinkering with his dynamos.

"Hey, how did you and Dust met each other?" She asked again, while he briefly stopped his tinkering for a moment.

"He rescued me, let's leave it at that." He responded while resuming his work.

"Rescued? He saved you from something?"

"I said leave it at that. Besides, you should ask him not me." He annoyingly responded while moving towards his Nasod Armor.

"I would, but I wanna hear from you instead. He'd probably wouldn't speak much." She countered while waiting for an answer.

"Next time. I'll tell you next time." He decided to give her some false hope.

"I'll hold your word to it then!" She replied back with some joy on her tone.

"If she's related to you hybrid, then I see no connection." He thought in his head while finishing the tuning.

K KizayaTaishuro ChibiSkye

 

[MementoDei]

The second day of travel was calmer than the first. The group was divided, and it was in a way better that way. The sun was at its peak as they crossed Dicey sky road. It was wise to alert Dust of what had happened, and maybe get some interesting information in exchange. She went away from the rest of the group after finishing her lunch, telling them that she would scout the area so they could continue their way normally. Once at the top of the highest pile of rocks, at least five kilometres from their camp, she began to meditate and used the sound of rain to alert Dust of her presence. Then, she began to speak softly:

"The group has divided. The priest I talked about the other day serves a certain goddess called Xiopetec. Besides that she controls snakes, I don't have much info on her. Now, Rain, Ren, Airi and myself are going to Feita. The others are headed to the south, if you ask me. The Dragon boy is worried about the demon invasion in that area and the priest is with him. I'd think they'd be dead meat if Rain didn't give to Perkisas' shell a huge El shard. It seems that Rain wants to go to Altera as soon as possible, so expect her arrival in a week from now or so. I don't like that village, so don't count me by her side whenever she decides to go. On the other hand, should I congratulate you yet? According to Berthe, it seems that many demon commanders hold you in great esteem. Maybe enough to take some other commander's place. That changes many things between us, so let's talk about it, in the eventuality that you become the new Feita Commander."

Fume

 

[Late]

As they traveled through the dry lands, Xavier would very often check if the two were following along and close by. The heat doesn't bother him in the slightless, it actually puts comfort into his nerves. Everyone seems to handle the desert fairly well and Xavier ended up feeling a bit glad he got a small group with him. Without a doubt, he definitely going to have a hard time trying to get by the demons on his own and it was likely he will be followed by them when trying to search for his home. Xavier needs all the help he can get, plus if he brought a bigger group, the dragons might react differently. He only fears two things at the moment; being cornered by the demons and the dragons viewing his allies as enemies, especially Cornelius. Cornelius was always a troubled dragon and the sight of humans entering into his domain might trigger him. He prays that Cornelius will first listen to him before laying out his judgment.

"So, Phantom, I don't know much about you. Tell me about yourself," Xavier said to the priest, wanting to get a conversation going and to have some knowledge about the strange man.

Breakthrough Phant0m

 

[Breakthrough]

The journey was a mostly quiet one, Arya noticed. She was stuck in her head about the other dragons. What were they like? She knew they must be tall as buildings - taller even! But would they talk to her and Phantom? Would they try to take Star from her? That was the one thing she was worried about. Even just a few days together, Arya felt attached to the hatchling, and she had a feeling Star would try to fight just to stay with them. Arya frowned. She didn't know what she would do if Star were taken from her.

"Relax, mama" Star reassured as she nuzzled her head under Arya's chin, bringing the human woman from her thoughts with a smile. Arya stroked Star's neck softly, whispering a sot thank you.

Arya perked up when Xavier asked Phantom about himself. She was curious about him as well. He seemed interesting, and the goddess he worshipped.

Phant0m Late

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom pulled down the scarf over his nose and mouth so Xavier and Arya could hear him better. "Well, I'm a nomad, so I travel a lot. I don't stay in one place for more than a couple of days...unless I have a huge job going in a certain town. I'm just constantly moving in general. I don't like staying still really," He answered as he twirled his staff.

"I'm also a priest: Xiopetec is my goddess. She's the guardian of the path of life, and she generally protects everyone dead and alive." The priest shrugged, "Um...what else do you want to know about me?"

Breakthrough Late

 

[Fume]

As Dust upped the speed of the airship, he started hearing rain out of nowhere.

"The sky is clear, why would I... Tureen." He concluded while wearing the horn necklace that she gave him, letting both of his hands to control the ship and communicate freely. She spoke softly as she informed him about the diverging paths that they took. Half was going to Feita and the other half towards the dragons that they kept under watch. Then she started to ask if she should congratulate him, sharing that Berthe told her that many commanders hold him in a high plate.

"The moment I become the new commander, is the moment we'll become enemies. Before you ask, no I'm not going back on my word and calling the alliance off, it's just something that is beyond my control. Ask Berthe if you want, after all, me and him are slaves. If we do see each other, fight back with everything you have. What they'll probably do will be to push my body beyond my limits, to the point where moving will be painful. You have been warned." He warned while decreasing the speed a notch.

"For your own sake, I won't carry your horn with me anymore. Don't try to contact me, they know that I'm plotting something and you trying to contact me will be known, they'll probably try to assassinate you by tracing you and whatever allies that I have, even her." The image of Rena popped up on his mind. "I pray that we won't fight, but the chances are too high for it to happen. Run if you can't beat me, your survival is more important, don't die before you face Ran. Alright?" He asked while turning slightly to the left.

MementoDei

 

[Late]

"How about your experiences on the battle field. You said that you're a healer so I am a bit curious on how you fight in a battle. Or you're just more of a support kind of priest?" Xavier asked to Phantom.

Komodo find some sort of enjoyment in playing around the sand, often kicking them up or diving into them. He is going to be tough to clean up.

Breakthrough Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

"I'm not just support. I can fight too," Phantom said as he put his staff in front of him, "I can use magic to make my staff a scythe. Sometimes I just use spells, depends on my mood and my mana. I only had a couple of battles with some demons I bumped into....and a trader that thought I stole some of his merchandise. I wasn't even near his caravan at the time of the robbery, and Xiopetec was furious for a bit. I was really mad too. I'm not a crook." The priest huffed.

Late Breakthrough

 

[LegenDarius]

"Hey, Steele, Airi. Wake up before my other self takes over and blow your ears off again."

That one line shocked Ren awake, and he got up out of the sleeping back with his hands up. "Alright alright..." he said groggily. It took a while for him see what was going on. He had yet to rub the sleep off his eyes. Not to mention fix his disheveled hair. "Why is everyone dressed? You guys are leaving already? I'm still sticking with Rain..."

He got up out his sleeping bag. Or tried to, at least. Airi as out cold right next to him. "Hey..." he tried shaking her. "It's time to leave... *yawn*"

With that, he prepared his items and followed Rain into Altera.

I iFlipTables Heavengiver (idk who to tag. Stuff's been crazy)

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

She felt more out of place than all of the other times she's been in this world. Her hand rubs the rim of Ash's hat as a means of comfort, but she's fighting the urge to sigh every five seconds. The walk to Altera was quiet and unsettling to her. When they settled down to eat lunch, she silently chewed down her sandwich.

"You look pitiful."

"Be quiet."

Her other self stares at her, worried. Casually taking over her body, the siren starts to sing an innocent children's song in an attempt to cheer her up.

"I dream of the morning.
It's not time yet. It's not time yet.
What color will the morning be?
It's not time yet. It's not time yet.
The night is only half-eaten.
Where is the child that slumbers?
Now good morning to you, Nightmare.
And now the bad dreams will never come again."

MementoDei LegenDarius I iFlipTables

Disclaimer: Song is Not Yet from Madoka Rebellion.

 

[Late]

"Huh interesting," Xavier said as he slowly nodded his head. He then turned over to Arya who was staying quiet throughout the travel. "I believe I don't know much about you either," he commented. "I heard you got an old grumpy man? He is a mentor or something?"

Breakthrough Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom hummed. "Actually, this is a good way to get to know each other," He said as they all walked.

Breakthrough Late