The Way Back

"Perhaps both, Kelphy."

---

Lucien slams into the ground with a thud and groans.

---

Alto doesn't break his glance, "Become my ally."

*Crowley throws some more knives at the Nymph, covered in purple energy*

*Kentaro sprouts a pair of wings from his back, pushing the monster away. Turning around he then fires at it.*

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*Kari crashes to the floor. Groaning she begins to pick herself up.*

[I can do this. This isn't anything that I haven't faced before. ]

~Kentaro & Allina~

*It attempts to duck but isn't fast enough and a bullet goes through its neck. They all turn invisible. Allina opens her arms and refracts what little light there is, making them visible, but translucent. Two of them are halfway through a leap towards Kentaro, weilding their ninjakos, and the other three are behind her, including the one Kentaro injured.*

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~Kari & Lucien~

*Since the battle and especially the huge monster crashing down shattered most of the mirrors, the floor is covered in a layer of shattered glass for about half a mile all around. Beyond they can't see much other than darkness. A finger runs down Kari's neck. A man stands behind her. He has bronze skin, long pointy ears except longer and more crooked than those of the typical elf, dark green eyes, and shaggy shoulder-lenght black hair. He's wearing black armor plates over a simple leather set of shorts and shirt, and weidling a large black bow whose ends are shaped like the the head of an eagle, though he isn't carrying a quiver. He grins over her shoulder.*

???: <Not a fan of fluffy creatures?>

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~Alto & Crowley~

*The dragon groans like it's trying to speak too and doesn't break his glare. The Nymph's way too fucked up to dodge all of the knives and two go right through her chest, causing her to shriek in pain. She charges at Crowley, shooting a jet of highly pressurized water at him from her mouth.*

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~Creed & Kelphy~

???: <I've been looking for you, my princess.>

*Kelphy's expression of surprise shifts to a frown.*

Kelphy: <...Who are you?>

???: <Starting with the questions already? My, I was hoping I could go first. Though, to be perfectly honest, there isn't much more I can ask than if you'd like to run away while you can, and, for further honesty's sake, I wouldn't keep my word even if you did.>

Kelphy: <So you're here to kill us.>

???: <So glad you catched on, cutie.>

Kelphy: <Isn't Origin strong enough to fight us himself?>

???: <Aren't you strong enough to fight most enemies you put your soldiers up against?>

*Kelphy grits her teeth and nods to Creed.*

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~Derek~

???: <Hmmm. I don't know, have we?>

*She leaps down from the rock, lifiting a cloud of sand when landing. She walks out of it towards Derek, giggling.*

???: <Nah, but isn't that a shame? Meeting a King of Verte would've done wonders to my reputation in the Alleailma.>

*She stops, pulls on her hair a bit, and then hops up and down a couple times. She then holds her right hand out a plain black broadsword, about twice as long as the typical one, materializes in it.*

???: <How's your swordsmanship, Your Royal Squishyness?>

*Crowley jumps over the water coming at him and lands on the right of the Nymph, throwing a sword of purple energy at it horizontally.*

*Kentaro takes flight, firing a laser at one that was leaping at him and sweeping it across to the other.*

=====================================================

*Kari turns around pointing her gun at the mysterious stranger, gritting her teeth through all the glass.*

Lucien brushes the glass off his body and points his swords at the stranger.

---

"Sounds like you're pretty arrogant" Creed says as ice travels up his sword giving it a hard, cold edge.

---

Alto maintains eye contact, "What would you do when Origin falls then? Return?"

~Kentaro & Allina~

*Kentaro kills the first he shoots at and blasts the other away, but not before it hurls a barrage of shuriken at him. Allina's skin starts glowing so intensely it blinds the enemies around her, allowing her to stab the already injured one through with her rapier. It Returns, and the other two turn slash at her blindly.*

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~Kari & Lucien~

???: <Easy, easy...>

*The stranger's body flickers for a fraction of second and he's suddenly standing behind Lucien and Kari, holding his bow up pointing at them.*

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~Alto & Crowley~

*The dragon groans again and exhales small puffs of smoke from his nostrils, looking kind of frustrated.*

[Luna: <What are you doing?>]

*The sword goes through the Nymph and she shrieks once again, then melts and Returns.*

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~Creed & Kelphy~

???: <Sounds like you're pretty rude. Me and my princess are having an extremely important talk here, buddy.>

*Kelphy raises an arm and her hand glows blue.*

Kelphy: <If you're here to fight, we'll fight!>

???: <...He ruined the mood, didn't he?>

*Kentaro flies higher, firing bullets the monsters.*

=====================================================

*Kari whirls around, still keeping her gun on the mysterious stranger.*

Sorry, thought I could get a dragon on our side. I'll get back to business now.

"I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, command thee, who opens the gates of hell. Come forth, divine light! Roar out! Indignation!!" a seal forms under Alto and the dragon before the sky cracks and a pillar of blue light smaller but somehow more impressive than the one he dropped on the city descends upon the wyvern. Alto doesn't blink once as he casts the spell and the wyvern is engulfed in the light of Luna.

---

"Tch" Lucien utters with irritation.

---

"Go die, asshole."

*Crowley sighs and stays back to watch Alto finish up his fight as well.*

~Kentaro & Allina~

*Allina flies over to Kentaro and holds her hands out, shooting off light chains to bind the enemies and allowing Kentaro to shoot them dead one by one. Once they all Return, she lands back on the platform.*

Allina: <Okay. Now... we're still lost.>

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~Kari & Lucien~

???: <Let's do this.>

*He flickers again and teleport several yards back, charing an arrow of black energy in his large bow.*

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~Alto & Crowley~

*After all of the flashes of light and what not, the dragon is lying down taking up most of the mesa with his entire body covered in bad burns. It is, however still breathing, its eyes shutting themselves closed.*

[Luna: <Infernal Wyverns are some of the most resistant monsters in the magic world. I think you should've searched its back for the core instead of using some much of your power.]

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~Creed & Kelphy~

???: <Excuse me?>

*The dragon darts down towards the mysterious man, who leaps away to dodge it and then breathes in and exhales a storm of fire at its base, evaporating it and causing Kelphy and Creed to drop to a free fall.*

I wasn't trying to kill it.

Alto walks over to the wyvern and lays a hand on its head as it returns. "I guess I'm feeling the ties to Mysteria stirring in me huh, Luna?" Alto says outloud.

---

"Yes, lets" Lucien counters with his own arrow of darkness.

---

Creed releases a blast of ice mist that creates a pillar with a slide on it. They land on the slide and slide safely downward. "Bastard!"

"Then we just keep following the path."

=====================================================

*Kari fires a laser at the mysterious stranger.*

Derek: <Oh dear...>

*He draws his sword, and points it at the girl.*

Derek: <I think it's good enough to beat you.>

~Kentaro & Allina~

*She looks around at the neverending pillars and darkness surrounding them all around.*

Allina: <Yes, let us do that... wait, I have an idea.>

*A green magic circle appears on the surface of the pillar beneath her and the three Sylphs dart upwards out of it, hovering around Allina.*

Sword Sylph: <You want us to try to find the exit, right?>

Allina: <Eeee-xactly. Thanks a bunch.>

*They fly off in different directions.*

Allina: <Meanwhile, which way to do we go?>

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~Kari & Lucien~

*He shoots off his arrow and, as it approaches the incoming laser and arrow, it starts glowing brighter and pulls them in, the three exploding and raising a cloud of smoke. The stranger teleports once again, this time back behind Kari, and grabs at her neck.*

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~Alto & Crowley~

*The dragon gives him one last sad look before committing suicide by stepping backwards off the edge of the mesa. Everything is silent again, except someone is standing on the rocky bridge faux Allina crossed to reach them from a neighbouring mesa. It's an extremely attractive middle aged female with very light blonde hair fully caught up in a poof hairstyle except for two curtains framing her face over her ears that go down to her waist, light blue eyes, bronze skin, and elven ears that are longer and more crooked than those of the typical elf. She's wearing a short dark blue tube dress with a zipper down the front and a vertical cut down the front and back parts of the bottom so as to prevent it from restraining her movements. The zipper is opened down to in between her large glowy-ish breasts and she is also wearing black short gloves and black long boots with needle heels.*

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~Creed & Kelphy~

*Kelphy holds a hand out and Undine's trident appears twirling in it.*

Kelphy: <Who or what are you?>

???: <Dante All'Elf, much obliged.>

[Celsius: <That's... Creed, I think we're in trouble.>]

[Undine: <An actual All'Elf?>]

*Kelphy dashes forward, preparing to swing her trident at him, but he holds his hand out and strikes her with a large lightning bolt, sending her flying backwards into Creed with a grunt.*

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~Derek~

???: <Seems doubtful. Good swordsmanship or not, the simple fact a squishy thinks he can defeat an All'Elf is pathetic by itself.>

[Efreet: <Alleailma... All'Elf... Derek, you need to be very careful. If she really is an All'Elf, she could have tremendous power.]

"All'elf? That's something you don't see every day" Alto comments after burning the memory of the dragon into his mind. He made a note that after this he was going to raise dragons as a hobby. Perhaps they'd be useful to Alda or Sephira?

"Origin has powerful allies. Crowley, now's a good time to start asking Maxwell how to fully tap into his power, you're, we're going to be needing it."

---

Lucien aims a well placed kick at the guy's midsection.

---

All'elf? I've never heard of such a...

"Ouuufff!" Kelphy flew into him and he caught her with a grunt himself.

"Up?"

=====================================================

*Kari scoops up a handful of glass and throws it at the mysterious stranger's face.*

Crowley: <Ermm... why did you bring this up all of a sudden? Aren't we good enough as it is?>

~Kentaro & Allina~

Allina: <All righty.>

*Allina flies upwards and Kentaro presumably follows. It's only a few seconds before they lose sight of the crowd of pillars down below in the complete darkness.*

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~Kari & Lucien~

*The guy sidesteps Lucien's attack, closing his eyes as Kari throws the glass and grunting when t makes several small cuts in his face. He teleports several yards above them and shoots a large arrow of black energy down at them before teleporting back to the ground, a ways behind them.*

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~Alto & Crowley~

*He woman starts walking towards them, her boobs jiggling a little at each step she takes on her needle heels. She runs a finger down her left long curtain of hair and smirks, looking from Crowley to Alto.*

???: <Well, hello there.>

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~Creed & Kelphy~

Kelphy: <Thank you.>

*Kelphy whips her hand forward, shooting three large spheres of pressurized water at Dante. He holds his arms out, raising a thick wall of flames to evaporate the water, but the water is too pressurized and it shoots right through the flames, one of the spheres hitting him in the torso and sending him flying backwards several yards and sinking into the ocean upon falling.*

"Because All'elf's are strong... really strong" Alto says drly.

---

"Shit!" Lucien dodges.

---

Creed slams his hand down and sends a row of ice spikes along the water traveling bellow and above it.

Derek: <If I can keep you in check, I think I can beat this girl.>

*He points his sword at the girl, and motions for her to make the first move.*

Crowley: <I doubt I'll have the time to talk with Maxwell right now...>

"This isn't what I expected."

[Can you tell if anyone else is nearby, Dragon?]

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*Kari scrambles to her feet, with a bunch of glass in her legs it's quite difficult.*

~Kentaro & Allina~

Allina: <No kidding.>

[Bahamut ZERO: <Actually, now that you mention it, I do feel something... it's strong magic but it's very distant...>]

*Allina looks around and frowns.*

Allina: <This is mighty creepy!>

[Bahamut ZERO: <Huh--Kentaro, it's becoming a lot closer every second, I don't get it but this is bad!]

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~Kari & Lucien~

???: <This is taking longer than I expected.>

*He lets go of the bow and it shifts to an horizontal position, hovering in front of the man. An aura of black energy shaped somewhat like a bat forms around it and it darts towards Kari, shooting off a black energy whip that tries to wrap around her. Meanwhile, the man teleports behind Lucien and swings a quick high kick at his throat.*

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~Alto & Crowley~

[Maxwell: <Crowley, this is serious. The only one who has ever actually seen or been with the All'Elves before this was Origin. But we all sensed their existence... such dark magic cannot be denied. If you don't focus, make no mistake, you will die.>]

*The woman shifts her feet as she materializes two red tooth swords, which causes her breasts to slam together. She lets go of the swords, leaving them hovering, and rubs her breasts some, making a frown down at them, before grabbing hold of the swords again.*

???: <Ladies first.>

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~Creed & Kelphy~

*A giant lightning bolt shoots out of the water as he darts into the sky, shattering the spikes. He laughs frantically, Kelphy gritting her teeth and darting upwards atop the head of another large serpent dragon of water.*

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~Derek~

*She holds the blade vertically in front of her face and licks at it a couple times like it's ice cream or a lollipop. She then shrieks some kind of war cry and dashes towards Derek, swinging the large sword at him while a black rock spike bursts from the sand behind him towards his back.*