The Way Back

Crowley: [So what should I do, then?]

Alto watches them jiggle briefly before raising an eyebrow, "For an All'elf you're surprisingly lacking in evil intent huh?" Alto levels his blade and relaxes his breathing not because he was letting his guard down but because he needed to not panic here.

---

Lucien spins and blocks the kick with one of his own, "Nice kick."

---

Creed grits his teeth before launching a barrage of icicles at the All'elf.

*Derek quickly glances backwards, which causes an explosion to burst open the spike and disperse it into little globs of mud all around him.*

Derek: <Is that your best?>

*He lunges towards the girl, but quickly sidesteps around her in an attempt to catch her off guard, and delivers a quick slash.*

[For a big machine-like dragon, you're kind of a wuss.]

"Something's close and it's not good."

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

*Kari fires at the bat things its appendages.*

~Kentaro & Allina~

*He hears a loud growl inside his head and his ears hurt a little.*

[Bahamut ZERO: <I'm just saying it's really fast! "Wuss". Hmph.]

Allina: <That is really speci-->

*A figure darts in front of Allina at rocket speed and punches her down, sending her crashing down and disappearing into the pitch darkness. It's a short, young teenaged boy with short messy silver hair, light green eyes, bronze skin, longer crooked elven ears, who's wearing a black hooded robe and plain sandals. He smirks to Kentaro, hovering there as they hear the Sylphs' voices approaching in the distance.*

=====
~Kari & Lucien~

*The bow shoots a black energy arrow that sucks all of the bullets in and grows as it rockets towards Kari.*

???: <Heh.>

*He retracts the kick the strikes Lucien's leg away with his right hand while ramming his left one into his throat.*

=====
~Alto & Crowley~

[Maxwell: <Since you can't run, I suggest fighting. But that's just me.>]

???: <I wish you'd live long enough to realize how wrong you are... unfortunately, I'm not the most pacient All'Elf.>

*She steps forward and holds her swords out towards the two.*

???: <Hurry!>

=====
~Creed & Kelphy~

*He shoots a large fireball at the icicles, which Kelphy intercepts by leading the dragon in front of it. When the icicles dart through the dragon, the water it is made of pressurizes even further to shoot the cicles even faster. The enemy dodges, but one grazes his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he darts down and rams a hand into the serpent dragon, releasing a powerful thunder bolt that spreads down to the ocean and Creed. The dragon bursts and Kelphy shrieks loudly before falling down through the sky, covered in burns.*

=====
~Derek~

*She throws herself back, somehow blocking the slash above her torso with her back and head almost touching the sand, but still standing on her feet alone. She then steps aside and straightens herself before rock spikes spring out of her blade and she swings it at Derek's back.*

"Didn't mean to insult you there" Alto levels his sword slightly to the side. "You're just more amicable than the monstrous stories I've heard. Let's have a good fight" he smiled before his body cracked with energy.

Luna. Its time.

"Luna, I call you forth into this realm. Come to my aid."

---

His fist slams into shadows which dissolve into snakes coiling around the All'elf's arm.

Lucien is standing slightly to the left of where he was. He doesn't say anything as the All'elf is caught in his illusion.

---

Creed launches himself skyward with an ice pillar that shatters soon after his feet leave it. He catches Kelphy and lands some distance away. "Powerful fucker isn't he?"

*Kentaro holds on tightly to the Jade Rabbit and rockets at after Allina.*

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

*Kari curls the wings that I'm saying she still has as I forgot if she does not around herself to act as a shield of sorts.*

*Crowley jumps back a bit quickly throws a few aura-covered knives at the All'Elf.*

~Kentaro & Allina~

Jade Rabbit: <Kenta... I'm worried about my Guardian.>

*Allina's about to crash into a pillar when Kentaro reaches her. The All'Elf's comes darting down after them at high speed but the three Sylphs slam into him surrounded by a single sphere of pressurized air, knocking him off-course.*

=====
~Kari & Lucien~

*The All'Elf widens his eyes in surprise and the floor starts sort of melting, turning into some kind of dark mud substance that starts pulling Lucien and Kari in. He then teleports above the battle.*

???: <(So it was an illusion... I knew his magic felt different.) But your tricks won't work against someone as powerful as myself!>

=====
~Alto & Crowley~

*A large yellow glyph appears on the ground beneath Alto and a bright column of light descends from the sky, Luna slowly appearing within it. She lands beside Alto, observing the All'Elf.*

Luna: <I'm here, Alto.>

???: <Ah, an Aeldi. I knew the day would come when we'd have to fight Origin's little puppets. What I didn't know was we'd be fighting for him when rather than against him.>

=====
~Creed & Kelphy~

Kelphy: <...Y-Yes. Thank you.>

*She stands up andlooks up at the All'Elf, ignoring her burns. He holds his arms out and two beams of light shoot down from his palms, one yellow and one red. Upon reaching Creed and Kelphy they morph into two large lions, one made of fire and the other of lightning. They hover around the two, roaring.*

"Its a honor to fight by your side as always mother" Alto smiled. The fact that he called Luna mother again was a sign of how serious he was taking this battle. It also may have served a second purpose to let the All'elf know that Alto wasn't ordinary in the least.

---

"Are you sure about that?" the shadows around the elf all turned into Lucien's in various states of decay and the one he tried to pull down popped and bubbled. Shadow hands wretched Kari free however and the real Lucien struck from above firing down a rain of black arrow tips.

---

"He's strong but we have something he doesn't" Creed smiled and held his hand out, "Lets dance, come forth Celsius!"

*Crowley runs at the All'Elf and quickly appears behind her, sword raised and blazing on fire with the purple energy. He brings the sword down, attempting to run her through her chest in one move.*

Light chains wrap around Crowley's neck and drag his ass away and fling him roughly behind Alto saving his ass from a gruesome death due to his reckless actions. "Stay out of this fight."

"Don't you worry, we'll find her once we're done with this guy."

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

*Kari fires a laser at the whatever it's called.*

~Kentaro & Allina~

Jade Rabbit: <Okay!>

Allina: <Th-Thanks, Kenta. That was scary.>

*The bow Sylph is hurled at Kentaro at high speed out of the darkness, shrieking. The All'Elf rockets in front of them, holding the other two one in each hand. He starts squeezing them, causing them to squirm and shriek before vanishing.*

=====
~Kari & Lucien~

All'Elf: <Hahaha, yes, yes I am.>

*He teleports behind Lucien and some of the black mud raises around Kari and starts glowing black, pulling Lucien's shadow arrow tips towards her at high speed. Her laser blasts a hole through the mud and destroys some of them.*

=====
~Alto & Crowley~

[Maxwell: <What the--kill him. Help her kill him. Do it.>]

*The All'Elf just sort of stands there watching them having their fun, perplexed.*

All'Elf: <By Origin, you're even worse than I expected.>

=====
~Creed & Kelphy~

Kephy: <Undine!>

*The two blue glyphs appear on the surface of the water beneath each of the summoners. A freezing mist swirls out of the one beneath Creed around him, forming into Celsius midair. She slowly lands down by his side. Four pillars of water pump out of the one beneath Kelphy and intertwine in a whirpool around her. When it glows and bursts, Undine's standing by her side.*

Celsius: <I'm ready!>

Undine: <And so am I.>

*Undine leaps at the fire lion, which breathes a cloud of flames into her. She emerges from it unharmed, though somewhat deformed for a few seconds, before slashing down at it with her trident enveloped in water. Celsius opens her arms and closes her eyes. Her body glows and once she snaps them open, the lightning lion flash-freezes and falls with a large splash, then stays there floating around in front of them.*

"You aren't ready to face this Crowley."

And honestly... neither am I.

Alto takes a deep breath before attacking with a rising slash.

---

"You're already caught in the web" the Lucien that appeared to be attacking explodes into shadow needles aimed at the All'Elf.

---

When the attack was completed Creed put his hand on Celsius' shoulder, "Beautifully done."

*Derek charges into the girl, the blade making a crisp wound across his back, which bleeds freely.*

Derek: <Dammit!... Why the hell do you want to fight?>

*He swipes at her a few times with his sword.*

*Crowley ignores Maxwell's complaint and gets back to his feet.*

Crowley: <Whether I'm ready for this fight or not... I'm here, and I'm not going to be a spectator.>

*Crowley dashes to the right side of the All'Elf, a few feet away, and throws his sword at her in a vertical motion, the purple energy still surrounding it.*

~Kari & Lucien~

*The All'Elf sneers and holds his hands out towards the needles. The veins near the surface of his skin all over his body start glowing dark purple and the needle barrage bursts outwards in every way but his.*

=====
~Alto & Crowley~

*She parries Alto's attack with a diving stab that locks his blade in her sword's teeth and pushes it down as it stabs into the ground. She swings the other blade outwards and quickly swings it in a wide circle around to her front so as to drag Crowley's blade to her while it is still locked in the sword's teeth. She grabs the blade in her teeth and grins as its purple glow flows into her mouth. Luna teleports behind her in a flash of light with a large sphere of light charged in her hands. However, as she is preparing to fire it, it spreads like a floating liquid and flows into the All'Elf's back.*

=====
~Creed & Kelphy~

*Celsius smiles. The water-covered trident slashes through the fire lion and slams it down into the ocean, extinguishing it. Kelphy nods and smiles to Undine for doing an equally good job. The All'Elf grins and shakes his head to them before materializing three lightning lions around Kelphy and Undine and three fire lions around Celsius and Creed.*

=====
~Derek~

???: <Oh, it's quite simple, really. If I kill you, Origin will help my kind rise to the power once more.>

*Arms of black stone grow from her belly, shoulders and chest, parrying his slashes and punching at him. She stabs her sword at his belly.*

*Kentaro raises his gun and fires at the whatever it's called.*

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

*Kari fires an energy blast at the whatever.*

"And that's why you're not ready Crowley!" Alto drives his heel down on to the flat of the elf's swords keeping her swords and his pinned to the ground whilst using his freehand to punch at her gut.

---

"Allyoop" Creed launches himself and Celsius airborn with an ice pillar that quickly crumbles causing the lions to slam into each other. Whilst still airborne he flips and throws a huge ice claymore at the All'elf's face.

---

Lucien finally appears as the final mirror's were destroyed ending his illusion. "Took you long enough" he's behind the All'elf and fires a shadow arrow point blank.

Crowley: <Well, whatever! Now's not the time to be picky on backup.>

*Crowley runs at her again, this time coming from behind, and summons a sword of energy into his right hand, aiming to run her through her back like he attempted last time.*

*Derek lets the sword run through his belly, but points his sword at the girl's neck.*

Derek: <I've got you cornered... gah...>

~Kentaro & Allina~

*The All'Elf basically flashsteps behind them and forms a large jousting spear of red energy in his hands, glaring at them.*

Allina: <(He's fast. How do you suggest we hit him?)>

=====
~Kari & Lucien~

*He widens his eyes as he hears Kari's shot and spins to the side, the shadow arrow tearing a deep cut through the right side of his lower torso before he teleports away, leaving Lucien to eat the energy blast. He reappears down below, in front of Kari, and swings a fist at her. His fist is enveloped in a black and purple sphere of energy as it is headed towards her, and she feels her head being pulled towards it.*

=====
~Alto & Crowley~

*She endures the punch and doesn't seem to be too hurt by it as Crowley's energy blade doesn't go through her back so much as into her back, like the two previous attacks. She turns around and slams one of her swords' flat side into his face before stabbing at Luna. Luna widens her eyes and starts darting backwards in an attempt to escape. Unfortunately, the All'Elf's movements are quick and she is barely given time to gain speed. She's run through by the blade and her energy starts being sucked into it as she groans loudly.*

=====
~Creed & Kelphy~

*The fire lions launch themselves upwards towards Creed, engulfing the ice blade in a cloud of scorching flames. They then breathe flames at Creed. Meanwhile, Kelphy and Undine are seing all of their attacks be turned into boosters to the lions' lightning attacks.*

=====
~Derek~

*She widens her eyes in shock, but then narrows them and smirks, clenching her fists and causing an arm of black rock to burst from the sand towards the blade at high speed.*

"Shouldn't have done that" Alto takes his foot off the flat of the All'elf's blade that was holding his down and with almost no effort at all he yanks his own sword free then spins and cleaves right through the sword stabbed into Luna with enough force to knock the cut of end upwards and out of the aeldi and sending it spinning through the air and lending mere inches from Crowley's leg.

"Wielding a heavy blade for some many years has given me a good bit of strength. It's stupid to judge me just because I look like your average hero." His eyes glew a soft blue color, like moon light. "Well then I guess its time for me to stop playing around."

---

Creed is assailed by the flames and sent flying then hits the water with a hard thud.

---

Lucien barely manages to deflect the blast and even then only partially so.

*Crowley jumps back a bit, rubbing his face and sighing before recovering.*

Crowley: (Guess he wasn't exaggerating on this thing's strength...)