The Way Back

*Crowley spits out the gulp of water he was drinking and jumps to his feet.*

"Well hell, that's one way to make an entrance but that's why I'm in love with that woman" Alto sticks his hands in his pants pockets. "All'elf" he turns to her. "I still want to know your name. I don't intend to kill you. You should know that. I want to fight you again... and again... because you're the only person alive other than Origin who comes close to my strength right now. So do me a favor. Don't die. Not ever."

====

Creed slowly and gingerly picks up Kelphy and begins to move to safety.

???: <No problem there!>

*She laughs out loud. The Garuda comes diving through the sky. The All'Elf regains her golden aura and flies upwards, stopping the airship with her own hands and holding it above her head. She grins and the airship bursts into flames. She then hurls it down towards them.*

???: <Don't compare your power to mine! Can you continuously absorb every trace of magic in a range of miles and then release it to multiply your physical capabilities millions of times?!>

"No... but I don't have to. I have all the power I need right here" Alto launches himself from his standing place and rockets right through the ship. When he passes through the other side he's holding Aera in his arms bridal carry style.

"I guess I wasn't careful enough huh?" he smiles. "As an aeldi my power is only as strong as the one I've made a pact with. Since he's still being a sleepy head I think its time I made another. Will you be the one who holds my pact Aera?"

Crowley: <Well, I guess it turned out all right, but... wait. This means it's still coming for me. Shit.>

*Crowley starts to surround himself in purple energy to create a barrier with which to attempt minimizing the damage the impact will inevitably do.*

*As Crowley does so, Fahren's voice echoes from the airship.*

Fahren: {Oh yes son, that's going to work!}

*The ship is enveloped in green and red energy and stops falling, in an almost vertical position, with the tip its nose poking into the barrier. Razz, Parker and Barrow jump down to the mesa, Razz brusting into laughter looking at Crowley.*

Razz: <This is the most hilarious picture I've seen in months. Speaking of picture.>

*Barrow hands him a weird looking device with a lens, which he points at Crowley and activates, causing a flash of light to occur.*

Razz: <There. Theeere. This crap Kelphy and Derek found Origin knows where is actually kind of useful.>

*Parker runs towards Crowley.*

Parker: <Are you all right?!>

*Meanwhile, Aera is giving Alto a glaring smile.*

Aera: <I can take care of myself, you know?>

*She wraps her arms around his neck and whispers "yes" into his ear. And again, meanwhile, the All'Elf is watching all of this happen from the sky, looking mighty mad.*

=====

*Lucien is still going at it against the bow and the bow's owner, when he hears a girly cowboy cry and Allina comes darting through the air from behind the All'Elf, punching him aside. The Sylphs are flying around her to allow her to fly faster. She then runs to hug Lucien. She then turns to Kari.*

Allina: <Kentaro's almost done back there. He'll meet up with us in a minute.>

Lucien hugs and kisses her back, "I missed you."

---

I hope the name I've chosen isn't too pretentious Luna. Even though I'm only half aeldi.

A silver ring with a lapis lazuli gem stone appears on her finger. "I give myself to you, I am the Aeldi of Soul, Alto" Alto's only real additional change is his hair turning from the sea green color of Luna's to a color matching the lazuli stone and that he gains six small wings disjointed from his body and made of translucent blue light. He returns to the ground with Aera and stares back at the All'elf.

*Kentaro goes about to the All'Elf's side, firing at him.*

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

*Kari raises her gun, the spiked end outward toward the All'Elf's foot.*

*Crowley glares at Razz for a second, and then de-activates his barrier. He then turns to Parker.*

Crowley: <Me? Oh, I'm... fine, I guess.>

Aera: <I have no idea what just happened, but sure, let's do the wings!>

???: <I'm really--REALLY--not liking that attitude.>

*Parker smiles and nods before turning to face the flying All'Elf as well. The airship bursts into millions of little dots of blue light that shoot towards the All'Elf, cast by Fahren. The All'Elf grins and holds her hands out, beginning to absorb them. As they're reaching her, a flash of light occurs and they become the airship again, slamming into the woman. She groans loudly as both her and the airship crash between the mesas. Seconds later, she flies back up onto the mesa they are on, just as the ship explodes down below.*

Aera: <...Oh hell no, I loved that airship! You little-->

Parker: <Witch!>

Aera: <No, no, it rhymes with tha-->

Razz: <Seriously, women?!>

Aera: <You shut it.>

???: <All of you. Shut your whore mouths.>

Aera: <...Yeah, now I'm punching her teeth in.>

Razz: <Barrow!>

*Aera prepares to go at her but Barrow sits on her. The All'Elf flashsteps behind Crowley, swinging a fifty times enhanced punch, while three strange figures of yellow light overflowing with powerful magic appear, respectively, before Alto, Razz, and Fahren. They look like ghost copies of the woman, but with no eyes and with creepy Joker ear-to-ear grins.*

=====

*The All'Elf flashteps behind Kentaro only to be whipped upwards by Bahamut ZERO's tail, groanin. Before he can be targetted, he shakes the pain off and flashes onto Bahamut ZERO's head, ramming a spear of red light into it.*

=====

Allina: <I missed you too, but we should rea-->

*The All'Elf nearly squeals in pain, stumbling backwards before falling on his ass.*

Allina: <Exactly!>

*Allina waves Kari hello, a golden sphere of light flying from her hand and enveloping Kari, healing some of the wounds she might have but more importantly, rejuvenating her energy. The bow shoots a darkness arrow at Lucien's back.*

Lucien's dark wings catch the arrow and absorb it.

"Yes let's dear" Lucien takes Allina's hand.

"Where there is darkness, so too must there be light" Lucien holds his free hand out and gathers darkness to it. He waited for Allina to use her light.

---

Alto holds his hand up and sky blue rings appear around everyone, spin, and disperse. "High Boost"

Suddenly everyone would feel their, magic and physical abilities increase.

*Feeling a sudden surge of power, Crowley turns around to face the All'Elf. Energy surrounds his left arm, turning into a shield that he blocks the punch with, and then pulls out his sword again and slashes her with it, the added power enhancing it.*

"We really have to toughen you up."

*Kentaro fires at the All'Elf. Kari whom I'm assuming is somehow in the same area shoots at her own All'Elf.*

*The spirits start draining magic from their opponents, even without them having to actually cast any magic. The ones before Alto and Fahren star growing quickly, the one in front of Razz not so much, and even less when he blows a cloud of fire on it and flashsteps into the flames to repeatedly slash at the phantom. Fahren puts his palms together and is enveloped in a huge aura of green light shaped like an armored knight. He punches forward and the knight's giant sword stabs through the spirit. Meanwhile the All'Elf tries to dodge but her left cheek is slashed by Crowley and starts bleeding. She groans in frustration and starts swinging fists at Crowley faster than the speed of sound. Her golden aura starts very slowly becoming thinner.*

=====

*Bahamut ZERO groans in pain and scorching energy bursts from its body, causing the All'Elf to flashstep away, screaming in pain. He then darts towards Kentaro at high speed, catching the bullets in between his fingers and tossing them aside all Matrix-like. Bahamut ZERO starts charging a beam in its mouth. Kentaro knows that, because they had this under control with Bahamut ZERO's help, while Kari and Lucien didn't, Allina flew off following the Sylphs (who had spotted them when earlier scoutting) to them a few minutes earlier, promising to be back to help soon.*

=====

*Allina awkwardly raises her free arm and gathers light energy in her hand. The All'Elf flickers behind Kari and grabs her arms, using the added power of gravity to turn them to Lucien and Allina and fire.*

"Works both ways babe, All Break" Alto snaps his fingers and a red ring appears around the All'elf and her phantoms before slamming into them and sapping a large amount of stolen power from them drastically weakening them. With that done Alto sheaths his sword and slams his fists against his chest and pulls while his back arches backwards. He draws a sword of light forth before slashing the phantom with it.

---

Lucien places his darkness into Allina's light and smiles as every shadow within the area ignites with brilliant light and lances of light and darkness rip forth from the shadows destroying the the ill planned attack by the all'elf and bending around Kari to strike at him without hurting her.

---

Creed finally reaches the scene of the battle between Alto and the others and the busty all'elf. He's carrying Kelphy piggyback style.

"Wow... she's hot" Creed blinks and says a little too loud for his own good.

*Crowley flips backwards to avoid the punches, and then jumps over her head to turn around and slash from behind.*

*She turns around faster than Crowley can land and grabs him by the heels, swinging him into the ground. Her aura grows thinner. The three phantoms, all in pretty bad shape after the attacks, screech and fly towards the All'Elf.*

Fahren: <Don't let her absorb them, she's trying to feed on more energy!>

*As they fly past Barrow, he stands and jumps onto one, biting its head off. Literally. Also eating it. Aera stands up and runs after the other two, Parker following her. Parker shoots a sphere of goo at one, sticking it to the ground, and prepares to chase after the last one, but Aera tackles it down and puts her hands on its head, freezing it. She then shatters the head with a punch, causing the body to vanish.*

???: <No! Dammit!>

=====

*The All'Elf's impaled by several of the lances. His body keeps flickering, but nothing happens. Allina walks up to him and holds her hand up, pointing a hot brilliant beam of light at his face.*

Allina: <...Which way to Origin?>

???: <I'm telling you nothing.>

*She bitchslaps him.*

Allina: <Bad call! You're being accused of several crimes that include disrespect for the sovereign kingdoms, murder, and negative weirdness. You're looking at 25 to life here, so start talking.>

???: <...Never.>

*He closes his eyes and his limbs start evaporating into brilliant white smoke that drifts upwards, followed by his torso. Allina widens her eyes and anxiously looks at Lucien and Kari before turning to him again.*

Allina: <Wait, wait, stop disappearing. Stoooop!>

*She panicks and rams her fist into his face with the fury of a hundred volcanoes. His mangled face also evaporates after this. She turns around and shrugs.*

Allina: <Don't look at me. I always wanted to say that, it is not my fault he died.>

*Crowley surrounds his body in energy, minimizing the damage. He quickly hops back to his feet and throws a few knives, then jumps above to come down on her with a slash.*

"ENOUGH!" Alto's voice booms and cracks out before he coughs, "Ahem, she's done. Unless you advocate genocide then let the all'elf go."

---

Lucien shrugs, "I'm just... glad to see you're alive and that... we made it this far."

*Kentaro strafes to the left, firing at the All'Elf's knees.*

*The All'Elf groans loudly in pain and falls down, tossing his energy spear towards Kentaro. Bahamut ZERO finishes charging his beam.*

=====

???: <This isn't over until I decide it's over!>

*Her body emanates a hot, blinding golden light and a destructive beam of golden energy shoots up from her body into Crowley. Several others then blast out, towards each of the people on the mesa.*

=====

Allina: <Yeah, me too... but it isn't over yet. We should go back and help Kenta.>

*Allina gives Kari wings and flies off.*

*Crowley completely covers his body in a shell of purple flames which solidify and encase him inside, the beam pushing him away into the sky. As he comes back down, he breaks out of the shell and lands a few feet away.*

Alto sighs, "Fine then, have it your way. "Primordial illumination, the fount of life for all things, the roar at the beginning and end of time, once more let out your scream and show us thy power... Big Bang!" The ultimate light spell. The one spell that far and above outstripped Indignation. If Indignation was the grandfather of all destructive spells then Big Bang was the progenitor. A destructive explosion of light ripped forth and curled the very fabric of the air around them. A dome of expending energy blew outward from Alto. An explosion of tremendous power. Alto's last and strongest spell. Too bad he couldn't save it for Origin.

---

"Yeah le- holy crap can you feel that Allina?"

*Alto and the All'Elf's spells produce a wave of energy so bright everyone loses sight. They ear a thundering sound as the left side of the mesa caves in, turning its surface into an extremely inclined ramp, rapidly sinking into the burning airship. Several other mesas energy start caving in, and deep fissures open up across the area. As they're thrown off of the mesa both by the outburst and gravity, they feel as though their entire bodies are being continously struck by fists. After a few minutes, the light starts fading. The air has acquired both an orange and a blue hue that drift around in spirals and waves, creating a beautiful scenery. The flames of the airship's remains have been almost completely extinguished by the energy wave.*

=====

Allina: <Yeah. We need to hurry...>

*At the very end of that area, after a few minutes flying through pitch darkness, they fly through a white vortex that leads out of a similar one near Kentaro, Bahamut ZERO, and their badly injured All'Elf enemy.*

Alto hovers sightly above the ground when the pyrotechnics end. He then whistles, "Well I didn't think it would be THAT powerful. Am I in trouble for doing that, Luna?"

"FORGET LUNA WHAT THE FUCK BROTHER WE'RE INJURED!" Creed yells as he still has the unconscious Kelphy in his arms.

---

"Well... I guess we're here."