Chapter 5

Elsword groaned as he walked the streets. He had woken up not long ago and was forced to roam the streets in search of the serial killer.

"Ow." Ah, he accidently knocked someone over. She had short-silver hair, golden-eyes and a scar down one of her eyes in a black robe. He reached out a hand "You okay?"

She stared at his hand awkwardly for a good 10 seconds.

He couldn't help but say. "Do you want my help or not?" They didn't reply as they took it to bring themselves up. "You injured?"

She shook her head.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"Can I go?"

She shook her head.

"What do you want?"

Their answer was a large grumble from their stomach.

He sighed. "Might as well." He took her to a fast-food place and got her to-go food that was quick, cheap and unhealthy.

He ate in silence whilst glancing at the kid next to him that was the same height as him. She just stared at the food in front of her and then back at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't like the food? Should I get another?"

She shook her head as she glanced at him and the food.

"You want me to feed you?" He asked to which they nodded.

…"You're around the same as me, y'know? Shouldn't you be able to feed yourself?" She shook her head.

He sighed. "Fine, fine." He grabbed a nearby fork and pressed into the chicken with it and fed her whilst also remembering to pad her face with a cloth when they were finished.

"You good?" He asked to which she rubbed her stomach satisfied.

"Cool." He nodded as they left the fast-food shop.

He planned to ditch her but she kept following him. He raised an eyebrow but didn't question it, he was looking for clues on the serial killer but that didn't mean he couldn't have company.

"So what's your name?" He asked to which she looked at him for a moment as he stared back.

She said one word. "Jackie."

He nodded. "Cool, names Elsword."

They continued walking soon after, however he noticed that she would occasionally glance at things as they walked. Flowers, fast-food stands and knives were few of the consistent things she took interest him.

Seeing as she was fascinated by a certain flower, he shrugged and bought it for her. He was pretty sure it was a sunflower or at least some variation of it. Elsword was quite rich as not only did he get paid alot but he also had the wealth of his family that occasionally gave pocket-money whilst he also had decent spending habits as he rarely used his money.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could buy a few small villages for himself if he wanted to.

He spent some more of his money as she wanted some things and he handed it over. He wasn't one for charity but she had decent equipment (he noticed her knives which were of decent quality) and he could tell whilst she wasn't as strong as him, she was strong in her own right. Maybe she had around B to C in stats? D at the worst.

He paused as his wrist was suddenly gripped roughly. Normally, he would remain passive but there was something… that alerted him onto an illogical level.

He promptly threw his hand away and rolled to his front as he looked at the person who gripped his wrist.

It was an old-man with a monocle and shaggy-white hair that was neatly arranged. He wore a blue-suit that was under an open maroon-suit that was attached to his collar and maroon-trousers and polished leather shoes.

Elsword looked at the man warily. "What do you wanna do with me?" He asked roughly as he narrowed his eyes.

The man merely narrowed his own eyes. "I should be asking you that, with you hanging around my daughter."

Elsword glanced at Jackie "Your daughter followed me and we were both looking for her parent."

The man glanced at his daughter. "Is this true?" She nodded with slight hesitation.

The man then relaxed as he rubbed his moustache. "Then apologies, it seems I was mistaken."

"Right." Elsword muttered audibly, this guy was sketchy as hell! He gave off mastermind-villain vibes that he only saw in anime.

Elsword glanced at Jackie "If you need anything then come to me, but in the meanwhile I'll be off." He then walked away whilst nodding to Jackie who shook her head at his first part of the sentence.

Wait… there was something that annoyed him. What was the similarities between the victims? They were all women and were all killed in similar ways.

Elsword paused and looked at the man who was still observing him, ominously.

Elsword glared at the man menacingly. "Yo, old-man, what's your name again?"

The man merely gave a light smile, as if Elsword had confirmed his suspicions. "Jack. Jack Eric, from the Erlik Familia."

"Cool, I'll be off. Take care of Jackie in the meantime." Elsword knew what he had to do as he glanced at the sun beginning to set.

He promptly arrived at the training grounds in which Iina was still training. She was a hard-worker and so was Elsword as they occasionally sparred.

She noticed him. "Oh, Elly, how are you?" She waved until she noticed his serious face.

"I got a question, you know anything about the Erlik Familia or Jack Eric?" He went straight to the point.

Her face tightened. "They're a Familia known for murder, assassinations and kidnapping. Jack Eric is called "The Slaughterer" and should be in Altena currently. He's Level 3."

Elsword nodded "Cool, tell that stingy old man that he's here and stay guarded at all times. If you can, stay in groups."

She nodded and ran off which left Elsword alone — all alone in the training grounds which is typically populated but is not due to an expansion in patrols.

Elsword unsheathed his odd-sword. "You may come out, Jack — I know you're there!" There was no way the creepy old-man didn't follow him, even if he didn't actually know.

The sound of smacking of hands resonated.

The old-man in question walked out from… the wall? It had no entrance or exit, so it must've been a trick of the eye.

"Well-done young man." He calmly continued to clap "I expected someone like you to understand at first glance."

"Someone like me?" Elsword glanced as he was ready to fight at any moment whilst the old-man merely had his arms behind his waist.

"You have the eyes of a psychopath — or it would be more accurate to say — you have the mind of an apathetic person. Your eyes produce a falsehood of hot-headedness that only someone like us would truly be able to uncover." He rubbed his moustache.

"Like us", that phrase annoyed him more than reasonably possible. He wasn't a murderer and whilst he may be an apathetic person who has a hard time with empathy, he's at least slowly learning empathy to the point he's starting to gain his own ideas instead of being subjected to someone else's.

"Sure." He off-handedly remarked.

The man smiled.

"[A pleasant day, wouldn't you say?]" In an instant the entire training grounds was subjected and enveloped in thick mist that made it hard to see.

He breathed in and noticed that there was a slight burn in his lungs. Poisonous mist? He activated his Pyrokinesis and burnt the poison inside him whilst blood leaked out of his mouth as an effect of his burns.

"No, I wouldn't say." He grunted out as he tried to listen for any noise that could pin-point the Killer's presence.

"That so?" A voice stated right behind him.

He immediately twisted his body to attack behind him, only to hit nothing.

"Am I here?" He asked behind him as Elsword twisted himself "Or here?" It happened again "Or here?" And again.

There was no sign. No footsteps. No breaths of air. Not even the wind.

He heard humming all around.. "How disappointing the younger brother to the Red Knight Queen is. Then again, you are but a mere child."

Elsword closed his eyes and concentrated for Jack's presence. No matter what he did, he couldn't detect it…—

"HA!" Elsword slashed as hard as he could.

–Until he did for a split moment. Although, it was for naught as his sword was repelled.

"It seems I am mistaken. That was surprising."

It was a bad match up. Elsword was tailored for long fights as his Willpower skill and Tenacity DA allowed such behaviour and even encouraged it to the point that he would be able to strike higher than his weight-class, but battles like this? Battles which are quick, overwhelming and hard to muster up willpower and concentrate on his target? Not his strong suit.

Hence it wasn't surprising what happened next.

The sound of flesh being cut resonated as they soon rapidly resounded like a chainsaw to meat. He could feel his skin being rapidly dismembered and pain overloaded his brain as he was finished off with a blade to the centre of his chest.

Why did Jack miss his heart? He couldn't help but question dazedly as the pristine knife was pulled out and a river of blood spurted out of him.

He collapsed on his back. He was thirteen, he didn't have that much blood.

The mist faded and his defeated body laid alone in the training grounds, all alone.

He lost consciousness.

†

Raven Cronwell, formerly known as Ragna The Bloodedge, walked across a luxurious carpet in a mansion made from the blood, tears and sweat of many unfortunate sods.

He was influenced by a slave-contract, to immediately return to Resheph on disposing the lowlives he killed.

He entered the room in which a smiling jester looked at him with an unnerving smile.

"So you came…!" It dramatically extended its arms. Why was it dressed like a clown?

"Lets get this over with already." Raven growled as an adventurer walked up to him and undid the slave-contract and then promptly fucked off.

The jester smiled. "How about one more update?"

Raven shrugged. "Sure."

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Resheph Familia

Name: Raven Cronwell (Slave King)

Level: 1

STR: ZZZ 2666

VIT: ZZZ 2666

DEX: ZZZ 2666

AGL: ZZZ 2666

MAG: ZZZ 2666

Reaper: E

<Skills>

•Blackened

▪Able to concentrate negativity in his left arm and allow it to manifest in various ways. DA "Reaper E" is granted.

•Monster

▪When against humanoid, deal drastically larger damage.

▪When against humanoid, drain mind and life.

▪Cruelty against enemies increases damage dealt and life drained.

•Enemy Slayer

▪Drastically increases damage against anyone recognised as an "enemy".

<Developmental Skills>

•None

<Magic>

•Negikinesis

Total Falna: 13,330

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Raven promptly left, however after turning his back a few distances away from the mansion…

He smirked.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

He glanced at a pillar of light rise back to Tekkai and turned around.

"Fucker."