Well, decided to finally take the plunge and write my first fan-fiction in general, to give content to the community after lurking for years.
I apologize for all possible grammatical mistakes and etc… English is my second language and was more or less self-taught so i hope i don't have any egregious mistakes. Carry on reading if you please, I accept all feedback.
P.D: All rights of Re:Zero and it's characters are owned by Tappei Nagatsuki.
######
######
"Where was it?"-Said to himself a clearly fake armored figure patting himself up, searching for something in his suit.
"Sir if you don't have any money, I kindly ask you to step aside to let other customers pass"-Told a very tired and bored shopkeeper.
"For what type of person you take me for!? I swear it was right her-AHA!"-Yelled excitedly the young man after finally finding what he was looking for.
###A minute later###
"I have no idea how do they keep so much stuff on this suit, I can barely fit my wallet."-A young Asian man told to himself, also known as Natsuki Subaru just as he was leaving the grocery store.
He was arriving back home after going to a convention. Cosplaying as one of the main characters of his favourite videogame, a series about high-tech knightly warriors who kept peace on the galaxy. While his costume was made by himself with passion, home materials and abundant use of his sewing skill, the quality of it was severely lacking if he was to be honest with himself.
"I'm sure at least someone was laughing at my costume back there, that's what I get from trying to leave my shut-in lifestyle." -He complained aloud to no one
Yeah, one could say he wasn't very successful in his attempts to socialize.
"Another lonely night with some games and noodl- HUH!?"
Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Subaru went from his familiar sidewalk, to the middle of a medieval style stone paved street filled with unknown figures.
After some moments to process everything Subaru arrived at the correct conclusion. "I've been summoned into another world"-He softly told to himself with a mix of trepidation and excitement.
After saying that, he realized that the people of the street were giving him some space and some kids looked in awe in his direction. Taking one step to look behind him and check it if wasn't just his characteristic scary eyes, he noticed a detail about him, in particular his armor.
"… It looks real? And the weight too."
After a quick slap to one of his gauntlets he confirmed one thing.
"I would assume this is the obligatory magical item given to every summoned main character" -He deduced
Subaru could barely hold his excitement. Even more when he noticed he still had the helmet attached to his side and the now what he correctly assumed to be real energy guns that he carried to his side and back.
"I really hope this stuff is self-maintaining, the technological level of this world looks like the classical fantasy magical world trope" He theorized to himself after carefully looking at the buildings, carriages and different looking races.
Being a shut-in with a lot of free time, he fantasized a lot about similar scenarios so he was more than ready for this situation.
Deciding to have a quick conversation and getting some information along the way, he closed the distance with the nearest grocer to ask him some questions, "Good…..day I suppose, could I do some questions?"
The green-haired muscular man turned around with an irritated face, which quickly tensed up the moment he laid his eyes on him, "why?" Subaru wondered, and answered with haste "Yeah, anything you need Sir"
"Weird" he thought to himself, "well at least we can understand each other that's for sure"
Getting his wallet out he asked for a confirmation, "I presume this coin has no value here" he said while getting a few yen out and giving it to him.
After some moments checking the coins he apologized, "I am sorry Sir, but I've never seen this type of coin in my life"
Pocketing the coins back he thanked the man, who visibly relaxed and walked away to search for something to do.
"Looks like these lizards are this world substitute to horses" He rationalized watching the different carriages passing near him.
After some mindless walking he got a bit exasperated, "At least I was giving some good starting equipment, but I would have liked a better tutorial, where is the main quest?
Realizing he needed some private space to process everything and take stock, he walked into a deserted alleyway, and softly released a high-pitched squeal, which he will deny it happened for the rest of his life.
"Now. Where is the hot summoner girl who brought me here?"-Natsuki asked aloud to himself after mentally checking his ``has been summoned´´ boxes that all anime has taught him.
Remembering one detail, he quickly put his helmet on. And stared in awe as the a HUD flared into existence just as the original show had pictured in the first episode.
"Overall health status, energy remaining, suit integrity…."-With every thing said the smile in his face went even wider
"PREPARE YOURSELF WORLD, TEMPLAR NATSUKI SUBARU IS READY TO KICK ASS"-He screamed to the heavens while he unlatched the pistol to test it's grip.
"Finger off the trigger!"-A clear male synthetic voice yelled harshly next to his ears.
The scream he released that moment is another thing which he will take to the grave.
Subaru quickly turned around and started poorly aiming at the dark corners of the alleyway searching were that voice came from
"I am your armor Sir"-Deadpanned the synthetic voice
"Wait, do I have my personal AI too?"-Tensely replied Subaru still calming down.
"By the rules of this world I am more accurately described as an Artificial Spirit but yes, I am here to support you Creator"-Finished the Spirit
"Creator?"-Asked the confused man
"You crafted my body in some kind of way, who crafted my mind and soul that I do not know"-Informed the newborn being.After a brief pause he continued "I have a request Creator, I would like to have a name"
Subaru adopted a thinking pose and after a while clapped his hands and stated -"What about Vega?"
"That is….acceptable, thank you Sir"-Stated the newly named spirit.
After a brief moments of silence Subaru asked with curiosity, "So, what can you do?"
The spirit took it's time like he was thinking hard about it, "I keep track of most the suit subsystems, watch your health status in case of need, check that the mana in the atmosphere is being absorbed correctly, which for you means the energy in the suit. And yes, your pistol and repeater are both fully functional, I would explain further but three suspicious fellows are entering the alleyway"
Quickly he turned around and confirmed that indeed three weird looking characters where walking to him, one of them brandishing two knifes. Taking aim with his pistol, "Your stance is terrible" -And completely disregarding what Vega just said he steadfasted himself for his first random encounter. In another circumstances he would have been initially terrified, but he was well armed and protected so he allowed himself a bit of overconfidence.
"Are you really sure about this Chin?" -Worriedly said the smallest one to his only armed companion
"Bah, I already told you, there is no way he is a real knight, he has no royal markings, he must be a noble kid with more money than sense"-Whispered back the creepy looking fellow
Subaru was surprised he was hearing them clearly considering the distance and volume and noticed a decrease in his mana bar, but was answered of his question before he could say it aloud, "I am amplifying the sound waves coming from the alleyway, easy to do in this location" -He informed
Excitedly Subaru took a step forward and threatened the three ruffians, "Back off I am penniless and I am more than capable to defend myself you sacks of XP"- He boasted before a rush of wind to their side made everyone turn to look at it
"Hey!, get out of the way, I'm busy"
What everyone saw was a small yellow-haired girl rushing her way out of the alleyway jumping behind Subaru and running into the rooftops. Mesmerized with the speed and technique our protagonist didn't notice the armed fellow rushing to stab him in the back.
"Sir focus on the threat!"-Yelled loudly the Spirit into his mind making Subaru realize he was about to be attacked.
Turning around with haste he barely had time to snap a shot in reflex, a bright white elongated bolt hitting Chin on the left hand showering the zone with bits of flesh, almost entirely blowing up his hand.
Never mind the fact that he was trying to hit his right leg but there was not enough time for him to process his poor marksmanship.
"HOLY SHIT"-Yelled both the unarmed attackers and Subaru after witnessing the resulting damage, while Chin screamed in pain holding out the unrecognizable stump.
"What is this? That's enough you villain"-Came a firm but soft feminine voice on the start of the alleyway
Natsuki instantly relaxed, happy that what looked to be a beautiful magical silver-haired elf girl decided to help him…..until he noticed she was looking directly at him charging up an oversized spear of ice, which he took confirmation of the existence of spellcasters, in his way.
"I won't let you run amok like that. Stop your vile acts at once" -She exclaimed with determination in her eyes
"Wait!, hold on I am the victim here!"-Stammered Subaru defending himself, hastily looking at his assailants, two of them trembling in fear and one crying out in pain, he cringed hard realizing he totally looked like the aggressor here.
"Hold on Lia, I believe he is being truthful"-Said a, What looked like a fluffy cat? Who floated from behind her back.
Taking advantage of the distraction, both unharmed would-be thieves picked up their injured partner and left hastily.
"Well that solves my first random encounter"-Thought to himself Subaru
Walking to him with grace the half-elf quickly apologized -"Apologies Sir Knight, I believed you were abusing your rank to extort them"
The young man could only sweatdrop at that, as he was about to answer -"I believe it would be to our detriment to accidentally impersonate an official rank".
Taking advice and not wanting to lie to the prettiest girl he has ever seen, he awkwardly responded with a small laugh -"No harm no foul as the saying goes" -Extending his hand to present himself "Natsuki Subaru, I am no knight, this armor was a…..gift we could say so, is hard to explain"
He noticed that the, still named fluffy cat in his mind, was looking at him intensely, like it was judging him.
"Oh, nice to meet you Subaru-san, but I must be going, I was stolen of something valuable to me and I need it back" -She hastily said while turning back to keep her search.
"Wait" -He interrupted her "I can help you search the thief, repay kindness with kindness"
Noticing that his helmet was still in the way of his face, he went to take it off, when it suddenly retracted slowly until it disappeared around his collarbone -"In the future just do a mental command and I will do it for you, even without the helmet we can communicate if you or me wills it" -Vega answered the unspoken question.
Surprised with the movement around his head, she blinked a few times before slowly describing the thief appearance.
"Oh, she passed through us a moment ago just before one of them tried to stab me." he informed with a hint of awkwardness.
While she cursed under her breath and tried to deduce where the girl could have gone, the very fluffy cat got closer to him and spoke, "You are a spirit's art user too? I sense a spirit in you but can't see it or the crystal, hello? I am Puck"
Vega hesitantly answered for him, "Vega, you could say I am an integrated part of his armor, we can speak to each other, but I believe other non-spirits including your missus can't understand me"
The now identified Puck was visibly impressed, "To have such a high affinity to spirits that one could speak to them mentally, that's almost unheard of Subaru"
Subaru understood enough that it was an amazing talent to have and proudly and arrogantly boasted, "Of course, I am amazing, it is me we are talking about!" while he did what even him instantly recognized as a cringeworthy pose.
The elf girl let out a small giggle, because she considered it funny or just out of pure education to not left him hanging he didn't know, and told him, "We should get going I really need that insignia, and you look really determined to help me. You know I have no reward to give to you right?"
Realizing he was taking crucial time from her, he quickly dusted himself and answered her while walking into the street "I just to want to make some good deeds, no reward is needed"
"I really need a place to stay, but I can't ask that to her, I am not that shameful" he thought to himself "That's debatable, I know what you were looking at" Said Vega without prompting, "Shut up" Said aloud embarrassed by being caught. Seeing the startled look in the Elf he quickly fixed the situation up, "Sorry, spirit talk, let's go".
###Some time later###
"What's this?" -The confused man eloquently said
"Subaru…..don't tell me you are illiterate?" Said the surprised girl
"No!" He quickly fired back, "But the writing from my country is completely different from this"
"You wouldn't have a handy totally convenient automatic translator right Vega?
"Apologies Creator, but I don't understand it either, my knowledge is almost the same as yours"
"Well, life in another world was turning out too easy to be true" -Dejectedly said Subaru.
"We should hurry, is getting dark and I can't keep this form for long"-Puck informed the entire party
"Wait what are you talking about? You can't spawn at night? -Subaru questioned
"Manifesting a physical form for a spirit consumes a lot of mana, so at night I return at my Yorishiro, that's it the summoning crystal to build up mana for the next day, I say the ideal time would be nine to five, I am surprised your spirit shows no signs of tiring" -Finished the explanation the Cat spirit.
"I am operating at peak performance, this form is very efficient"-Commented the artificial spirit
"Sounds like a big weakness" thought Subaru to himself out of worry. "Indeed, glad I don't have that problem"-Commented the artificial spirit in private.
"You know I can more or less deduce what both of you are thinking about right?"-Unexpectedly interjected the cat with a menacing almost manic grin.
"Scary"- Both Vega and Subaru thought at the same time
"What is happening back there?" Commented the very annoyed Elf after realizing they were having conversations in her back while she did all the job.
"Nothing, just having fun with our new companions" -Said Puck changing expression in a flash to a gentler one
Realizing one thing Subaru asked, "Oh, I forgot to ask, we know each other names but you never told me yours"
She looked nervous and after some beats she quietly said almost without emotion "Satella, you can call me Satella" he thought she looked guiltily for a moment but his near zero social skills made it hard to be certain.
"-That's in terrible taste" -Was softly whispered by Puck, unheard by all except for a very attentive Vega.
###Hours later###
After taking hours asking around the populace, mainly Satella being productive with Subaru tagging along they finally arrived at the slums, the most probable location for the thief to reside.
A very exhausted looking Puck, almost looking like he was about to die, warned everyone "I'm sorry, but it looks like I am out of time"
"Sorry for pushing you so much Puck. Rest" -Kindly said Satella with tenderness in her voice as he dissipated.
Subaru noticed how after Puck dissipated she grabbed her crystal with care and put it away into her chest. He assumed that's where he lived and wondered if Vega had something similar or it was exclusive to Puck.
Taking action in the situation, He asked for the next course of action, "The slums looks like a really big place, any idea of how to narrow it down?"
Satella wordlessly walked near a small stream and focusing with her eyes closed said to him "Because of the hour of the day, and the low density of population in the area I can ask for the local spirits for some guidance"
Waiting for some moments Subaru noticed that the entire stream started glowing with more intensity every second and dozens, maybe a hundred of little specks of light started surrounding the Elf. In front of such spectacle he could only let out a soft sound of childish awe.
Taking a few minutes of pure silence, the glowing began to fade out, our protagonist noted though that the specks closest to him took longer to disappear, like they were trying to cling to him.
Satella took a step backwards and released a sigh of relief, "That was more intense than usual, they were surprisingly cooperative" she informed, "I know where the thief lives" she said a little surprised with herself.
Taking step behind her, he wordlessly followed her still in awe after such an event, yelping in surprise when the helmet suddenly occupied his head again, his vision now clearer and brighter. "Low light mode activated"-Vega informed of the now obvious.
"A bit of a warning next time Vega" Said Subaru annoyed.
###After a bit of traveling###
"Is just me or the populace is avoiding us?" Said the armored man confused with how the locals where actively avoiding them.
"This is a place filled with poor commoners and criminals, you look like a knight so they are wary of you" -clarified Satella.
Making an audible sound of understanding he kept walking on until the Elf stopped right in front of a poorly looking building the size of an average convenience store. "We have arrived" -She informed.
Looking at the interior through the windows he saw how dark the place was and voiced aloud his concerns, "Weird, looks like nobody is home"
"I have a bad feeling about this, it is too late for nobody to be home" -Vega interjected with a bit of worry.
Steadying himself he started walking at the door and informed the girl "Let me get inside first, just to check everything is alright"
The silver-haired girl looked like she wanted to object, but realized he was the better protected of the two, she let him go.
Walking to the door, he knocked it twice. After a few moments nobody answered so he went to open the door, and it opened like there was no lock on it. Without thinking he unlatched the pistol and prepared for an ambush.
"This almost feels like the part in a game where it shows you the stealth mechanics"-Subaru thought making analogies with his life experience.
"Please take this seriously" -Complained Vega hearing his thoughts.
The interior was dark, too dark for it to be practical even if one where to go to sleep. This was a criminal hideout he supposed, there should be at least a guard.
Some details about the layout like the position of the reception desk clued him that it looked like an old tavern. At first glance there was nothing valuable there so he deduced the valuable stuff would be further in.
The anticipation was killing him, if this was a manga or novel he would have just skimmed ahead.
Taking a sharp corner he instantly stopped and held his urge to vomit as he observed horrified the mutilated corpses of the yellow-haired thief and of an enormous man scattered around the room.
His mind went blank in shock at such a show of cruelty and insanity. In his traumatized state he didn't notice the almost inaudible footsteps behind him.
Noticing the danger his Creator was in Vega quickly snapped to him "SIR, ROLL TO YOUR RIGHT" -Going by pure instinct following the command given, Subaru obeyed the voice in his head and did his best without hesitation.
That still wasn't enough, and the shadowy figure in his back got him mid-roll in the chest, luckily only enough to severely damage his armor and knock the breath out of his lungs, but not enough to spill his guts out.
"Caution, critical chest integrity!, we won't be able to take another hit!" -Informed Vega in panic mode.
The shadowy figure which was now revealed to be a very gorgeous woman in stilettos, had he been less in shock he would have classified her as the typical hot villainess in a manga, the woman slowly walking forward while licking her blade and with a smile and small laugh she expressed, "Oh, I missed? Have been some time since that happened, maybe you can give me some entertainment!"
Snapping out of his shock Subaru aimed his pistol to the woman and desperately fired some shots nailing the surprised woman once in the leg, but his lack of experience and aiming made him miss out his best chance to take her out instantly. Observing her scream in pain he went to stand when his now hyper-focused vision noticed how the gruesome injury was already healing.
"Energy levels at less than half capacity, overwhelming force encountered, recommend strategic retreat, the window Sir!" -Snapped the AI which was overworking himself trying to keep the suit in the best condition to save his Creator.
Realizing this encounter was way beyond his level, Subaru high in adrenaline, made haste and jumped head first through the slightly cracked window, hurting himself against the glass, not his best decision but the only one he could take at the moment. After painfully landing half rolling so he didn't snap his neck, the scared man run to the front part of the building warning Satella of the impending danger.
"SATELLA!, ASSASSIN!, RU-Ghk!" The man watched how the Elf girl eyes changed from worried confusion, to pure horror looking behind him, he barely had time to shift his vision before he was ultimately interrupted.
"That's just rude, leaving a woman hanging like that after being so harsh" -The assassin voice told next to him, just before his left side and stomach erupted into the worst pain he has ever felt and he was sent flying into the side of the building leaving a crater, and slumping to the ground.
"-ethal damage detected, focusing on pain receptors, I am sorry." -The spirit deduced that the damage to him was inevitable mortal unless they managed to find an expert doctor in the next minutes, so he decided to make Subaru's last moments less painful.
Subaru snapped in and out of consciousness for some moments but quickly regained focus the moment he heard Satella yell in pain.
Looking in their direction, he noticed the Elf and an exhausted Puck using a type of mana bubble slowing down the assassin blow, but they were quickly losing ground and the blade was slowly piercing the bubble, now slashing slowly her arm, which she used to protect her stomach.
"This is it?, I don't want to die, but at least I want to do some good in the world" In a moment of lucidity he decided his last actions, tightening the grip of his pistol he thought, "Vega, you still there? Remember the ending of the first game? If you can, do the same".
Vega thought processes stopped to a standstill, understanding what was his intentions, he mentally smiled sadly and told his last words. "Done, you have one last shot, make it count"
Watching the pistol start to overcharge to unsafe levels, the world slowed down, the pistol barrel burning so brightly that it almost was acting as a beam for him to aim in the darkness, taking aim at the villainess, he smiled, breathed his last and fired.
In that moment that dark lonely street became a singular beacon of light in the starry night.
Two main things happened in that moment, a spear of light pierced the assassin side to side, not killing her as he thought at the ignorance of her true nature, but taken out of the fight enough time for the Half-Elf to survive and help to arrive.
And Subaru's pistol exploded in an intense flash taking out half of his body in the process, fortunately he didn't have time to process the pain of his mutilated body.
Natsuki Subaru died. His half-burned corpse lifelessly dropped with a sad smile under the melted helmet.
######
######
Well, hope i didn't do too terribly on my first try, this was supposed to be a 500-1k word prologue and it went out of hand FAST, but i enjoyed every moment writing it.
The suit appearance would be similar to the Blood Dragon Armor from mass effect mixed and matched in an unholy combination of other games, Crysis and Dead Space mainly. My drawing skills suck, i will see if i can get some way to visually show what he looks like fully armed.
Most of the abilities are intentionally omitted to not give too much exposition and naturally show them as the situation goes.
Definitely would like any amount of feedback, I'm pretty sure i messed up some details from canon, but the re:zero world is so vast that is hard to keep everything accounted for.