Subaru's eyelids fluttered open. He was then overwhelmed by the sunlight and a flash of red?
"Hey do you want this appa or not?" Kadomon held out the appa. "I'm not going to wait all day. I have work to do." He then waved the appa in front of the kid. Subaru took a moment to adjust to his surroundings before he spoke.
"Um mister, how many times have you seen me?"
Kadomon was confused, he had never met this kid in his life before. He grunted out "What are you talking about, this is the first time I've seen you kid." He was starting to get frustrated, he just wanted the kid to leave.
"Well do you want the appa or not?" He continued to hold it out in hope that the kid would take it.
Subaru then smiled, raised his arm and pointed towards himself. "Sorry but I have no money right now!"
Kadomon had enough of this kid's antics and shouted "Get out of here!"
"Man, what's his problem? He could've been a lot nicer." Subaru was now sitting down on a set of stairs. He was being eyed suspiciously by a stand owner but he ignored him. Left alone on the set of stairs he thought to himself "Hmmm, that last loop I most definitely died and in the other two before. I still have my bag filled with goodies from Japan. My phone is still intact and so is my tracksuit. My sneakers look clean, and my back is still in one piece. I have taken zero damage so far. That's it! I can reset time at the cost of my life!
Subaru then stood up, pumped his fist high and exclaimed "I'll call it return by death!" Subaru's eyes flickered over to the shop owner, with a wide smile he asked for his opinion "What do you think?"
The shop owner turned away but then said "Kid, I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you please do that somewhere else?" He then flicked his wrist in an attempt to shoo off Subaru.
Subaru understood and proceeded to stride off "Well alright then." As Subaru turned his back to the merchant and walked off he thought to himself "I guess the old saying "let sleeping dogs lie" still applies to this world too. Even so there are always softies. Those outliers who help out no matter what the situation is even if they can't afford too. She was one of them, she didn't have to help me, she was in a desperate situation but she still took the time to rescue and heal me."
Subaru then looked off towards the distance. He spotted a family, the mother and father had smiles plastered on their faces and in between them was their daughter. The sight looked lovely and it reminded him of his own experience with the beautiful elf girl. As he stared at them watching their every move, a tomato fell out of the bag the mother was carrying. As fast as it fell out it was crushed under a carriage. The tomatoes insides were flown out in every direction reminding Subaru of his insides being flung out of his body. The sight reminded him of the fate the beautiful Half elf had in store for her, if he did not rescue her.
Subaru's eyes expanded, he recalled something. The half elf remembered his name. He was told that her name was Satella but it was clearly an alias! He then stumbled back, looked to the left and right, in a desperate attempt to find the girl.
"She is in danger. However, she knew me. She called out my name. I heard her twice now. That is no coincidence. I asked the appa salesman and he had no recollection of our previous encounters. That girl is different, she cried out my name as I lay bleeding out. I must find her!"
With a new found determination, he rushed towards the same alley that he last saw her at.
With every step he took, it only continued to gnaw away at his sanity. It was a reminder for every second he wasted, the half elf's time alive diminished. As his stamina burnt out, he continued to think to himself "Satella, no that name was a fake. Now that I'm confident she remembers me, I have to ask her why she gave me that fake name. Still doesn't answer the question on why she didn't remember me when I called out Satella, but then when I was dying she came back and yelled my name out. She seemed to be very angry at the three idiots and her voice was filled with malicious intent. Is this my power, or is it hers? This stupid world doesn't match the typical rpg rule."
Subaru finally reached the alleyway. He was out of breath and had to take a breather. He waited patiently because if it goes the same way like the last loop, those three idiots should arrive any time soon now, with the girl in tow.
"What do we have here?" Speak of the devil, perfect, dumb, dumber and dumbest have arrived. Subaru fixed his posture, now standing up straight he looked towards his victims with a vicious scowl. "I've been waiting for you three. This has been a long time coming!"
All three thieves froze in their tracks. They turned to each other then looked back towards the strange kid. "Eh? What the hell are you talking about idiot? You tryna mess with us? I've never seen your ugly face before."
Subaru's eyes did not look away from them once, instead his mouth twitched upwards. With a smirk he proceeded to talk. "Of course you haven't, but I know what you've done. You must pay!"
All three continued to stare in shock. What the heck is this kid babbling on about. The smallest one with the biggest mouth then shouted "You tryna play mind tricks on us? We don't like that shit, pay up right now before we make your face even uglier!"
Subaru continued to smirk as he then said "Oh I've learned my lesson." He then sucked in a large portion of oxygen and with a stretch of his lungs shouted "Guards! HELP ME!"
All three thugs instantly started to panic. They knew their limits and a couple of knights were enough to set them straight.
Silence...nothing happened
As milliseconds passed Subaru took the time to think "Ha, my memory serves correct. There is some form of authority in this world. Now let's give it a little push!"
Subaru dug deep down into his lungs and proceeded to raise the pitch of his voice. Pushing his vocal cords to their limits he then shouted once again but with a far more feminine voice.
"Guards I need a man!"
"Hey shut up!"
"No don't touch me, ahh why are you so handsy. Someone please HELP ME!"
Silence… nothing but the sound of their breathing could be heard.
"Heh, had me worried there for a second." The biggest one spoke first. "Yeah, you had us quite spooked" Followed by the tallest thief, leaving the shortest to finish "Just a teeny bit. Crying like a bitch won't save ya!" All three then got in position to pounce. Daggers came flying out of the tallest thief's back, he spun them around and pointed them towards Subaru.
Suddenly a powerful voice called out. "That's enough!" Said voice was followed by stunning red hair that was connected to quite the handsome man.
The biggest thief then pointed out the distinct features that could only belong to one man. "Red hair, piercing blue eyes, and a large sword with scratches made from dragon claws. Is that Reinhard? The master swordsman?"
The owner of such a description spoke "Looks like I don't need to introduce myself. However that nickname is a little too much for me, I doubt my modest skill can live up to your expectations." For every step the powerful man took, the three thieves took one step back. In a deep and elegant tone he proceeded to say "Although if you keep pushing further, as a knight I will be forced to fight back." The blue eyes of the man shone so brightly that it felt as if they were pierced through by just his glare. They knew their limits and of course this man was no joke. It was time to move on.
"Fuck this it's not worth it! Let's get out of here!" All three scrambled away as the two left behind watched as they disappeared into the distance.
The red headed man then turned to the forgein black haired young man. As he turned their eyes met and he then said "I'm glad we both came out unscathed."
Subaru, noticing that he had been rescued, tried to regain his composure and with a formal tone exclaimed his gratitude "Allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You helped me out without even a second thought. I Subaru Natsuki, deeply admire your selfless act of bravery and kindness."
"Hey now, no need to be so formal. Once it was two against three, those thugs lost their advantage. I'm not quite sure I would do so well if I was on my own."
Subaru instantly picked up on what kind of person this man was. His level of humbleness shot through the roof. "Wow this guy's nice guy index is off the charts!"
"So you're master swordsman Reinhard?" Asked Subaru.
Reinhard confirmed this fact but he did not like that title so he proposed a new idea "It's just Reinhard Subaru."
"Oh wow, he just closed the distance between us. We just became buddy-buddy really fast."
Subaru couldn't help but notice how quickly Reinhard had advanced their relationship.
"Thank you so much Reinhard. I called out a couple times but you were the only one who responded. Jeez I'm pathetic."
"No need to stress about it Subaru, you were right to call out for the guards. Most people wouldn't dare to challenge thieves like them."
Subaru then took in Reinhard's whole figure. As he looked up and down Reinhard's clothes he came up with an observation "Are you a knight? You don't look like one."
Reinhard proceeded to shuffle his hair, as he smiled he then said "Well, it kind of is my day off. That's why I'm not wearing my knight uniform."
"They did call you master swordsman."
"Well you see my family is a bit strange, most of time I don't feel like I live up to their expectations. Anyways Subaru, your hair, name, and clothes are quite unusual. What nation are you from? Right now lugunica is extra cautious, if you ever need anything feel free to ask for my support."
"Will you come to the loot house with me?"
"Say what?"
Subaru then received flashbacks to the times he fell in battle at the loothouse, he did not want to risk another innocent life. "On second thought it is your day off so I'll handle it."
Subaru continued to walk off but not before he asked for one last request "Say can you deliver a message for me?"
Reinhard replied immediately "Yes of course, to who and from whom?"
"Well you see, I don't quite know her name but have you seen a girl with white robes and silver hair recently?"
Reinhard stared at him for a couple fo seconds before he directed his gaze to the floor. He continued to try and match the description with a face.
"Oh and she's also exceptionally beautiful!"
"No sorry, does not ring a bell."
Subaru sighed but then he decided to change up his request "If you see her can you tell her not to go to the loothouse, I'll find what she's been looking for and return it to her by myself."
"Alright, if I see her I'll be sure to tell her."
"Thanks I'll be sure to repay you someday!"
Reinhard smiled and called out one last time "Sure, take care!"
As they split up and Reinhard left, Subaru continued to run down the alley until he was stopped in his tracks. There in front of him was the girl he had been searching for. Her beautiful silver hair swayed in the cool breeze. Her amethyst eyes shined brightly piercing his soul. Lastly the expression she had on her face was one of pure joy. She was smiling brightly, with a faint blush and eyes barely containing her tears.
5 minutes earlier….
As Emilia once again regained her senses, she was blinded by the bright sun once again. As usual she was running with Puck again.
"Lia, Lia! Why did you stop?" Puck stopped in his tracks the second he realized his daughter had stopped chasing after the blonde girl.
Emilia had begun to get tired of Puck constantly asking her the same question. She has bigger fish to fry. Subaru was dead and she had almost died after having her heart squeezed. "Just what was that? I'm such a failure, I let Subaru down again. I can't talk to Puck about this. I have to find Subaru because he seems to be going through the same thing as me. If I try to talk to Puck I'll have my heart squished. I can't just sit here, no matter how much I cry, my tears won't save Subaru!"
Emilia slapped her cheeks and looked towards her worried father. When she met his eyes, she noticed how concerned he was. She had never once bothered to assess the situation concerning her father. His eyes were filled with worry and confusion. She had to try and fix this but for that she needed Subaru.
"Lia? Are you okay? Why did we stop?" Puck questioned his daughter
"I'm sorry Puck. I'm fine, we were chasing the thief girl right?" Emilia needed to know what point in time she was right now and her father had that answer.
"Yes Lia, she stole your insignia seconds ago. We were chasing after her but then you stopped chasing." Puck reminded Emilia, he was deeply concerned. She just stopped running suddenly and had no real reason for it.
As Emilia pondered over the situation, she came to the conclusion that she was minutes before Subaru would get attacked. "Alright let's get this straight. One: I have reset time again. Two: It has been seconds since I lost my insignia. Three: Subaru should not be dead yet otherwise I would have reset. Four: I can't talk to anyone about my time hop, but there is a chance I can with Subaru. Now I know what matters first, Subaru over the insignia. Time to look for him!"
"Alright Puck, this is going to sound crazy but forget the stupid insignia. I have to go find someone first. His name is Subaru and we are running out of time." Emilia was prepared to have Puck throw questions her way but was surprised to see he was prepared for it.
Puck had realized Emilia was serious. He had a chance to read her emotions, they were scattered everywhere but one thing was clear. This boy was important and he was top priority.
Puck then said "Well then Lia, I may not understand but I trust you 100%! Lead the way."
Emilia smiled and was happy to see that he trusted her completely. "Alright follow me. Chop Chop on the double!"
Emilia flew through the rooftops until she heard a cry. It sounded feminine but not completely feminine.
"Guards help! I NEED A MAN!" Emilia realized that Subaru needed help but she was not going to let someone else get hurt and ignore them. As much as she wants to save Subaru, if she ignored this call then this person might pay the price with their life.
"Gah! I'm sorry Subaru but please be okay for a little while longer!" Emilia then doubled her speed, as she dashed across the rooftops she could hear people talking. The voices sounded familiar.
"Heh, don't scare us like that."
Emilia had finally arrived but she was shocked. The voice that called out was not that of a woman's but of Subaru's. He seemed to have called out but with a higher pitch. Emilia then steeled her determination. She had enough of these three idiots constantly hurting Subaru and she was ready to teach those numbskulls a lesson. However, before Emilia could even jump in, a loud and powerful voice called out.
Emilia turned her attention to the voice and what she saw was definitely a powerful man. Emilia had studied the language and history of Lugunica. Emilia knew who the Astrea's were and what the Sword Saint was. The Sword Saint title belonged to many people over the course of history. The man in front of Emilia was the current sword saint and he was believed to be the strongest out of all the sword saints that have ever lived.
"Reinhard? He's here? I am confident that he can deal with these thugs, I'll only jump in if things get messy. But for now I'll watch and see how it all plays out. It would be quite embarrassing if he finds out that I've lost my insignia. Roswaal will scold me. Something about "The future queen of Lugunica has no room for silly mistakes like losing the most valuable proof of candidacy."
As Emilia watched on, Reinhard convinced the thieves to take their loss and run away. Subaru then thanked Reinhard and prepared to walk off.
As for Emilia's furry spirit, he was not happy at all. "Lia's feelings for that black haired boy are super mixed up. She's feeling relieved, sad, happy and even excited. How does she know that boy?" As Puck continued to observe Emilia, he was suddenly struck with a powerful force! He felt like his soul was being ripped out of his body, he had no other choice but to retreat to his crystal. He would trust Emilia with the boy because if he did not back away something tells him he would be destroyed. The last thing he saw was a dark shadowy figure before he blacked out and faded away.
As Puck retreated back to safety, Emilia continued to listen to Subaru and Reinhard's conversation.
Subaru began to walk off but not before he delivered one final message "Say Reinhard can I ask you for a favor?" Reinhard nodded. "Can you deliver one final message?"
Reinhard shifted his position and leaned in to hear what Subaru wanted. "Of course to who and from whom?"
Emilia's ears perked up and she leaned a little closer as she spied on the duo. "Who exactly is Subaru planning to send a message to? Oh no? Has he met someone more reliable than me?"
Subaru fully turned to face Reinhard. He then smiled and spoke "Well you see, I don't quite know her name but have you seen a girl with white robes and silver hair recently?"
Subaru now completely had Emilia's attention. He was looking for her. She was happy to hear that she wasn't the only one looking for the other. This had basically confirmed that Subaru knew who Emilia was.
Subaru full on smiled now and with a look of pure bliss he shouted "Also she's exceptionally beautiful!"
Emilia's face fully heated up. The tips of her pointy ears turned pink, the heat was unbearable. Emilia put her hands on her cheek in a desperate attempt to control the blush that had completely taken over her face. "Oh Subaru, you dunderhead! Why does it make me feel so good when he said that?" Emilia was blushing like crazy and was lost in her own world until Subaru's voice shook her out of it.
Reinhard couldn't find a person who matched that description so he just sighed and replied with "Sorry Subaru but it doesn't ring a bell."
Subaru sighed but gave Reinhard a reassuring smile as he said "If you see her can you tell her not to go to the loot house, I'll find what she's been looking for and return it to her by myself."
The second Emilia heard that statement, her heart melted. She could not control the amount of joy she had and was just about ready to pounce on Subaru to squeeze the air out of him. "He cares, oh Subaru you nincompoop, I'm so happy that you care about my safety. I have to talk to him. Please leave already Reinhard. Oh I'm so rude! Forgive me Puck!"
Reinhard wondered what Subaru meant by that but he had to give a response. "Alright Subaru, I'll be sure to tell her!"
Subaru smiled and ran off as Reinhard walked away he couldn't help but linger on why Subaru would not want the girl at the loot house. "It looks like I'm going to be paying the loot house a visit later today."
As they went the opposite direction, Reinhard had left the vicinity and Subaru was on his way out as well. However before he could fully exit the alley, a bit of dust clouded his vision followed by a flash of white and purple.
There she was the girl he had been so desperately searching for! Subaru was dumbstruck. Subaru tried to force his voice out but he couldn't and before he could even fully register that the girl was in fact standing in front of him.
He was tackled across the alley, she had pounced on him and had wrapped her arms around his torso while burying her face in his chest. Her wet tears soaked his tracksuit. Subaru couldn't even fathom the idea of her hugging him. His soul had long since left his body.
Emilia could not contain herself. Emilia put her ears up to his heart. It was beating loudly and at inhumane speeds. She stuttered out "I-I'm sooo happy that you're okay S-Subaru! I thought I lost you!"
"Eh?Subaru could only mutter out a sound. "Shit what do I call her, she smells sooo nice. The protagonist life is amazing! My main heroine has arrived!" Subaru could not believe his luck, this must've been his reward for all the pain he went through!
"Um S-Satella, please g-get off. I-I need air." Subaru hated saying such words but if he didn't he would die from lack of oxygen. "Stupid body, I might never get a chance like this again!"
Emilia realized her mistake and the situation Subaru was in. She jumped off of him and let go. "I'm such a dunderhead! What if I killed him? I would never forgive myself!"
She patted her dress and took a step back as she said "I'm so sorry Subaru, I didn't mean to suffocate you. I was just so over the moon that I felt like I could burst!"
Subaru slowly got up, he dusted off the back of his tracksuit and spoke up "Who even says over the moon nowadays."
"Geez that's the second time you've teased me today! First you called me beautiful!" Emilia blushed at that last statement.
Subaru's face flared up and turned a shade of red. "You heard that? How long have you been here!?"
Emilia continued to blush and face the floor. Her eyes looked up towards Subaru's "I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was here. I just wanted to see if you still remembered me."
"Of course, I do remember you. Satella I could never forget you. Oh shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it!" Subaru tried to take back his mistake, he didn't want to make his new friend mad again.
Emilia noticed his desperation to salvage the conversation so she had to apologize. "I'm so sorry Subaru, but that's not my name. I feel awful for getting you into so much trouble."
Subaru waved his hands in front of his face, he then answered "No, it's nothing, I'm sure you had your reasons. I am just a stranger really."
Emilia then stammered out " I'm really sorry, I only gave you a fake name to keep you away from my problems. I got you killed."
"Hold on, back it up. You remember?" Emilia nodded, "How much do you remember?"
"Everything, I'm so sorry Subaru, I saw everything, I saw us dying together. I felt your h-hand grasping m-mine." Emilia was once again blushing but she continued on "I saw you dying again alone in the loot house with the thief and that creepy woman smiling as you d-died." Subaru grimaced, he did not want to relive that experience again. "I also saw those three thugs s-stab you. I'm so sorry I let you down 3 times! Please forgive me, I even lied to you and got mad at you over a dumb name."
"Please tell me your name. Please." Subaru didn't know how to respond but he needed her name first.
"Emilia, just Emilia. I know it's not enough for the trauma you must've gone through but I hope I can make it up to you."
Subaru hugged Emilia back as he cried into her shoulder. Emilia could not hold her tears back anymore. His embrace just felt so right. She then wrapped her arms around him. She had been holding out hoping that he would remember and now here he was safe and sound.
"It's okay, Emilia. You aren't at fault. Thank you for telling me your name and it makes me so happy to see you care about me enough to try and rescue me."
As they separated, their eyes met. Subaru looked towards Emilia, he didn't want to say this but he had to. "Emilia please look the other way, that loot house is dangerous. That woman will kill us, please just walk away. I don't want to see you hurt."
Emilia stayed still. She knew that Subaru was only looking out for her but she needed that insignia. Without the insignia, it would be the end of the road for her. She was not sure if Roswaal would even accept her back into his home and if he didn't, the elves were finished.
Emilia shook her head. "I can't, I need that insignia. It's super important and if I don't get it back, it will be the end of the road for me. I just came to warn you, I don't want you getting hurt. You repaid me by giving me one of the best days of my life and that's all I could ever ask for. So please Subaru go live a full life." Emilia did not know why but saying that final statement hurt. She was selfish, a small part of her wanted him to stay and come back with her but she knew that if he stayed he would get hurt. She would not allow that to happen."
Subaru was sad to hear that she wouldn't run away. He wanted her to do the exact same thing she asked of him. "Emilia, I can't do that. That woman is dangerous and if I let you go, I'm not sure if I'll ever see you again. How important is that insignia."
"Super important."
Subaru sighed but he had to do this. Now that he had Emilia he could make a plan with her. Also Puck should still be here too. With him they might just win. Maybe if he can get Felt and Rom's help too. Subaru decided "Emilia, I have a new plan. We won't give up, I'll give you more happy days that overshadow the previous one."
Emilia blushed but she was now intrigued, she didn't want Subaru to come to the loot house but if he had an alternative where nobody gets hurt then they might just be fine.
"What is it Subaru?"
"I think I can save us all. You say you have no money. I have none either. Let's track felt down and I'll negotiate. She was willing to take my Métia last time. She was greedy and wanted more so Elsa, the woman in black, killed us all. I can convince Felt to forget about it. I know now that Elsa is a killer and with that I can rescue all of us. So please just wait here and I'll come back with your insignia okay?"
Emilia did not like that all, she was not going to send Subaru to his death "No way mister, I can't let that happen. You said it yourself she is dangerous so if you go I have to follow as well. Puck can help me. We can go right now before his time runs out."
Subaru jumped up, he remembered Puck had a time limit and now that they were a lot earlier than before they could win. If all 5 of them attacked her they should easily win.
"Okay Emilia, We have time now. First thing we will do is find Felt, I'll negotiate with her and convince her to leave. As soon as I get it we run. If it fails and Elsa shows up we will have to fight. I don't want anybody to die so will you trust me?"
Emilia was hesitant but the look in Subaru's eyes were full of determination and fire. She ultimately accepted. "Very well, Subaru I'll trust you, but please if it goes south, escape okay?"
Subaru smiled at her, but Emilia had one last thing to say "Subaru I don't know if you know this but since we can reset, I realized that I only reset when you die. I tried to tell Puck but then I was quickly silenced."
This was news to Subaru, he did not know that it was only his power and not Emilia's. On top of that Emilia got hurt? "Hold on Emilia, you got silenced? Who silenced you?"
Emilia was still shaken up by the experience but she needed someone to talk to "Some figure clouded in shadows. They stopped time and told me that they were being lenient with me and to not push my luck."
Subaru could not believe this. This new information might have just kicked his theory out of the way. This power might not even belong to him. "Emilia can you call out Puck? I want to test it."
Emilia got annoyed "No, are you crazy? It hurt like crazy and I don't want you to feel it."
"Please Emilia, I have to because I need to know who hurt you and if this drawback is only for you."
Emilia still hesitated but she called out for Puck. "Puck are you there? Can you come out?" She tapped and tapped but Puck did not show himself.
"That's weird, why isn't he coming out? Puck what's wrong?" Emilia was getting super worried. She could still feel his energy in her crystal and with her mental link but he seemed to be out of commission.
"Emilia, this can't be good can you still fight without him?" Asked Subaru
"Yes but I'm severely weakened. I can't fight as well without him."
"Emilia we have to go, now that Puck can't fight we have no time to waste. Come on, follow me." Subaru reached out and grabbed Emilia's hand. He ran with her in tow and had his fingers interlocked with her. He needed to find Felt because he wasn't sure he could save them all without Puck."
As Emilia was being dragged, she couldn't help but blush. She had never been touched like this before. It made her blush seeing their hands interlocked and how desperate Subaru was to help her. She didn't know what this feeling was but she did know that deep down she liked it.
"Hey Emilia, do you have anything to hide your hair and face? I don't want Felt and Rom to freak out, I'm hoping we can negotiate and get out of there without any bloodshed."
Emilia nodded her head. "No, I don't, I'm sorry."
Subaru continued running but he turned his head to look at her "It's okay Emilia, now that you don't have Puck, you are going to intimidate Rom and Felt. So please just wait for me outside okay?"
"No way, remember the last time I waited outside? I'm coming in with you this time."
"Fine but please don't do anything rash okay? I'm going to convince Felt and so you hide but once I do then you can come out okay?"
"Okie Please be safe, I don't want to see you get hurt again."
They continued to run together until they reached the loot house.
"Okay Emilia. We're finally here, Let me do all the talking and when Rom turns his back, you can sneak in."
Emilia was uncomfortable with the idea of sneaking behind people's back. "Fine, I still don't like it but if this is what has to be done so be it."
"Great, now I'm going to put in the password just wait to the side." Subaru then walked up to the door while Emilia waited behind the stairs. With a deep breath Subaru went into the loot house for the third time. "Good thing I remembered the password from the last loop when Felt came in."
"Ahem." *Knock Knock* Subaru waited patiently, then he heard a loud voice call out "For a Rat?"
Subaru replied with "Poison"
"For a whale?"
"A harpoon."
"For the noble dragon lord?"
"Four bags of shit"
And with that, the door opened. Subaru looked up to meet the giant's gaze. He was huge and towered over Subaru. The giant then spoke "I've never seen ya round before. Who are ya?"
Subaru replied with "My name is Natsuki Subaru, and I'm here to negotiate for an insignia. I heard Felt came around here often and she has what I want."
"Well then kid, ya seem to know what you're talking about. My name is Rom, come on in." The Giant named Rom getstured over to Subaru in an attempt to bring him into his shop.
Subaru followed but he threw a quick glance behind him to see if his partner followed in. He then smirked as he saw a flash of white and purple out of the corner of his eye. "Great she came in, everything's going smoothly, I just need to wait for Felt then leave."
Subaru then showed off his metia to the giant and received the same offer of 20 holy coins as the last loop. Subaru kept sneaking glances around the room to see if he could spot Emilia but she was far too good at hiding. He couldn't spot her which made him feel relieved.
Rom then turned his body towards Subaru and asked "Say, what's so good about that insignia ya looking for?"
Subaru had already come up with an answer. "My employer wants it, apparently he needs it for something. I didn't ask questions as I'm in no position to do so."
"Fair enough, if Felt got to it before you that must hurt your pride. Hahaha."
"Simple mistakes, I can't have that now can I? Now you know why I want it and why I'm willing to give up this metia"
They then heard a knock followed by Felt's voice. Felt stepped in and was surprised to see Subaru. He seemed chummy with Rom and didn't seem like a threat. "Hey old man Rom, just who is this guy?"
Rom turned towards Felt and answered "He says he's here to buy that insignia off ya."
Felt was tripped out. Her employer was a woman and not some teenager. "Hey Rom, my employer was said to be a woman. This is a boy." She looked towards Subaru and questioned "What do you want man? If you want the insignia you are going to have to match the price or pay more."
Subaru had already had this conversation before so he just restated "I was hired to get that insignia by my employer but it seems you got to it first. I'm here to buy it off you so I don't get into trouble."
Emilia was hidden behind a couple of chairs in the corner of the room. She instantly jumped behind even though it was super cramped. As Emilia watched Subaru she couldn't help but wonder how much more time they had left. It was getting dark meaning Puck wouldn't be able to come out if he wanted to. The woman would be arriving any time soon. "Oh Subaru, you don't have to give your precious metia for me, once we get out of this mess, I'll pay you back in full."
Felt put her hands on her hips and looked down on Subaru. "How much are you paying for this insignia?"
Subaru whipped out his metia and announced "This Metia, it's worth 20+ holy coins. It would be double what your employer is paying you."
Felt directed her gaze towards Rom and questioned him. "Hmm I don't know is that true Rom?"
Rom nodded his head in agreement and put his palm out to gesture how good the offer was. "Yes Felt, this could be life changing for you. 20 holy coins will get you out of the slums. You could live a whole life and find happiness."
"But if I ask for more I can get us both out of the slums!" Felt interrupted
Rom shook his head and shot down the proposal. "Oh no Felt, It's far too late for me, I'm too deep in this business. You are still young so take it."
Felt was on the verge of tears, she couldn't leave behind the one man she felt was the closest she had to a family. "I can't do that, I ha.."
"Come on, Felt take the damn metia. We are running out of time." Subaru interrupted, he was getting desperate, he did not want to die again especially now that Emilia was with him.
Felt's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. How dare this buffoon interrupt her and Rom. "What do you mean time? I don't even know you." She walked up and jabbed her finger into his chest. "You came out of nowhere and want to take my hard work?"
Subaru then grabbed her finger and said "No Felt, I want us all to leave as soon as possible. You don't know who your employer is, she is a killer. She won't hesitate to kill us all if you don't take the damn metia and leave. Felt's eyes expanded and she lost the strength in her finger. Subaru continued "Take the metia, you get your money and I'll take the insignia, we all walk off happy and in one piece. The bitch won't be happy if I outbid her." Rom grabbed his club ready to attack Subaru. How did he know all this?
Felt backed away, she then spoke "H-How do you know all this?" Subaru walked back up to her, as he closed the distance he placed the metia in Felt's palm. "I've had my run in with her, she took everyone's life the second she didn't win the auction. I won't make that same mistake again. Trust me."
Rom relaxed, and in the corner Emilia shivered. She instantly picked up on what he meant. She remembered walking in on Elsa laughing at his corpse with Rom and Felt laid out across the room.
Subaru then placed his palm out towards Felt. "Please give me the insignia and go live your life." Felt pulled out the insignia and prepared to give it to Subaru. Suddenly a knife was flung across the room impaling the wall behind Subaru and Felt. Felt and Subaru jumped back and looked towards the door. Standing before them covered by the shadows was Elsa.
"My my, Looks like you already have me figured out young boy." Elsa had announced her participation in the auction. She walked seductively towards the group. Her hips swayed back and forth making Subaru shit himself.
"Fuck! Where did it all go wrong? I came a lot earlier, I was seconds away from escaping. Just how much time passed. Shit Emilia doesn't have Puck and we're doomed. I have to at least save Emilia. I can't afford to have her die again."
Rom saw the opportunity and instantly rushed towards Elsa. He swung his club wildly. Once strike from that club would put any average person to sleep. However Elsa was far from average. She quickly dodged the strikes and was looking for an opening. As the two exchanged blows Subaru turned to Felt.
"Felt go run! Escape! When you run out don't look back. We're not going to make this out alive."
Felt was shaking in her boots, and having Subaru yell at her didn't do her any favors. She was struggling to keep her tears contained. "No, I can fight! I can't leave Rom alone!"
Subaru felt the same way, he didn't want to die again but he had someone to protect now. Emilia was here and he couldn't afford to let her down. He saw how desperate she was and how sad she looked when he told her they had to leave her insignia behind. "I don't know what that insignia is or why it's so important but I would die 100 times before I let Emilia cry and have that look again."
Rom was starting to get overpowered and was losing his ground. While Rom was swinging wildly in every direction hoping to knock Elsa down. Elsa was spinning and flipping all around Rom, she was calculating the distance she had from Rom's neck. She had finally found the opening when Rom swung over her head and left his neck unprotected. Elsa then lunged forward with her dagger aiming to pierce his throat before her leg had been impaled by an ice pillar. The impact sent her flying back but not before her knife slammed into Rom's shoulder knocking him out cold.
"That's enough villain! You have one chance! Leave and never come back!" Emilia had sprawled out of her hiding spot and had been waiting for her opportunity to strike. She had gotten a perfect hit. Elsa was now bleeding from her left leg. There was a medium sized pillar jammed in her ankle.
"Oh my, you got me good. That attack did sting quite a bit. But now that the Giant is out, it's a 3 on 1. I would just love to see your bowels!"
"Sorry to say bitch but it's a 2 on 1 now!" You lost! The insignia is gone and you won't be able to complete your mission." Subaru walked up to Rom and picked up his club. He grimaced at the sight of Rom's body. The giant was bleeding profusely.
"What?" Elsa then scanned her surroundings. There was no sight of the blonde thief. Impossible, that giant had kept her more busy than she thought and so did that attack from the half elf."
"Subaru please escape. I need you to go out and live a happy life. This is my problem." Pleaded Emilia
"Nope, we're getting out of this together Emilia-tan" exclaimed Subaru
"Tan?" Emilia asked
"It's a nickname, it means I like you." Subaru gave her a huge smile.
"Oh" Emilia blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.
"Very well, I'll take care of the two of you and then examine your bowels after I track down the brat." Smirked Elsa
Subaru picked up the club. "Man I'm sick of your face bitch! You don't know how much it hurts missing your insides. Cover me Emilia-tan!"
Subaru ran straight towards Elsa and began to swing in every direction. Elsa continued to dodge and started to chip away at his body. Every strike Subaru threw towards Elsa was blocked or dodged but every attack she threw was partially evaded. He would still get torn up as the tips of her blades met their marks. Elsa prepared to decapitate Subaru but was forced to duck in order to evade a perfectly placed ice shard. Every swing Subaru threw at her was followed up with an ice shard flung towards her limbs perfectly timed by Emilia. Elsa was getting tired of this and wanted to make quick work of Subaru.
Subaru then flung the club high up in the air ready to bring it down on Elsa as he shouted "I'm going to get my happy ending no matter how many tries it takes!" As Subaru swung down Elsa went straight for his torso but with Subaru's quick thinking he spun around and brought his leg up to fling Elsa across the room. However, being an assassin comes with its perks so with intense training Elsa was prepared for anything. She caught Subaru's ankle and prepared to take it clean off. Emilia's eyes expanded in horror as she could not protect Subaru from that attack.
"That's enough!" The roof collapsed leaving the moonlight shining down on all the fighters. Once the debris settled, a red headed man adorned with white clothes walked up to the group.
"It seems I was just in time. Elsa Granhiert the bowel hunter. You're under arrest!" Reinhard had arrived, he then gestured towards Subaru and Emilia to back away. They did what they were told and Emilia rushed over to Rom and began to heal his shoulder.
Subaru followed after Emilia but not before asking "You sure you got this Reinhard? She is super tough."
"I can manage, don't you worry Subaru. Please go help Emilia-Sama with that gentleman."
Reinhard then faced off against Elsa. The two then exchanged in combat as Reinhard picked up a rusty sword and deflected every attack thrown at him by Elsa. She jumped from wall to wall to try and catch Reinhard off guard but he was too good for her. He continued to deflect every attack until he had taken almost all her daggers.
"Emilia-tan, are you okay?" Asked Subaru as he kneeled down next to Emilia. "Yes Subaru, you're such a dunderhead charging in there head first. You could've seriously gotten hurt." Emilia started to scold Subaru as she began to seal up Rom's shoulder. Emilia finished sealing up Rom's wound and with that Reinhard let loose The Swordplay of the Astrea Family..
The battle ended with a flash of light and the loot house was no more. As they got up and began to chat. Felt came back in and joined the three.
"Hey there Felt, I owe you one. You came back for us with Reinhard. He told me all about it just now." Subaru sheepishly smiled towards Felt.
Felt then rushed towards Subaru and hugged him. She started crying and rubbing her tears across his jacket. "I'm so sorry Subaru, I didn't believe you and almost got us all killed." As Felt hugged Subaru, Emilia began to pout, she was fuming but she had no idea why. She walked up to Subaru and kicked his shin. "Yow! Ouch that hurt Emilia-tan. What was that for?" Subaru separated from Felt and looked towards a blushing Emilia while rubbing his shin.
"That's for being a dunderhead and almost getting yourself killed. Hmph" Emilia looked away from Subaru but then something no someone jumped out towards the half elf. Subaru with his quick thinking reached out for the club and picked it up while bumping into Emilia and shoving her to safety. As Elsa slashed towards Subaru, he brought up the club and deflected it.
"Oh I'll see those beautiful bowels of yours someday. Keep them safe for me!" Elsa jumped back and ran off in the night.
"Subaru! Are you okay!? Emilia got back up to her feet and dashed over to Subaru and began to inspect his body.
"No worries Emilia-tan. Tis but a scratch." Subaru began to chuckle until Reinhard spoke up. "Um Subaru, are you sure you're okay?" He raised up the club, well more like what's left of it. The club had been cut in two which meant it had connected."
"Shit! Looks like this is the end." Subaru fell back, bleeding profusely as everyone rushed over to him.
Minutes later…..
"Emilia-Sama, Subaru seems to be stable for now but I must ask just what is your relationship with him?" Asked Reinhard.
Emilia had Subaru resting on her lap, as she stroked his hair. "He's my friend. He and I have been through a lot together."
"Well then Emilia-Sama I trust he'll be fine with you." Reinhard then looked towards Felt. He signaled to Felt and she understood. Felt then walked up and took the insignia out.
Felt then held it out, and said "I'm sorry for taking it, but next time you should really keep track of it better. Heh"
Emilia smiled and reached out for it, but then Reinhard intervened and gripped onto Felt's wrist. Emilia noticed and was not too thrilled about the way Reinhard was acting.
"Reinhard, she apologized and it's not that big of a deal. You should let her go." Emilia ordered Reinhard.
Reinhard shook his head. "I'm sorry Emilia-Sama but this is something I can not overlook." He then stated at Felt as he questioned her "What is your family name? And what is your age?"
Felt was feeling very uncomfortable, he was gripping way too hard. "I don't have a family name, my age is somewhere around 15. I don't even know my birthday. So can you let…"
Reinhard waved his hand and put Felt to sleep. Emilia did not approve of that and had to speak up. "That's not very knightly Reinhard please put her down." Reinhard shook his head "Do not worry Emilia-Sama, I will keep her safe but as my duty of a knight I can not overlook this situation."
Reinhard then jumped off after handing Emilia her insignia and called out one last time "Take care Emilia-Sama and please take care of Subaru as well." Emilia sighed as she watched him leave. She did not know how long she would be here waiting for Subaru to wake up. As Emilia waited, she heard somebody calling out her name.
"Emilia-Sama, Emilia-Sama!" A pink haired one was running around the slums until she heard someone reply to her call.
"Ram is that you? Over here!" Ram turned to the direction of the voice and spotted Emilia.
"Emilia-Sama, where have you been? And what exactly happened here." Ram interrogated Emilia as she observed her setting. The whole place looked like a mess, debris was everywhere and it looked like a battle had just finished. And now Emilia Sama was sitting on the floor with a boy. He seemed to be asleep but was laying on Emilia's thighs. "Disgusting pig."
"Who is this boy, Emilia-Sama?" Ram leaned in to examine the boy. He was dirty and seemed to have been roughed up. "He's my friend and he helped me find my insignia after it got stolen. He's going to be coming back with us" Answered Emilia as she continued stroking Subaru's hair.
"You have a lot of explaining to do Emilia-Sama, but do you want me to fetch the carriage?" Asked Ram, Emilia then nodded. Ram then went to fetch the carriage and take the three back home.
Back in a cabin….
"Employer…"
?- "Oh yeeees I've beeen waiting for your caaall. Hooow did it gooo?"
Elsa: "The target escaped, I'm extremely sorry but I did bring back some information."
?-"Oooh that's a shaaame but what did you fiiind?
Elsa: There was a boy who rescued her and he said something about being tired of my face although he had never seen me before. He also said something about being okay with achieving his "happy ending" with however many tries it would take. Those were all the things I could gather that you told me to look out for.
?- "I seee thank youuu for that. Your payment shaaall be delivered sooon. Gooodbye
And with that the metia had been closed.
?- You've finally arrived. I'll see you soon Echidna-sensei. Things could get complicated now that the half elf shares this ability.
End of arc 1.
AN: Let me clear one thing up concerning Emilia and Satella. Basically Satella still only cares about Subaru. She's willing to let Emilia in on it because she realizes he needs someone to help him out. As much as she hates seeing him with Emilia, Emilia is the most trustworthy to help him. Emilia would never hurt him and if Subaru decides to leave Emilia and Emilia dies, Satella has no reason to save her. So if Emilia dies before Subaru she will stay dead until Subaru resets. If Subaru dies before Emilia then Satella will pull Emilia back in time. Emilia will be confused at first but then instantly put together that Subaru had died. Puck will not be allowed to know about return by death. We all know how he would exploit that ability. Arc 1 played out similarly to canon but arc 2 will be different. Sneak peak: Emilia will see the consequences of the witch's scent on both of them….
Anyways I'll be back with Arc 2 after I finish up the other fic I have sitting around. Should take about a week to a month. Thank you so much for the support and please leave criticism or advice in the reviews. If you have any questions drop them down in the reviews and I'll try to answer them in a private message.