Crack. Splinter. Screams.
The loud, chaotic sounds rattled the half-elf's delicate ears and shook her to her core. She found herself hurriedly holding an outstretched hand toward the tumbling boy only for her hopes of reaching him to be quickly dashed by a singular tree.
After landing in the grass nearby, Emilia simply laid face-down on the ground, her heart racing and ears ringing alarm bells. Gulping down a deep breath to calm herself, the half-elf pushed her tired body to its knees and quickly scanned the wreckage with her amethyst eyes.
There, some distance away, her gaze settled on Subaru. The boy had his arms wrapped over his head, pleading for his life. Emilia could only watch as the blue-haired girl ignored his pleas, instead knocking him out with a swift kick to the back of the head.
Emilia shakily stood up and shouted at the little girl with as much courage as she could muster, "L-leave him alone!"
The small girl smiled innocently as her olive eyes surveyed the site of the destroyed carriage. Suddenly, a form burst forth from the bushes and rushed toward her but, before it could reach her, it was harshly swatted to the ground by a massive paw.
The form, Otto, had attempted the only thing he could think of, and it was of no use. His battered body rolled across the ground before coming to a stop next to the blue-haired girl. The seemingly frail girl simply grinned as she slammed a boot into his chest, laughing as he let out a yelp. "How sad," she commented with a sneer.
Even so, the merchant turned his head and looked pleadingly with his blue eyes, "Emilia-sama, run!"
"I... I can't do that!" Emilia yelled back, "I can't abandon you two just to save myself! I can't!"
Unsure what to do, the half-elf hesitated. The escape carriage was nothing more than scattered splinters and its ground dragon laid unconscious beside a tree. Subaru had been knocked out and Otto was basically now a hostage. Additionally, even if taking down the ma-beast's master might save the two, she couldn't bring herself to attack such a young girl. Unable to break through the moral impasse, she could do nothing more than stand still.
-And while she stood still, the small girl continued to grin at the man she had pinned under her boot. "So weak!" she sneered, taunting him with his powerlessness. Already winded and injured from the crash, he could do nothing more than glare in response.
Puck, I... I know you had to leave for your own reasons, and I trust you for that, but I... I don't know what to do without your help! Please! If you can hear me from here, just answer me!
Emilia knew it was a vain thought to even attempt, but she hoped her strong bond with the Great Spirit would enable her to reach him. He'd been gone since Subaru left, and she was a little lost back then too, but not like this. Here, in this situation without answers, she felt utterly hopeless.
But something deep inside Emilia's heart said she wouldn't receive an answer and that everything was now in her hands. The Great Spirit believed in her, and so she had to believe in herself. This had gone on for long enough, and so she rushed forward with the intent to rescue Otto, shouting, "Let go of him!" Mana swirled around her outstretched hand, forming ice crystals in the air.
The lion ma-beast's ears perked and its attention zoned in on Emilia. As it did, she attempted to form an ice wall to block the beast's progression, but it was shattered in a spectacle of frost as the monster dashed forward. As it swiped its massive paw at her, the half-elf jumped back to dodge but fell backwards onto the dirt.
The little girl stood there, staring down the prone Emilia with the same sneer, "This is so easy, it's sad!" She laughed and turned to look at the destroyed carriage once again, "You tried to escape me and it turned out like this. Are you ready to give up yet?"
Otto was too weak to stand and the lion ma-beast was currently blocking the path to him. Emilia had to think of something fast- "W-what do you want from us!?"
As Emilia shouted desperately, the blue-haired girl turned and blinked with her olive eyes. She looked thoughtful for a moment then burst into laughter. "I just want to play, of course!" she giggled before turning her attention back to the defenseless Otto. He eyed her cautiously as she smiled innocently, "Did you hear that? The only reason why my lion buddy hasn't chewed your face off is because I'm playing with you. How does that make you feel?"
After a brief silence, showcasing a cruel twist of her lips, the girl struck him in the chest with her boot and watched him scream out in agony. The merchant's face contorted in pain and fear, and his only form of self-defense was his hands clutching at her ankle. She leaned down so that her face was on level with his. "Besides, if I really needed to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago."
"Needed to? Does that mean-"
"-Do you want this to stop?" The blue-haired girl ignored his words and looked up at Emilia with a sweet smile. She put a finger to her lips as she spoke, "If you want this to stop, you have to play with me."
"P-play?" Emilia asked hesitantly.
The small girl tilted her head and giggled, "Are you afraid?"
Emilia didn't know what to say. This girl had been toying with them for such a long time.
Is she...trying to buy time for something?
The tiny girl's gaze fell upon the helpless Subaru, unconscious with his face in the dirt. Her child-like eyes filled with sadistic glee as she smiled and began skipping toward him. "This is so fun!" she said happily.
"W-wait! Please... What do you want me to do?" Emilia's voice trembled.
The blue-haired girl stopped in her tracks. She placed her hands behind her back and innocently swung her body in a full circle to face the half-elf. "I just want to play with you, of course!" she smiled innocently.
The small girl turned away from Emilia, laughing as she skipped across the dirt. The half-elf's terrified eyes followed cautiously, eventually flickering between her and the lion ma-beast. It was simply sitting aside, watching everyone with a studying gaze.
Emilia took a sharp breath and steeled herself before speaking, "Y-you...really want to play with me?"
"Yes, please!"
"Alright... Alright, I'll...play along."
"N-no, you can't! Emilia-sama!" Otto yelled. As the voice left his throat, so too did a gurgle as the girl kicked him in the side before cheering. Emilia almost wanted to shudder at the small girl's twisted carefree attitude.
"Then let's play..." the blue-haired girl began as she bounced up and down. Eventually she came to a stop and held out her fingers to count, looking eager, "...three questions! All you have to do is answer honestly! Easy, huh!?"
Emilia could do nothing more than nod slowly before the tiny girl began her 'game,' "Okay, here we go! Question 1: What's your name?"
Caught off guard by such a simple question, the half-elf froze. She could give a false name without issue but, no matter how much she tried to think of one, no options came to mind. In the end, she decided it would be useless to bother hiding it, and so she spoke slowly, "...Emilia. Just...Emilia..."
"Ding, ding, ding!" The small girl cheered as though Emilia had answered a question correctly, then excitedly moved on, "Question 2: Who is that guy to you?" As the words left her mouth, she pointed directly at Otto. The merchant reflexively flinched at the finger outstretched toward him but said nothing.
Emilia paused briefly to consider the question, but it didn't take long for her to produce an answer, "Otto is... He's Subaru's friend."
"A friend of the target, hmm?" the little girl hummed. Otto's blood turned cold at her voice. She snickered as she stared at him with a sadistic grin before turning back to Emilia. "Alright, we're at the final one! Question 3: What is 'Subaru' to you?"
Emilia froze, her eyes wide open. She didn't say anything.
"Oh, how disappointing..." the small girl pouted. She stuck out her bottom lip as she did an exaggerated sad act, "The rules of the game were simple. Answer the questions! It's supposed to be as simple as that! I'm not going to let this game end until I'm satisfied!"
"I..." Emilia stuttered in fear.
"Alright, alright, I see this is a little difficult for you," she said as she waved a hand, "To make things easier, let's try rephrasing the question! Question 3: How long have you been in love with this 'Subaru' guy?"
"Wh..." Emilia breathed out. A bright red blush blotted her otherwise pale cheeks, "W-what...do you mean? Me... I..."
The girl's grin only grew wider as she watched the half-elf's flustered reaction. "Well? How long have you loved him!? Huh!? Huh!? It's written all over your face, you know! Even the tips of your ears are red!"
Emilia unconsciously touched the tip of one of her pointy ears and found it burning just as hot as her flushed face. The half-elf's head was spinning and her face heated up even more as she attempted to formulate words, her meek voice only able to reach a whisper tone, "You..."
"You 'what?'" the tiny girl asked in a teasing manner.
"You... You're right." Emilia embarrassedly cupped her cheeks with her hands and stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact.
"Of course I am!" The tiny girl smiled gleefully at the half-elf's reaction.
Though Emilia hadn't recognized the use and implications of that questioning, someone else had-having realized what the enemy could do with such information, Otto gulped. But it was too late; there was no way to take it back now.
"Well, this was a lot of fun! But I think it's time to go now!" the small girl announced. She raised a hand in the air and, suddenly, the area around the broken down carriage was surrounded by red-eyed wolf-like beasts.
Emilia stood still, paralyzed by a mix of strong emotions and fear, her boots locked in place as though standing in quicksand. She could do nothing but watch as the beasts hurriedly picked up Subaru's limp body and ran off into the forest.
"I like you, so you're coming with me!" the blue-haired girl cheered happily. As she said this, the lion ma-beast stood behind Emilia, clearly suggesting there was no possibility of escape.
"Emilia-sama!" Otto's voice yelled in horror as one of the wolves picked him up by his cape then disappeared into the trees.
The small girl turned back to Emilia, a hand outstretched as she spoke sweetly, "Come on, let's go."
Emilia stared at the girl's hand, contemplating her next actions. She had failed to protect or rescue either of the boys, and nothing she did now would be able to bring them back. All she could do was comply with this girl's demands and hope the other two might find a way to free themselves. For now, she had to worry about herself. Besides, she realized that, if she refused to accept this girl's hand, she would be forcefully taken away like the others. Better to follow for now than be dragged along.
-And so Emilia accepted the tiny girl's hand. They walked along a dirt trail before disappearing into the trees of the thick forest.
"I see. So that's how it is, huh...?"
"H-how can you be so calm and collected about this!?"
"I'm really not, you know!" Subaru raised his voice to match. With an exasperated sigh, he leaned his head back and wrinkled his brow. He was now sitting on the wooden bridge with his legs outstretched and his jacket unzipped in an attempt to dry faster.
On the other hand, being the only one of the two who could see, Otto was currently standing on lookout. With a hand held over his eyes to shield the sunlight, he looked about the surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. For now, his cape had been removed and set aside to dry.
"Damn, these two are a fearsome pair..." Subaru mumbled to himself as he thought about Otto's explanation of the prior events. The boy lowered his head as he muttered loud enough to be heard, "We have to hurry up and rescue Emilia. I really want to rush but...we need to get out of this forest alive first. We can't exactly do anything for her if we can't get back either."
"Coming from you, that is...surprisingly coherent," Otto said in astonishment.
"W-what's that supposed to mean!?" Subaru pouted.
"A-anyway, I believe we should start moving soon. I do not think it would be wise to be lost out here at night."
"Seconding that," Subaru said as he pushed his tired body to stand.
Otto shook his cape and swung it over his shoulder then picked up the ground hook. The merchant used the chain binding the two together to help guide the blind boy as they followed the river's edge.
As they walked along, Subaru listened carefully to their surroundings. Every so often, he would have to remind himself the noises he heard were natural. A few bugs buzzing, a few birds chirping here or there, a few squirrels skittering about-all completely normal things for a forest...
A few hours passed by and the two had finally left the river for the forest depths. Though they were certainly still lost, at the very least, the sunlight had managed to dry their clothes. Even so, the warmth from the sun seemed to be dwindling as time went on. "What time is it?" Subaru asked as he waved his arm to push aside some tree branches.
"Nearing sundown, I think," Otto replied as he stepped through some underbrush.
The boy stopped walking and sighed in frustration. "It's evening already? We're probably going in the completely wrong direction..."
"Based on the current position of the sun, I can tell you we have been walking south for a few hours. I do not know how to explain it, but I feel this is the correct direction to go."
"Well, you are our eyes, after all. Guess we keep going then..."
The two quietly continued onward for some time more. By the end of the day, neither of them were any closer to figuring out where they were nor where to go and both of their stomachs had begun to hold a very loud conversation.
Otto hung his head forward and sighed, "...We may need to find some nourishment soon."
"Great! If Elsa doesn't capture us, we're just gonna starve to death!" Subaru frowned.
A few moments later, a roar could be heard emanating from the forest. Soon after, something began charging toward them. Subaru was unable to react in time and found himself smacked to the ground by a heavy creature. It stood over him, roaring in his face and nearly taking a bite of dinner for itself.
At that moment, the boy realized what he had come face to face with-a wild boar. Or was it a ma-beast that just seemed like a wild boar? Either way, noticing the distinct lack of reaction from his friend, Subaru shouted pleadingly, "D-don't just stand there! Hit it!"
Otto had become immobilized with fear, his gentle blue eyes widening in horror as he watched the boar loom over his friend. Due to his profession, the merchant had dealt with his fair share of scuffles, but never something like this. Could he...could he really handle battling a ma-beast with just a rusted old hook? Wasn't that an absurd thought!?
-But the boy's words snapped him back to reality, spurring him to action. He attempted to stab the beast with the ground hook at its midsection, but the attack resulted in only a small wound, too shallow to do any serious damage. Even so, this really angered the boar, who turned its red eyes on Otto.
The merchant readied the hook in self-defense, however the boar was much too strong. The beast crashed into him with its large body and pinned him to the ground. It stomped all over his chest, causing him to cry out in pain.
Yet somehow Otto had managed to retain hold of the ground hook. He gripped the weapon tightly and thrust it upward with a powerful warcry, "AAHHH!" The rusted hook bit through the soft flesh of the boar's underbelly, ripping clean through and piercing its vitals. With a pitiful whine, the beast toppled over and bled out beside him.
Subaru, having heard nothing but screeching and screaming, let out a shaky breath, "...Otto? A-are you...alright!?"
The merchant groaned as he held his aching chest. "Y-yeah. I...believe so..." He then rolled over and used the bloodied hook to prop himself up on his knees as he panted. "Do not be concerned...Natsuki-san... I have...taken care of...the threat..."
Subaru slowly pushed himself to stand and approached his friend. "Well, uh, I'm glad you're my friend and not my enemy after that voice I just heard," he shivered, "So...what are we looking at?"
Otto decided to ignore that statement and, instead, addressed the question, "It appears to be a boar-like ma-beast; a fairly large one, it seems."
Several moments passed in relative silence.
"Hey Otto, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Otto glanced at his friend then back at the boar. "...We need to eat. This may be the perfect opportunity... B-but seriously, a ma-beast!?"
"I'm sure it's alright. I mean, it's just a boar, right?"
"I suppose so... I have just...never done something like this before..."
"There's always a first time! Well uh, I can't really see so can you make a campfire or something?"
Having managed to calm down a bit, Otto smiled weakly, "I can do that..."
Several minutes later, a campfire had been produced. The boar was skewered by the ground hook and lined up over the fire using sturdy branches. Every once in a while, Otto would rotate the beast. Once he assumed it had been thoroughly cooked through, he laid it across some rather large leaves to separate it from the ground and keep it clean. Having no other tools to work with, the merchant used the hook to attempt to shred the boar meat.
With a heavy sigh, Otto wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to sitting beside his friend by the campfire. A silence filled the air as neither of them were willing to be the first to act.
"So..." Subaru broke the silence, "Who first?"
"Well this was your bright idea, was it not!? I certainly did not have ma-beast dinner in mind for tonight!"
"Yeah, yeah... I get it," Subaru sighed heavily and shrugged, "I'll be the taste-tester then." With that declaration, Otto handed him a chunk of cooked meat and watched with anticipation for his friend's review.
Without much thought put into it, Subaru took a big bite of the meat. As he attempted to chew, he found it difficult due to the rough and dry texture, yet there was also an odd slimness rivaling that of mucus. It was at once tasteless and overbearing, and the flavor could only be compared to a mix of extremely strong vinegar and salt-laden expired beef.
With just one bite, Subaru found himself gagging then immediately spitting the sludge out. He hurriedly tossed the hunk of meat aside and grasped at his mouth, doing everything in his power to keep the disgustingly acidic flavor building in his stomach from rising. After a few moments, he managed to get it under control and simply let out a "Bleh!"
There was a brief silence as the two found themselves too tired to do or say anything else.
-Or so it seemed.
A repetitive sound scratched at Subaru's ears. He focused on it until he discovered the source. "Otto..." he began.
"Mm?"
"What is that?"
"Oh, right. Well, you see, as I was preparing the boar meat, I happened to stumble upon a handful of wood mushrooms. If the meat was valuable, I would have suggested we eat them together. But, as you can see, that did not turn out, and so...I believe this is all we have," he laughed nervously.
"Why didn't you say so!? That's...I mean, it's not much, but it's still something!"
Otto had been concerned with Subaru's reaction, but it was more favorable than he could have imagined. His eyes scanned the five remaining mushrooms in his hands. "Is this really all they could find...?" he mumbled to himself.
"...Did you say something?"
"No, no, it is fine! Here you are!" Otto spoke quickly to cover up his potential blunder and, in his hurry, he tossed all the remaining mushrooms into the boy's hands. Before he could say anything more, his friend had already gobbled them all up. "...Ah."
"Not much flavor, but well, guess beggars can't be greedy...or something like that. So anyway, about what we're going to do next," Subaru began, "I think we need to find shelter for tonight. We're completely lost and I don't think we're going to get any help any time soon. Otto, what do you think?"
Otto cursed his never-ending negative luck. But he had been lucky enough to eat one before accidentally handing them all over. That had to count for something, right?
It took a moment for Subaru's question to register in his mind and he swallowed nervously before answering, "I agree. But where could we go?"
The air was getting colder as the sun set. While he didn't think they would freeze to death, it was still truly uncomfortable. As much as the campfire would help to mitigate that, they couldn't risk leaving it lit too long for fear of being spotted.
He thought about it for a moment before responding with an idea. "There is a cave not far from here. Perhaps that may work."
"You sure it's safe in there?" Subaru questioned, "We did come across a bear in one of them already. I'd rather not be mauled in my sleep."
"As far as caves go, that is indeed a possibility..."
They both sighed in unison.
Otto scanned the darkening scenery for anything they could make use of. His blue eyes lit up as they settled on something, prompting a sudden excited response, "That is it!"
"What's it?" Subaru asked in confusion.
"A large hollowed out tree! We could sleep in there!" proudly exclaimed the merchant.
"Isn't that something that only happens in TV shows? Like those strange wilderness survival shows that are always staged?"
"I already told you before, I do not know what any of that means!"
"Anyway, aren't there animals or bugs or something living in there? Wouldn't that be kind of dangerous?"
"Well, I can assure you neither reside inside. Besides, I have had to sleep in one before, so I promise it is safe."
"...You've...slept in a tree before? Seriously?"
"I-Is that really so strange!?" With an exhausted sigh, Otto decided to just drop the subject. "We should hurry before it becomes too dark..."
Soon, the campfire and all evidence of anyone having been present had been cleaned up, including discarding the charred boar carcass as far away as possible. The two approached the hollowed tree and Otto helped his friend climb inside then joined soon after, burying the ground hook in a corner with the chains surrounding it.
Back to back, they got as comfortable as the meager space would allow. It was incredibly cramped for just two people, but they didn't really have much choice. This was truly the safest option they had available.
"Ah... This is so much better than the last time I had to sleep in a tree!" Otto exclaimed, "I thought myself lucky upon finding a tree to sleep in but, after a few hours, it began to rain. The downpour soaked my clothes and left me shivering for the rest of the night..."
"Wow, that sounds like it sucked. How the hell did you survive?" Subaru gawked.
"It was terrible! But I suppose I am simply just that resilient," the merchant laughed.
The two chatted about whatever came to mind for a bit more until sleep began to consume them. In an attempt to relax his tired body, Subaru finally allowed himself to rest his head on his friend's shoulder. He couldn't help but lament that they would have to wake up the next morning and potentially face great dangers once again. Meanwhile, Otto had already, somehow, begun to snore...
Subaru awoke to the sound of leaves crunching softly. He realized the warmth felt prior had vanished and the space within the tree had increased. That was to say, Otto was missing. But the chain connecting the two shouldn't allow him to move all that far away, and so the boy gently tugged on the line. He felt resistance, which helped ease his worries just a little.
Suddenly-
"Morning, Natsuki-san!" Otto said with a cheery voice as he stuffed his head into the hollowed tree. Reaching a hand in to help pull his friend out, he spoke eagerly, "If you are awake then I believe it is now time for us to move."
Subaru breathed out a small yawn before accepting the help. As the boy stepped a foot out into the wilderness, he realized just how cramped the space had been. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a deep sigh of relief for being able to move about freely, "You're in a good mood. Did something happen?"
"Well I-I...may have a surprise for you!" said Otto as he grabbed the hook and chains and pulled his friend along, eager to move. "Please, follow me!"
Though still half-asleep, Subaru didn't exactly have a reason to reject the request, and so he simply followed along. The two walked through the forest together, dodging tree branches and bushes alike. The merchant seemed to know exactly which way he was going as he pulled his friend through the underbrush and helped him leap over small streams. "We are getting close!" he said, "Just a little further!"
The trees slowly began to thin out and the two found themselves standing on a-
"I have found a carriage path!" Otto exclaimed happily.
Subaru kicked his sneakers to confirm his suspicions; nothing but dirt and rubble moved under his feet. It was indeed as described. They were now face to face with a road; a long, empty stretch of road. The boy mumbled in surprise, "This is..."
"-I believe we can use this to get back to the house!"
"...How did you...even find this?" Subaru muttered aloud as he thought to himself. If Otto couldn't leave the tree due to the chains shackling them together, then how could he have found something like this so far away? Could he really see the road from there?
"W-well, you see... I, uh..." the merchant stumbled over his words as he appeared to speak shyly. "I had some help from..." he hesitated, "...some allies."
"Allies?" But that didn't make any sense either. There was no one else in the forest besides the two of them and their pursuers. Subaru didn't quite comprehend what he was hearing. "You're not telling me everything, are you?"
Otto couldn't even deny that. He had been holding back a fact that was, to him, incredibly embarrassing. Everything in him said to defend it, but a part of him was reminded that Subaru was his friend. He should be safe to tell, in fact, he deserved to know.
"Now, I am going to tell you something, and you cannot say a word about this to anyone. This goes for everyone, even Emilia-sama. Do you understand?" Once Subaru had confirmed with a nod, Otto continued to speak, "I have the ability to converse with animals. That is how I found the mushrooms, the direction to go, and the road."
The boy became speechless. He opened his mouth briefly before shutting it again.
"W-what?" said Otto, his face flustered with embarrassment. "I-It's not whatever weird thing you may be thinking! I can simply converse with animals! I am no mage! And it is not as though I can control them! Well, sometimes they listen, but-"
"-That's amazing, Otto!" Subaru exclaimed with a big smile.
"Ahh..." the merchant looked dumbstruck. He smiled wryly and put his palm to his forehead. "I really must learn how to relax..." he mumbled.
"Hey, don't worry about it too much. In the end, what's important is that we found this, and we made it through all that crap together, right? So let's go home now," the boy flashed a reassuring smile to his friend, "Besides, if you worry all the time, your hair will turn gr-well, I guess it already is gray..."
"I cannot tell if you are attempting to encourage me or dishearten me!" Otto shouted exasperatedly before eventually giving in and nodding with a weak smile. "Anyway, yes I agree. We should be moving on."
Side by side, the two continued walking down the dirt road. The trek had already been a long one, wearing down on both their bodies and their minds. Having not eaten much the previous evening other than a handful of mushrooms, their stomach growls were now on full display. Regardless, they quietly pushed forward.
Holding out for a friendly passerby carriage to notice them proved futile. As the harsh morning sun beat down on them, the hope of being saved dwindled more and more. How long would it take to get back to the others? How far were they from their destination?
As their strength soon began to fade, the sounds of galloping and wood rolling across the dirt filled Subaru's ears, then abruptly came to a halt nearby. Just as he thought he couldn't hold out any longer, had they been rescued?