As he heard a rude voice from behind him, Subaru suddenly stooped; then he turned back, looking for the one who had talked. He saw a figure wrapped in the knights' white cap, a long (probably one-and-a-half-handed) sword in the scabbard fixed on his belt. Both of them stood in the shadowed part of the tunnel and, due to the daylight weakly coming behind the man, the boy wasn't able to see his face.

"It was so polite of Julius letting you go after you've shown yourself penitent. What a kind-hearted boy he is!"

The mysterious knight started slowly moving to Subaru, his cap moving to the rhythm of his pace. His arms were opened, as he was proclaiming something or religiously invoking a superior being.

"But I won't be fooled by a boy, like our Finest Knight or whatever he is, has just been." The man lowered his arms, breaking his pose. "You know, I'm from the 'old school': it's my humble opinion that stained honour has to be cleaned not with lame excuses, but with some blood. And the fact that you have just made fun of us, acting in that way before in the ring and thinking that all of us would be kidded around, only worsens your situation."

Hearing those words, Subaru's instinct screamed to run away. However, before the boy could even move, the knight was less than three metres in front of him; if Subaru even tried to turn himself and run, the man would easily hit him in the back with his long sword. The boy now could see the man had dark blonde shoulder-length hair and a thick, shaggy beard that framed his face.

The knight stopped, towering above the boy. His shoulders were as tall as Subaru's head. "Since I'm a knight, I won't use my sword against an unarmed brat. Let see if you are able of doing something more than crying and apologising."

Subaru swallowed nervously. He now could see a pale scar on the man's left cheek, and his cold and grey eyes were glaring down at the boy with a mix of anger and disgust. I must earn some time, maybe someone will come here and stop him. "B-Before starting a duel it's customary saying your own name, right? I'm Natsuki Subaru! W-What's your name?"

"Tch!" The man snorted. "Do you really think I'll give you my name? If I do something like that, then you'll surely go crying after that redhead. Are you trying to fool me, again?"

"But what about your knightly hon-"

"Shut up!"

While Subaru was still talking, the man charged a fist and tried to punch the boy in the face; he dodged that attack tilting suddenly his head to his right.

This was close!

The blonde man retired his arm back and stared angrily at Subaru "Don't mess with me! You talked enough. Fight now, if you're able to do so!" Then he aimed at the boy's chin with a left uppercut, rotating his shoulder to deal a more powerful blow. The self-claimed knight avoided the fist moving to his left, then in a fraction of second he lifted his left arm to protect himself from a right hook, who landed vigorously on the back of his hand with a *SMACK*. As his hit was blocked, the knight performed a kick with his left leg to Subaru's right knee. The boy, still groggy due to the powerful hook, didn't see that coming and fell on the ground. The unknown knight tried to stomp on the lying boy, who rolled on the sandy floor of the tunnel evading the foot aimed to his face.

What can I do now to end this? The black-haired thought as a booty foot squashed the ground not far from his head, lifting a small cloud of sand in the nearby air.

Sand?

Let's try that scheme again. Subaru grasped some sand with both his hands.

As the man above him tried to hit his low abdomen kicking with his right leg, Subaru jumped on his feet and threw the sand to his opponent's face. As the blonde-haired covered frontally his face from the unpredicted move, the boy performed an uppercut with his right arm that perfectly hit his chin.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"-gh!"

As the unknown knight's head tilted backward and his hands stood motionless in mid-air, Subaru aimed to his right cheek with a left hook.

Unfortunately for the black-haired teen, his enemy was taller than him; also considering the fact that the knight's head had been previously hit and had been slightly moved away, Subaru didn't manage to imprint enough power with that kind of punch.

D'oh! That's a missed chance! Maybe I had to hit his stomach before, making him curl forward (?)

The man was hurled on his back, his face reddened where the boy's hook had hit; seeing that, Subaru took the opportunity, turned his back to the blonde-haired and started running away from him.

RunRunRunRu-

"Dona!"

Subaru hadn't run for four footsteps when the light from the exit of the tunnel before him suddenly faded; in a heartbeat, an earthen wall emerged from the ground and blocked the way where he was escaping. The boy had to promptly stop himself not to bump into the abrupt obstacle, squinting for the sand that the earth magic had raised in mid-air.

"I didn't expect that from a weakling like you, I'll give you that. However, I'm better than you in playing with sand."

Subaru turned back to his opponent, who was again on his own feet and was moving toward him slightly grinning.

The boy internally sighed. Well, this guy can use Earth Magic, creating walls from the ground: that cuts out my chances of running away from this fight, since we're in a damn tunnel. Why it all has to be so unfair?

However, he is physically stronger than me, but far weaker and especially slower than Julius. Maybe we're tied in speed. Subaru analysed. If I avoid his attacks and I counterattack quickly and with accuracy, I actually have some possibility to pick up the win.

The blonde-haired knight stopped, then a moment later sprinted toward the boy. Subaru evaded his jab rotating his torso while bending on his left side, then punched the man with an uppercut on his stomach. His opponent gritted his teeth, but he ignored the blow and attempted a knee targeting the lowered boy, hitting his right side with the knee.

Subaru coughed and spat, feeling something broken in his torso, but he forced himself to stand up. As the knight attempted a right hook, the boy kicked with all his strength the leg carrying his opponent's weight. As the man was falling forward, his head coming down in Subaru's direction, the black-haired landed a perfect right hook on his face. The blow expelled all the air in the blonde-haired's mouth, pressing his cheek against his nose and his mouth.

*THUD*

"-pfu-"

The unknown knight was knocked against the wooden wall on his right, hitting his head against a slightly protruding trunk, then he slid down to the ground without a noise.

Subaru suddenly felt an intense pain in his right hand; probably he had damaged his own knuckles hitting the cheekbone of the now unconscious man.

Ouch! I guess I'll never get used to the fact that, as I attack someone, I end up hurting myself.

After a last glance at the unconscious man, the dark-haired boy shook his hand; then, holding it with the sane one, he started slowly walking headed to the light at the end of the tunnel. With every breath he took and all the times he had to move his right leg, Subaru felt a knife pushed deeper and deeper into his ribs.

"-gh!"

…

"-ah!"

…

"-aah!"

Before he could reach the end, the boy stopped and leaned his back against the wooden wall. Then he slid slowly down, sitting finally on the ground with spread legs.

I need to rest a little… I hope someone will find me soon. Maybe Emilia-tan has already finished her meeting and she is searching for me.

…

God, she's so cute while she's worried…

As Subaru weakly smiled, his consciousness was slowly fading away.

…

He was brought back to reality by the sound of footsteps closer and closer.

"Agravain?" A grating voice echoed in the tunnel.

…

"Agravain, are you here?"

Agravain? Who the hell is him? Subaru asked internally, his eyes still closed. Oh wait, maybe he's that scarred jerk.

"Agra- Oh, shit!"

The black-haired boy opened his eyes and looked wearily at the source of the continuous calling. He saw a slender figure with long, black hair bent over the lying man. He didn't seem taller than Subaru, and not even older; despite that, he wore a white cap that now was dirtied with the sand on the ground. The long-haired boy had entered the tunnel from the opposite extremity of the one Subaru was headed before sitting on the soil; this fact meant that the sandy wall had collapsed after the blonde knight had fallen unconscious.

Apparently, a lot of time had passed since the black-haired boy had lost his consciousness. The tunnel was silent and dark, only the entrances lightened by the tenuous and delicate light of the moon and the stars.

"…he's alive, thanks to Od Laguna. I had told him not to approach that brat alone, 'cause someone with the guts of acting in front of us is unpredictable, nuts, or both. But no! He had to do all by himself!" the young knight muttered as he got back on his feet. "Now I have to call someone for help or to carry him awa-"

The slender figure was cut by a lough cough, but Subaru hadn't said or done a thing. That only meant…

"…Oh, you're awake."

"…Modretus, is that you?" As he tried to stand up, Agravain coughed again. He stopped himself on his knees. "What's happening? I remember I was giving that brat the punch of his life, then…"

"Then you're an idiot!" Modretus screamed. "Why did you approach him alone? We are two! We together would have kicked his sorry ass easily!"

"But he didn't seem someone of note. He seemed a long-mouthed weakling in all and for all."

"That's only his appearance! He faced the Bowel Hunter and fought against some mabeasts, don't you know? Maybe is the power of that half-witch that made that guy able to stand those opponents, but you don't have to underest-"

*COUGH* *COUGH*

The long-haired boy shut up, then the two knights turned their heads to the source of the sound.

Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

While the two knights were loudly arguing, Subaru had started to slowly move toward the exit of the tunnel, capitalising on the absence of light. However, the pain on his chest hadn't let him free and at a certain point he had unwillingly coughed, drool and blood hanging from the corners of his mouth.

"Who's there?" Modretus asked inquiringly. Subaru didn't answer, frozen like a deer caught by the headlights.

"Wait" Agravain intervened, his eyes narrowed. "It's him! It's the brat!"

"Wha- Has he been there all this time? Now he knows both our faces and our names! We cannot let him go so easily! Get up, Agravain!"

Subaru tried to run away, ignoring his pain, but after two steps…

"-gh! Dona!"

Huh? Is he still able to cast magic in his conditions?

"Well done, Agravain!"

The black-haired boy turned to his enemies, his back to the sandy wall. Agravain was still on his knees, the right side of his head and of his torso stained with the blood that had apparently come from a cut on his right temple. Modretus was halfway between the two, standing in the middle of the tunnel with his arms crossed. His right eye was covered by his locks while his left one, the same colour as his hair, was piercing Subaru. His pointed chin gave him a noble and refined air.

"So here you are, Natsuki Subaru: someone who stood against the Bowel Hunter and fought against crowds of mabeasts. As you probably have already figured out, we are Royal Knights of Lugunica Kingdom. I see my friend has already beaten up you, and technically we have already done what we wanted to."

He wickedly smiled. "Well, now that you know our names, I cannot let you go. You will probably talk about us to the Margrave or to the Sword Saint, and your word as Lady Emilia's close vassal would have enough value to put us in trouble. So, I am sorry: we did not want to kill you, but now we do not have other choices." Then his face lost all the previous emotion, his mouth a horizontal line. "Also, you hurt a fellow knight, and a friend of mine. Even if I could, I would not let you go away with this."

Like you can do it. Subaru bitterly laughed in his mind; then something hit him. Oh, wait: if I get killed here, I'll come back in front of Julius. The boy started sweating. And it's not even sure I'll manage to get out from that deadly ring: maybe Julius and Reinhard will behave differently, like Ram in the second loop in the Mansion. This might be my only chance, but right now I'm one against two and I'm seriously hurt. I must defeat them or run away, and I don't think I'll be able to defeat that unharmed boy. Haha, I'm in danger.

Subaru started to laugh hysterically between his coughs. Modretus looked at him with interested eyes, tilting his head.

"So, what? Does Natsuki Subaru think both of us are not at his level?" The dark-haired knight replied, tilting his head in a hint of interest.

"Hahaha- You fool. You will never kill me! Even if I wanted to, you couldn't put an end to me!" Subaru laughed at the young knight. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do that!".

As he heard that, Modretus raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure about that? Do you have some hidden power that gives you immortality or something like that?"

You cannot imagine, believe me. Subaru chuckled, his hysteria slowly fading away; now his mind was lighter, free from anxiety. He was somewhat calm, even if he didn't think that was all right. Ok now, let's think about what I have to do. If I get close enough to them, I can use Shamak to hit the long-haired one, and after that I can knock out the beardy one. This way there won't be sandy walls and I can go out from that, if I won't stop for any reason. Maybe I have to bluff to take their off guard.

"Do you truly want to see my true power?" Subaru grinned, slowly advancing toward the young knight, barely pushing back the pain in his ribs. "You know, you might not survive that. I didn't want to kill, so I haven't used that against Julius or your friend. However, this one is a different situation," He warned the boy, who had pulled out a short sword from its scabbard and held the weapon.

"Veeery well. One can do nothing without power. I shall drill this lesson into you. Though it cannot serve you in this world, perhaps it shall in the next."

With his final ultimatum ignored, the power flowing from Roswaal manifested in the form of a flaming sphere that dazzled the entire chamber. The mass of fire on top of Roswaal's hand burned with intensity like a miniature sun, enough that Subaru, standing at a distance, felt his skin start to burn.

"Behold, fire mana of the greatest power. Al Goa."

With that final word, Roswaal turned his hand toward Subaru. The fireball launched from his palm had the heat to burn Subaru to a crisp.

The knights were in that room. This will work. The Japanese boy told himself.

"Well then." Subaru raised his right arm, his hand pointed to Modretus' face. "AL GO-"

The young knight suddenly paled and raised his hand, starting a magic chant that could mitigate the deadly fire blow. I cannot dodge that here! Will a wall of fire relent a superior offensive power from the same magic element? I must hurry before the fireball…

What, there was no fireba-

"Shamak!"

Uh? Shadow magic? What a trickster!

A cloud of darkness filled the tunnel. Modretus couldn't see, smell or hear his opponent. For a heartbeat he looked around, searching for a sound or a movement of any kind.

*THUD*

The long-haired knight fell on his knees, bent forward by the blow dealt on his stomach. His hair in front of his eyes, now he couldn't absolutely see before him. As he was aware that both his arms were crossed on his stomach, he noticed he had let go his own sword, which now was missing.

Damn it! Did that Natsuki…

Coughing drool, Modretus got up on his own leg and chanted: "Goa!". Suddenly a little sphere of fire appeared on his right palm. The young knight scattered the shadowed cloud drawing a horizontal arc before him with his arm, but he didn't see the boy in the section of the tunnel between him and the wall.

He didn't run away from that. The wall is still here.

As he said that, some cracks opened in the sand; then the wall crumbled down.

What? Wait… "Agravain!"

The long-haired boy turned himself to the other side of the tunnel and saw his target chaotically running away, the missing sword held by his right hand. Some metres after him, Agravaine lied on the floor, as if someone had hit him in the back of his head.

No… he cannot run away like that. I must catch him!

Modretus sprinted, getting past the lying fellow knight with a jump. He was quicker than the black-haired boy, but his pace was afflicted by the hit he had just received in his lower abdomen. At this rate, Subaru would have exited the tunnel before him and he would have surely call-

"Heeeeeelp! Someone hel-" *cough* "-help me, please!" *cough*

No, he had just started calling for help. Modretus could do only a thing to hit the boy and put him down, making him unable to call for help or run away.

After all, the required skill was his own specialty.

"El Goa!"

Subaru was running the faster he could, a footstep after the other, his body trembling and tilting. The pain in his right side blurred his vision and cut his breath, but he couldn't stop now. Not after knocking definitively down the wall summoner, hitting hard his nape with the pommel of the stolen sword. Now that he was reaching the exit, he could start calling for help.

"Heeeeeelp! Someone hel-" *cough* "-help me, please!" *cough*

The black-haired inhaled a bit, not too much 'cause he feared another coughing fit. Come on, only ten metres… nine… eigh-

"El Goa!"

An abrupt light came from behind Subaru, projecting the boy's shadow further and further before him. Then he heard a heatwave, growing more intense in fractions of a second. Stealing a glance above his right shoulder, he saw an incoming fireball glowing of orange light, spreading flames on the wooden walls of the tunnel. The flames were running faster than him, and now he was surrounded by burning beams. Some flaming piece of trunk fell from the ceiling, forcing him to dodge looking above.

Then the fireball hit his back.

"AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAARGGH! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The Japanese boy fell on the ground and started rolling himself in the sand, trying to extinguish the fire on his back, screaming his lungs out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHH!"

His consciousness was being shattered by the pain on his back, the pain on his side, the lack of oxygen in his chest and his fatigue and stress. He couldn't see or scream anymore.

Then he felt a wave of freezing air investing his back, suddenly enveloping his whole body, and all turned silent and black.

Hi guys, welcome back. I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter.

It's always dangerous introducing OC; imho I hate when they replace a key character in the story or when they are too flat, but that doesn't mean I haven't eventually messed up with them. I thought they were necessary for this situation, 'cause reasonably nobody in the existing cast would have attacked our boy like this.

Agravain (or Agravaine) and Modretus (Latin form of the better known Mordred) are two "infamous" knights from the Breton/Arthurian Cycle. I wanted to give them some magical features, 'cause it was boring using only swords, chapter after chapter. The wall of earth is used in canon by Al and Otto-kun, if I'm not wrong, so it's something a weak/average knight would realistically use with the right magical affinity. Fire is the most common magical affinity in Re:Zero world, so if someone has practiced that from childhood in some noble family, he would be able to use that. There aren't El Goa examples, but while only Roswaal casts Ul Goa, a lot of them use Goa: even Chin, the knife thief from the Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest trio, casts basic magic fire in Arc 5 to call Reinhard for help against Sirius. So, I've put this magically skilled but pretty young knight halfway, and I supposed that if Goa = blaze of fire and Ul Goa = large amount of bullets, El Goa can be a lot weaker version of Al Goa. For the different swords, well, there isn't an official weapon for all the knights. I mean, Subaru uses a whip, Reinhard can use literally everything as a sword but Reid is a two-handed sword, and Julius uses something like a one-and-a-half-handed sword.

Yes, I know, nobody probably cares a f**k about that, but I wanted to clarify a little those things. There actually is the possibility someone is going to appreciate the fact I'm trying to maintain into a lore-friendly AU, but I'm not counting too much on that.

As always R&R.

See you later!