Too Much Confidence : Part 2

After a rather uncomfortable night on the ground, Subaru took the time to do some of his Radio Calisthenics to loosen up his sore muscles. Ram initially seemed completely disinterested, and had spent most of their morning insulting what she described as 'clown movements'. In the dim light of his currently half-brightness phone screen, however, he could see her discretely doing some stretches of her own out of the corner of his eye. As he finished up, he decided it was high time he learned what their strategy was going to be for the day.

"So, what are the plans for today, Ram-sama?"

"We will explore parts of the tunnel network I couldn't reach yesterday. We still have a long way to go."

"I was thinking, should we split up so we can explore faster?"

"Do you think you can handle yourself? If you met the shaman again, or even just a normal ulgarm?"

"… No, I guess not."

Subaru looked down and shuffled his feet slightly. Even armed with the recently dubbed 'Shovel-san', given his injuries and fatigue, he wouldn't be able to hold out in a fight for more than a few moments.

"Pathetic, and you call yourself a man," Ram sighed even as she halfheartedly insulted him, "let's get going, you will be drawing the arrows. That's all I can ask from you, apparently. And quit swinging that thing around, you are going to hurt yourself. Keep quiet, and don't lag behind."

Ram glanced back and threw a chalky, subtly glowing white rock to Subaru as she adjusted her grip on the phone. From what he had seen when he had last checked the phone, they maybe had half of its battery remaining. He hoped they would be able to make it out before their only light source went out for good.

After a few hours spent in near total darkness, and minimal conversation, the pair had, once again, come to an intersection.

"What kind of mine even is this? It's like they intentionally tried to make it as confusing as possible. Was whoever was in charge getting, like, inverse worker's comp every time one of their miners got lost and died or something? It's bad enough that there aren't any marks anywhere indicating anything, but with this many branching paths… it's gonna take forever to find an exit."

"Stop saying things I already know. I already told you, I will take care of everythin-"

Ram fell against the tunnel wall and broke into a coughing fit.

"Hey… Uh, Ram, are you okay?"

Ram put one hand to her mouth as she staggered, and signaled to Subaru to stay away with her other.

"Its nothin-"

She took her hand from her mouth and used it to start pushing off the wall as she spoke, but she was interrupted by more rough, painful sounding coughs.

"-tsk… I'm fine."

"Are you sure do you need water? It's really dusty down here- wait, holy shit is that blood!? Are you sure you are okay?"

Subaru caught sight of several dark smears on the wall where she had placed her hand, which stood out against the dull grey stone in the dim, blue tinged light.

"None of your business. Let's go."

Ram fully righted herself, and accelerated the pace.

'Coughing up blood is totally a death flag. Should I stop her, or… I have to believe in her. She told me to believe in her. She is the one who wants to save Rem the most, I don't have the right to interfere. If she says she is fine, she is fine- she just might need Beako or Emilia to patch her up when we make it out of here.'

He glanced at the dark splotches on the wall as he passed. The deep crimson stains picked up and reflected the smallest glint of light from the rapidly receding source. He looked away and pushed onward.

They continued walking, even quieter than before. Only the dull echo of their shoes against the stone reverberating in time with their steps kept note of their progress.

Half a day had passed since they last talked. The pair had fully explored several entire branches of tunnels, but far more still remained, and the constant discovery of new intersections made the task feel more Sisyphean than anything else. He had mostly kept himself occupied by adjusting the pieces of fabric and rope he had salvaged from an empty bag to lash Shovel-san to his back. Attempting to find a configuration where his new weapon was secure yet still easily drawn, without impeding his movement or posing too much of a hazard if he fell, was quite the task. Despite the welcome distraction, Subaru couldn't avoid the reality that Ram was moving progressively slower the more they walked, and her sluggish steps were becoming increasingly unsteady.

He focused on reassuring himself that things would work out. Even if he offered, Ram wouldn't accept assistance, and he had promised to keep faith in her. Of course, that promise was becoming increasingly difficult to keep.

They reached an especially narrow path, where the hard, grey stone making up the walls transitioned into crumbly, reddish rock that reminded him more of air dried clay than anything else. Small piles of dusty debris littered the floor- chunks of the soft stone having crumbled away from the ceiling and walls over the years. A strange, rippling pattern ran along the length of the tunnel floor ahead of them, as though someone had taken a massive rake or hoe and gouged deep, parallel lines into the ground as far ahead as he could see. He struggled to walk, stepping carefully to avoid slipping into a trough and twisting his ankle.

Ram advanced boldly, if unsteadily, while keeping herself upright with the support of the wall. He watched her feet teeter precariously as she moved clumsily across the uneven surface.

Subaru followed her. Ram was more familiar with this world's rocks, after all. It would probably be fine.

They proceeded into a section that was, to Subaru at least, clearly and increasingly unstable. Massive, jagged cracks ran along the walls, which had, at some point after their creation, bowed and pushed out into the corridor. Ancient, gnarled roots had long since pushed their way through the ceiling, leaving more than half of the already narrow path completely untraversable- both from large chunks of rock and the roots themselves. With a start, Subaru suddenly realized that the path hadn't originally been hollowed out this narrow. The warped, undulating patterns underfoot, and the outwardly bulging walls gave him the distinct impression that the tunnel was in the process of slowly being squeezed shut by the pressures of the earth. He noticed small puffs of dust and small pebbles tumbling down from the ceiling each time Ram shakily moved forward. With every step, she was stumbling over the distorted surface, arresting her perpetual fall by repeatedly slamming her hand into the wall to momentarily steady herself as she sluggishly proceeded.

She kept walking, and took no notice of the dusty clouds over her head, or the small clumps of chalky rock now drizzling from above.

"Ram."

He called out gently, but he received no response. She tripped, before catching herself and impacting the wall she relied on more harshly than she had previously. The light drizzle of earth from overhead had turned into a steady rain.

"Hey, Ram."

She didn't respond, though she did stop moving forward, though not for lack of effort. Her legs shook in place, as she tried and failed to drive them onward.

"Ram, hey, maybe-"

She keeled over as her legs gave out completely, tumbling roughly to the floor.

"Oh."

This latest impact seemed to be the final straw. The steady rain escalated into a downpour, with fist sized chunks of rock separating from the ceiling and walls alike to pelt both him and the now collapsed Ram. The already alarmingly bowed wall began to shift, the massive cracks growing- lazily splitting completely open and spreading along the full length of the wall. The entire right side of the tunnel started to fold in on itself, as though it was made of particularly thick dough.

Subaru summoned whatever strength he could muster, and sprinted forward- grabbing Ram by the arm and swinging her over his shoulder, while scooping up their sole light source. Much larger rocks were falling now, and he stumbled as they glanced painfully off his shoulders, though he was kept safe from any truly dangerous strikes by angling forward and using Shovel-san's wide blade to shield his head. He was barely able to avoid the largest of pieces by staying mere moments ahead of the worst of the collapse. Through the dust, he could see the path widen in the distance, hopefully indicating a return to more stable stone, but the collapse of the tunnel section was picking up speed, and he was having trouble keeping pace as it was.

Subaru pushed his legs as fast as he could muster, but his heavy footfalls only served to further destabilize the tunnel section.

'I am not going to make it.'

A large slab of the wall peeled away right beside him and struck him just before he was able to fully get clear, knocking him off balance and prompting him to let loose a howl of pain.

Subaru, as he struggled to avoid passing out from the impact, was overcome by the realization that he was tired. No, not just tired- he was completely and utterly exhausted. He could barely see what he could only hope was safety through both the heavy clouds of dust and his own copious tears. He had strained his gate, and it's immaterial fracturing somehow managed to become more painful in this critical moment, sending a persisting arc of tightly coiled pain through his entire body. His head throbbed, his feet hurt, his back was sore, and he was really, really hungry.

'I can't take much more of this. What's the point anymore? We're totally screwed.'

He barely sustained another harsh hit from the side, only able to stay upright and mobile because, in a stroke of luck, he bounced off the presumed tree roots to his left instead of falling forward.

He struggled to breath as the muscles in his legs began to burn and spasm even as he pushed them ever harder, narrowly avoiding getting pinned under another slab of rocky dough sloughing off of the ceiling.

'Maybe… if I die, the kids- No. No, no, no. I have to save Ram. Focus on Ram. Yeah, what would- right, Rule 3, she told me to think. Yeah, think, think, think- ah.'

It was a long shot, but as it was, they weren't going to make it anyway.

"Sorry, Ram, but you won't like this one!"

With a loud cry over the thundering din of collapse, he swung Ram down from his shoulder to build up some momentum.

"Heave, ho!"

He adjusted his hold to grasp her by the waist, and with another yell flung her forward as far and as fast as he could manage, sending her hurtling through the deluge of earth and hopefully to safety.

Subaru, now with less weight in his hands, put on a final burst of speed, twisting himself sideways while launching himself forward as both the tunnel and his eyes squeezed shut. He felt himself slide, Shovel-san's blade shrieking against the ground as he rolled onto his back, before he came to rest in a pile of dust. He opened his eyes.

"I *pant* did *pant* it. I really *pant* made it! Ha ha *pant* ha! Rocks've got *pant* nothing on me!"

He slightly lifted his head to survey the aftermath of what he had just escaped. A large mass of chalky, doughy stone was piled up almost to the ceiling of the tunnel. The only thing that remained of the path itself was a small opening right below the ceiling- a hole ironically held open by the very plant roots that had contributed to the collapse in the first place. He let his head fall back into the dirt and let out the breath he had been holding. He would have passed out from exertion there and then, if not for a thought rushing through his mind.

'Ram! Where is Ram!?'

Subaru gasped in pain as he sat up, but pushed through to desperately cast the cellphone light around until he spotted Ram's body on the ground nearby, limp and unmoving under a small pile of dirt. He stood himself up against the mass protest of his entire corporeal form, and rushed over to her.

He moved her out from under the light coating of earth, brushed her off, and checked her over for injuries. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to have sustained any serious wounds, from what he could tell. Other than a shallow gash running several inches along the skin behind her ear that looked like it would need a bit more attention, all he could find were some scrapes and welts.

She stirred at his touch, letting out a quiet groan.

"Ram… Are you okay?"

He stumbled back, Ram gruffly waving him away, and he watched as she struggled to wrestle her quivering legs into a position where she could even start to get up.

"Hey, let me help you."

He reached out, but she slapped his hand away with a surprising amount of force considering her condition. She paused for a moment, before speaking quietly.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands."

Subaru ignored her, and reached out again.

Ram glanced up to meet his gaze, a complex emotion written on her face. He couldn't quite figure it out in the dim light before she looked back down and bit her lip, drawing a drop of blood.

"I… I'm fine. I just need some rest. I will take care of everything."

Subaru stared at Ram for a few seconds, not comprehending what she meant. He must be too exhausted to understand what she was saying.

"What… what do you mean? What is there to take care of? We just barely survived. You're scraped up all over, you're bleeding from your head, and you just got pelted by a bunch of rocks, and that was all after you had already collapsed. You clearly aren't fine, I need to check you for a concussion-"

"What would your moronic mind know about me?" she interrupted him, still quiet, though he could feel her intensity even despite her obvious exhaustion. "This is nothing to me. I have to save Rem no matter what. I don't need nor want your pity. Didn't you say you would support me, or are your words just words?"

"I… what… doesn't helping you get up count as sup-"

"Do you not believe in me."

Ram spoke what should have been a question as a statement. She looked up at Subaru, her eyes glittering slightly in the faded blue light with what could have either been slim hope or tears. He found himself absorbed in her expression.

'She's… in awful shape. I'm not sure rest will be enough if we don't find help soon. I told her I would support her, but she doesn't seem to think… I have to believe in her. Yeah, that's right. It's okay to have faith.'

Subaru forced a smile onto his face, and started rubbing the back of his head, hoping to come across as apologetic.

"Right, sorry. I got a bit agitated- one too many rocks upside the head, I guess. I don't know what I was thinking. You're right."

Ram looked at him for a second before turning away, almost whispering her next order as she painfully struggled to her feet while ignoring his still outstretched hand.

"Don't get full of yourself, Subaru. You still can't do anything alone. I will handle the rest, now follow me. We will search for a place to rest."

She gestured for the light, and he passed it over without protest. He followed closely behind as she slowly made her way into the near darkness.

After a short walk, Subaru and Ram reached a small room set roughly into the 'left' side of the tunnel. Subaru marked the final arrow for the day outside what barely passed for an entryway to keep them oriented correctly, and proceeded into the room to help Ram sit down against a wall. He split the last of the waterskins and dry rations with her before moving to the other side of the room to give her space. The ambiance remained as cold as the air while they ate what could very well be their final meal.

"…"

"…"

Subaru knew they were in a bad situation, but Ram was there. She had told him everything would be okay, and she had gotten them this far, recent tunnel collapse aside, so he shouldn't worry too much, right? They had run out of water, sure, but there had to be an underground spring somewhere- no fantasy cave or dungeon was complete without one. And the roots that had damaged the tunnel they had come from implied that there were probably plants around, and there for sure had to be a mushroom or two somewhere. And even with her injuries, Ram was strong. She'd get up in the morning, and they would both be good to go.

'Where did she get so strong? Even after going all out against the bossgarm and taking all those hits, she's been able to keep pressing forward…'

"I know it's not the best moment to talk, but can you tell me how you gained your strength? Like, how you learned your wind magic and stuff. We talked about me yesterday, so it's only fair to talk about you today, right?"

He shivered, the ground sapping heat from his body faster than he could recoup it. He momentarily wished he had taken a mana stone with him, but with how things had gone earlier, the many hard impacts would have surely would have detonated one no matter how well he wrapped and cushioned it. To sorely miss something as inane as packing foam and bubble wrap in these circumstances… the cold must be having more of an impact than he thought.

Ram belatedly eyed Subaru with an annoyed look before sighing in defeat.

"You really are the worst- *hikutchi*"

She sneezed.

"-trying to know this pretty girl's secrets- *hikutchi*"

She sneezed again, though this one was accompanied by a sniffle.

"-…disgusting." Ram tried to joke, but she was too weak to sound convincing. He wasn't exactly sure what she had aimed that last 'disgusting' at.

Ram suddenly started shivering violently, whatever self-control she had been employing to pretend she wasn't actually cold abruptly giving out.

"Hey."

Subaru got up and took off his filthy, now shredded jacket and offered it to her, though he, too, was having a hard time keeping himself steady against the cold.

"I can give you my jacket- *hatchou*"

Now it was his turn to sneeze. It made sense- sneezes were contagious.

"-you're shivering."

"Keep it on- *hikutchi*"

She sneezed back at him, and wiped her nose with the tattered sleeve of her maid uniform.

"-moron, you are also shivering."

"Yeah, so? My dad always- *hatchou*"

'Dammit.'

"-always said if a lady is cold, you need to offer her your jacket."

"What does your father have to do with this? Those rags you are wearing are probably- *hikutchi*"

"-disgusting. You haven't changed in days- *hikutchi *

'Oh, a double?'

"-filthy."

"We've been stuck down here together! How do you expect me to change!? You don't- *hatchou*"

"-have any spare clothes in your bag, do you?"

After some more back and forth sneezes, the duo decided to share the jacket.

Subaru propped himself up against the wall and let Ram lean back into his chest- this being the only configuration where the jacket could cover both of them.

"You see-"

"Shut up."

"I was jus-"

"Shut up."

"But its pret-"

"Shut up, or I will kill you."

At this, he wisely responded with an "Ok," though it sounded far meeker than he was aiming for.

A few minutes passed in silence, neither one of them willing to say anything.

Subaru was confused. He didn't understand why, but, despite the cold, he felt warmth inside his heart. He had felt something similar while watching Emilia converse with the spirits during his first loop, but not to this degree. His ears reddened with heat, and his heart rate increased-

"If you don't cut that out, I am going to take matters into my own hands. It's distracting. As expected from a virgin, I guess," said Ram, though it was clear to both of them that she didn't sound the least bit convincing.

"You're one to talk! You're as red as a tomato," balked Subaru, though his awkward delivery undercut the bite of his response.

Ram's body went rigid. She slowly turned her head to meet his eyes with the coldest look she could muster, which, to her own chagrin, was not particularly cold, and said, "If you tell that to anyone you are dead."

"Ok."

"And it's called a tomat, you moron."

"Not where I come from, it isn't! We already have two different competing pronunciations, I don't need a third one that doesn't even use the same spelling."

The mood lifted, and Ram began talking about her early days in the Roswaal mansion and how Roswaal had helped her hone her magic. It was clear she wasn't telling the whole story. It seemed she wanted to avoid discussing how she had actually learned magic in the first place, but considering his avoidance the previous evening, he couldn't blame her. A little smile came to her face every time Roswaal came up, causing Subaru to feel a tug in his heart each time, but he decided to keep quiet about it. He already had enough reasons to dislike Roswaal, but yet another one to avoid thinking about couldn't hurt him that much more. After conversation lulled, minutes passed in silence, and fatigue finally overcame them.

Subaru awoke in the middle of the night, yet again, to a tiny, buzzing voice in his ear. Had Ram not been sleeping in his lap, he would have cursed, loudly, but he managed to restrain his frustration at being woken up and limit his response to a slow breath through gritted teeth.

Come with me…*

"You again? I told you I'm not gonna fall for your crap," Subaru hissed, trying to balance his desire to rip the irritating orb into pieces using words alone with the need to avoid waking Ram. Both of them needed rest. Just because something was harassing him didn't mean he had to disturb his companion as well.

Just follow me, and you will see something interesting.*

"Do you know how sketchy you sound?"

Subaru was honestly confused. Despite the irritating presence the light exuded, had it decided to show up and talk with him when Ram was awake, instead of trying to lure him off away from Ram in the middle of what he assumed was the night, he might have been more open to what the light had to say. As it was, the spirit seemed to be doing everything in its power to appear completely untrustworthy. Even considering Puck's obviously unhealthy obsession, and Beatrice's poorly veiled cries for help, at least those two were more or less upfront with what they wanted on a moment to moment basis.

Don't you want to become stronger?*

"What, you gonna try to get me into the van with some candy next? I'll be fine without some devil's deal. We have this under control."

I wouldn't be sure about that…*

Subaru narrowed his sleep crusted eyes and halfheartedly swatted at the nimble light flitting about. It wasn't just that he was exhausted, injured, and almost at his limit, he figured that, even if he was in peak condition, he still wouldn't actually be able to hit it. For all he knew, it was completely incorporeal- he hadn't ever physically interacted with any spirits other than Puck and Beatrice, but he did recall Puck mentioning that a spirit taking a physical form required them to spend mana. A tiny speck of light probably didn't have the energy to waste on that, doubly so if it had stooped to trying to scam someone such as himself to unknown ends. It was probably just avoiding his arm to assert its superiority.

The light easily zipped around, avoiding his arm, before pulling up out of his reach entirely. Its motions reminded him of a humming bird, though he couldn't shake the annoying aura of superiority it oozed as it gloated above him. If it had arms, he was sure they would be crossed.

I will come back tomorrow, but I don't think you will be able to escape reality for much longer.*

"Yeah, whatever. Just leave."