'Did she…' He was not going to lie to himself; he DIED at that moment; it wasn't a hallucination, it wasn't a fantasy; he had died there and then.
It was all a blur; in his head, those last seconds were a terrifying scramble. The thief was attacked, and Emilia was missing, but he clearly heard something mechanical rush at him before… before…
Subaru suppressed nausea, touching his neck absentmindedly, checking that his head was connected to his neck firmly, his back leaning against the wall of one of the third-floor bars, ignoring several laughing Travelers passing him by drunkenly. Whatever force reanimated him, dragged him back to here.
Emilia. He had to see her again, to ask for advice. If time had looped, he still had time to find Felt in that run-down bar, but doing so with all of Emilia's privileges, knowledge, and confidence would make it much more manageable.
'Splitting up… What was I, some mystery character? Terrible idea, I should've protested.' The adolescent cursed himself as he straightened his posture and picked his plastic bag back up, the hot pots giving a slight thunk as they knocked against each other. The stairs down were not far away, and if he remembered correctly, he split up with Emilia mere minutes beforehand.
Speedwalking past a few more shopfronts and warm taverns, Subaru would begin walking back to the second floor, the metal stairs creaking underneath him. The young man shivered a little as he felt some cold wind blow from a nearby mortar position in the Roarer wall.
"Hey, you!"
"Huh?"
A strong force pulled on the back of his jacket's collar, Subaru's head meeting stairs with concussing force, the steel giving a loud reverberating thud, the sound echoing through the bone.
"The fuck are ye huh'ing for, punk! This ain't your place to be; get the fuck out!" Someone began pulling him back to the third floor, Subaru not resisting much, instead trying to collect his crushed thoughts.
"Wh- Wha- Who-" As whoever attacked him got to the top of the stairs, Subaru felt himself fly through the air as he was thrown, before scraping his head on the grating of the floor, the air knocked out of him.
"Stop ye mumbling, ye bloody pipe worker!" A heavy metal clang accompanied the approaching Traveler, "Ye don't got any business on the lower floors! No one wants ya coal over all of the nicer streets!"
"But I… I got a friend…" Subaru pronounced breathlessly, pushing himself up to his knees and holding onto the side of his head as blood ran in small streams down his face and plinked against the floor.
"You! Gehehahaha!" There was a loudening whir as the armoured leg slammed into his side, throwing him another couple meters down the floor alley, the young man's ribs whining and exploding into agony under the sudden pressure.
"Don't make me laugh! No one wants you, pipe workers, down under! Stick to your positions!"
"Oi! What's going on here!?"
Subaru blinked at the new arrival of a loud, aggressive and youthful voice, hearing a myriad of hobnailed boots approach him and the Traveler.
"Methinks you're overstepping yer boundaries, steelhead! Ya think just 'cause you've got all that plating, we can't send ya tumbling back down!?" The voice shouted rowdily, several others joining in, giving a few cough-like laughs.
"Breed like rats, act like 'em, and try to get into every hole. Get your friend out of here and get it through your thick unfreezing skulls! The third floor's a privilege; the second's off-limits for ye's!"
"Yeah! Yeah! We get it! Now go back to staring into the snowstorm, steel for brains!" The rowdy voice would quieten, "A'right boys, get this poor basterd up and get him to a bed. Engine's Exhaust, that fucker didn't pull any punches." Someone would grab Subaru by the legs and arms, the adolescent finally losing his battle against the oncoming darkness, losing his consciousness.
It seemed that this was becoming a habit for Subaru, getting kicked around by essentially every person with spare time. However, there was no suspicious softness under his head, only the rough strands of what felt like grass or hay under some cover. His head felt… while not fine, certainly did not seem to have the same heavy concussion it usually did.
"...they weren't like that before, aight?" The same young voice defended him; he recognised the hoarse constant semi-rage, like a low howl with each word.
"During the Monarchy? Of course not. Sure, the Travelers did not like us, and the Locomotive were the usual rich bastard selves, but if anything was unifying, it was that the King had to go…" The second voice was calmer, the low even grumbling making Subaru suddenly feel much cosier even on this Spartan bed.
"Shite, ma, fifteen years an' you talk about it like it's another ag-"
"Because it was. You were too small to understand or to see…"
"Aye, sure, silver-hair yada yada…"
"See, you talked about silver hair a couple of decades ago; you would get bad stares."
"You don't seem too happy 'bout it, ma."
"Hah, no one likes to admit they were scammed." A heavy sigh. "At some point, it got absurd, there's an incident at the steel mill, it's the witches' fault, a Royal died, it's the witches, the ice swallowed one of those icebreakers with the whole crew, it's all witches, witches, witches, witches… oh, and the elves. Because, of course, it's the elves. Don't gotta lose their whole homeland in the Shard; they also have to take shit from everyone else as well."
"Engine's Exhaust, alright alright, I get it."
"You haven't lived in the remains of the so-called 'good old monarchic' times; it's hard for you to know. My forefathers lost their minds over the Incident-"
"The one with the Witch of Envy?"
"Huh, surprising you even heard of it… But yes, that one. The King thought he could ride that Earth Dragon into the sunset, just keep pouring shit into our ear. It's the witch; if we are observant, we can catch the magical bitch and then… who am I kidding, no one thought about what would happen next. The Freeze lifts? Hilarious, not even the King was that optimistic. The whole world got hit with the Freeze, and the Royal Family just couldn't get it through their thick heads that no one cares-"
Up to that moment listening intently, the adolescent felt his nose itch treacherously, a sneeze erupting from his lungs as he sat up.
"Ah, well, look who's cuntin' up." The young voice approached, the knock of the hobnails stopping as someone sat next to him and pushed what felt like a cup filled with water to Subaru's lips, "Drink, ya dumb basterd. Engine be damned, what did ya forget on the second floor anyways?"
Slowly opening up his eyes, the young man adjusted himself looking at his saviours. The man sitting next to him, blonde, sharp-toothed and unkempt, rough-looking as if cut out of granite, and an older woman, also blonde, much leaner, her delicate features as if compressed by hardship. The room itself, a wooden box, the only light source, the warm glow of the lantern on the nearby box.
"Well, son, you don't look too bad, even if roughened up. Girls like a couple of battle scars, I heard." The woman chuckled, tapping the man on the shoulder, "Isn't that right, Garfiel?"
"Sure thing, ma. Though I think with a scar like that, this guy's got more chance impressin' the Travelers than a normal lass."
" Scar? " His voice was hoarse; Subaru looked down into the water at his reflection. While the darkness made it hard to make out, the light of the lantern reflecting on the mirror-like surface showed a bad scrape, the right side of his forehead minced but already dried, only leaving a disgusting fleshy area on his head.
"Well, 'least it taught him some darned lesson." The young man, Garfiel, chuckled, taking the cup and standing up.
"How- *ghhmm* How long has it been?" Clearing his throat, the young man would suddenly feel his head spin as he stood up, nearly knocking over the lantern, Garfiel grabbing his arm and helping him stay up.
"Engine's exhaust, what's got you in such a hurry? Half this bar would have taken the opportunity for free bedding in a heartbeat!" The woman pronounced almost annoyedly. "Besides, you gotta look after your head!"
"Just…" Subaru huffed, pushing himself up, finding the plastic bag of hot pots and taking a few steps to the small door out of this boxy room. "Answer me… please…"
Garfiel would let go, sighing, "Bah, thrice-damned- It's been about an hour and a half, maybe two, not more."
"Two..?" The adolescent felt panic crawl up the back of his neck and wedge itself between his vertebrae like shards of glass, "I... er... I have to go! Sorry! I'll pay you back, I'm sure of it!" His feet carried him as he burst out of the room, ignoring the exclamations of his two saviours.
While the room seemed like a basic box, it turned out that the insulation in it was first-class, the silence dissolving into the garble of the crowd. It was a bar, dimly lit by the candles and fireplace, men and women drinking in different corners, roaring shanty-like songs or gambling on dice.
"Hey! Wait!" Garfiel's angry voice came through the crowd as Subaru continued through the tavern, for once having enough awareness and dexterity to not stumble over anything, skillfully avoiding several customers and a blonde waitress, the lady being savvy enough to dodge out of the way herself.
Finally reaching the door but having gathered too much speed, Subaru would burst out onto the darkened mid-alley, nearly losing his balance as he turned towards the light of the busier streets, running with such concentration that he did not notice the figure behind the corner.
WHUMPH
The collision would bring him and the passerby down, Subaru's sight darkening as his head gave out a pleading whine in the form of another wave of pain crackling along his scalp. As he tried to regain his senses, he felt something soft cover him.
The heavy taps of hobnailed boots on the steel grates passed by and disappeared down the street, "Ah, the idiot's gone! Come on!", soon leaving the two in silence.
First, he felt the sudden hardness of the person's figure under him, the feeling quite similar to Emilia's hands, the torso not moving with breathing, instead giving out barely audible melodic sounds, something between a flute and an oboe, somehow soothing the young man. Second, he suddenly felt the softness on the top of his head… his cheeks burned red again.
'H-heh, I mean, I am lucky, but this is just absurd…'
"~My my~, Mister, if you were not bleeding all over me, I would congratulate you on your daring." The woman's voice was even, though not monotone, but very pleasant and melodic. Feeling embarrassed, Subaru would push himself up, escaping from under the woman's cloak and getting up, vertigo beaten out by his awkwardness.
"I'm- sorry, Miss!"
"~Hoh~, no need, I think you would better worry about that nasty gash on your forehead. Those pipe workers did really get desperate to attack a merchant." The woman would get up, straightening her purple fur cloak and checking the bloodstains on her exquisite (and quite revealing) dress underneath it, before giving Subaru a soft but somehow foxy smile.
"The gash -ah-" Subaru would blink out a couple of droplets of blood that landed on his eyelashes, covering his forehead to slow the small stream. 'Damn injury, really not the time.' Lifting his eyes, he would sigh a little, 'I wouldn't want to ruin their image, the guys just wanted to help, and I'm not really a merchant, but I really have to get on with it.' "Thank you, Miss… er…"
He would cut himself short. The black hair, the thin facial features, the slightly sleepy but daring look in her eyes. "Wait, aren't you Elsa Gra-!"
A hand would dart out, shutting his mouth forcefully. The singer's expression suddenly darkened, "Forgive me for the rudeness, but stating my name outside of performances could grant me unwarranted attention~..." The tone, so silky just seconds ago, turned to icy caution, "Considering I had just now hidden you from those brutes with my cloak and dirtied my clothes for it, please be so kind as to return the favour~"
"O-of course," The adolescent squeaked, "I'm sorry…" A couple more blood droplets running down his face hit Elsa's sleeve, snapping her out of her coldness, the fingers releasing the boy's jaw.
"~Oh my~, I do apologise, a force of habit." She would take a few steps back, observing her attire and sighing, "What a mess… Well~, maybe you could give me your name? After all, I would want to know what daring man would dive under my cloak~~~" Her voice would turn slightly whinny and faux-flustered with the last part of the phrase.
Barely recovered from the shock of being grabbed, Subaru now had to contend with innuendo, his cheeks burning red, "My name is Natsuki Subaru! Er… I'm really sorry. I did not intend anythi-"
"~My my~ I'm just having a little laugh." Elsa would give a small giggle, and while clearly friendly, Subaru suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine, "Well, while I would love to stay and chat, I have to run… Would you need any help to get to an infirmary?"
"No, no, thank you." Subaru would nod thankfully and smile, regaining a little bit of his off-balance confidence. "I am very sorry. Is there any way I coul-"
"Yes, you could." Elsa cut him short, her expression again turning grave, "I'm looking for a little girl about this height," She would put her palm up to her stomach, "Blue hair, around twelve… Have you seen her?" There was a slight jitter in her tone.
The young man blinked, "No, I haven't, Miss, so-"
"~Oh my~, well, it was worth a try," The singer's eyes would look off down the street, betraying a feeling of worry for a mere moment, before disappearing the same daring expression. "And I still have that meeting to attend… Well, anyway, good luck and stay out of trouble, young man, ~I still have a lot of space under my cloak to fill~..." Giggling at Subaru's expression, Elsa would pull on the mantle's hood and turn on her heel, disappearing into the backstreet.
'She really kept me on the backfoot…' The young man became even more flustered, considering that he liked it a little somewhere deep down, before shaking his head and regaining his drive. 'She may have needed help, but I have to get to Felt first!'
Passing the broken sign of the Copper Head, Subaru frowned. He didn't have much to negotiate, let alone that Rom was a pipe worker, meaning he couldn't just give them the reasoning that he wanted to return it to someone supposedly associated with some higher-ups.
"Ahh… damn…" Running his hands through his hair, he would accidentally on the side of his forehead and sigh.
"Hah, I'm the hero. I'll find a way; I gotta find one." Sure, it didn't start well, and this world felt more like a frozen-over trash heap than what he hoped for in an isekai, but he was at the start of his hero arc for sure. It wouldn't come instantly, but he'd be a hero soon enough.
He would knock, taking a couple of steps towards the door, careful not to step on one of the more rotten floorboards.
"Uh… is this the hideout of the Felt The Whistle?!" No reaction.
'I probably don't sound serious enough.' Purging his voice of its unsureness, Subaru would call out again, "I'm here to do business! I know you stole something quite important. I uh… I wanna but it!"
A pause. Something shifted behind the door. "Go away before I gut you! G-got it!" The nervousness of the young voice gave everything away; the Whistle was clearly inside.
"You gotta hear me out! I swear I just wanna buy whatever you stole and leave!"
"How can I trust you! I s-said go away!" Something revved up behind the door, very similar to the sound of the Traveler armour, the adolescent feeling anxiety prick at his insides, the lessons taught by his previous Traveler meetings gnawing at his mind.
'Crap! Whatever she has there, I better think of something! Come on, hero moment!' The young man quickly scrambled for something, trying to keep his nerves under control.
'Wait! The password!' "Burst the engine! Retch the- uh- the steam! Locomotive, down the stream! Trust me, I just wanna talk!" As the revving reached its peak, Subaru would take a step back, raising his hands reflexively, as if expecting to be shot or punched, surrendering to show that he wasn't hostile.
The sounds of machinery would stop building and settle back to some sort of growling baseline as something shifted behind the door again, and it creaked open, a crimson lens of a gas mask, the same gas mask that he saw before being knocked out, peering out warily.
"You can come in, just d-d-don't try anything funny…" A nervous pause. "GOT IT! I'VE GOT M-MY EYES ON YOU!"
"Yeah! Alright! Sorry!" Subaru would look around, "So… can I like… y'know…"
"W-WHAT!?" Felt would tense up.
"Turn off whatever you got there behind the door! Gives me the hibbie-jibbies! Please!" The young man would give the Whistle a pitiful cowardly look as he lowered his hands, "Just… please…"
"Oh… oh yeah," Felt's tone would soften a little as she would reach for something behind the door, the machinery clicking to a pleasant silence, "Now, stop attracting all this attention. Get in! Now!"
"Right! Right! Just stop shouting!" Subaru would push past Felt. 'I'm a hero, whew, I'm a hero, I just gotta relax…'
Passing through the doorway, Subaru would notice the machine powering down, a tube placed against the entrance, like the barrel of a gun, cylinder-like container nailed to the back haphazardly and glowing, in fact very similar to Chin's armour, the orange light accompanied by streams of steam. "So that machine in the doorway..?"
"And why would you wanna know about it?! Huh! What're you-? You trying something with me?!"
"No! No!"
Felt didn't really fit the image built up in Subaru's mind. The competent and daring bandit melted away to reveal a paranoid child hiding behind a respirator; even without seeing her face, he could tell that she was constantly shifting around as if expecting an attack from everywhere.
"Good… Good! B-b-but I'll tell you, 'cause you b-better know why you shouldn't mess with me!" The two would enter the main hall of the tavern, Rom in the same place as the previous loop, sipping on his mead and staring Subaru down with a curious but absent stare.
"I-it's those carapaces the T-T-T-T-" A shaky breath through the mask, "Travellers wear! You tear one of those odite catalysts out from the core, heat it a little, and throw a bucket of water, and- B-B-BAM!" The thief would sit down on one of the rotten chairs, ignoring its creaking protests and straightening out her cloak. "All that steam creates all the pressure; in an enclosed space like a cannon barrel, it blows holes in walls and d-d-doors AND PEOPLE WHO SCREW WITH ME!"
"Okay, I get it! No need to repeat yourself." Subaru placed the plastic bag down on the table, preferring to stand than tempt fate on one of the chairs. 'Wow, she had that whole mechanism nailed to the door, and last loop I didn't even notice… Scary…' "So, I just wanted to talk about what you stole."
"Heuh, she steals a lot! That do~ eh, don't narrow it down!" Rom exclaimed rowdily from behind the bar stand, almost spilling his drink.
"The medallion." Subaru steeled his nerves; this discussion would be decisive. "I know you stole one on the last stop-"
Rom snorted into his drink, "Hah-HAH! ~hic~ You hear that Felt, you're, uh, your story's spreading, I tell ya, a real legend-!"
The gas mask would whirl around angrily, "Shut up!" While Subaru could not see her expression, he swore that the voice was almost bashful at the praise, "They should focus on their work instead of b-blabbing about me! Now look what they d-d-did; they got scar-faced weirdos coming in with the password!" The young man clenched his jaw and rubbed his scabbed forehead at the last comment.
"Well, more business for ya, heuh, ~hic~!"
"You d-d-drunk-ass probably blabbed it, hmph!" The Whistle turned back to Subaru, "SO! You were saying!"
"Right! Sorry! Uh, I wanna buy it! Please!" The constant shouting and roughness shook Subaru slightly, even with the height and potential age difference.
"B-buying it, h-huh…" The Whistle's voice would calm a little as she sat back, rubbing her chin through the respirator. "Well, I can't; the p-pay for it is pretty good, and you d-d-d-d-d-d-" She would shake her head and take a deep breath, "Bleh, you d-don't look like you've got that kind of-"
'Crap. I didn't think of that.' He did want to buy it off, but he didn't think it was an actual targeted thing, just some random pick-pocketing, 'Crap, uh, crap crap. Think Subaru, think.'
"I've got some valuables I can bargain for…" The adolescent pronounced unsurely.
"Go on…" Felt would sit forward, the lenses reflecting the youth's damaged face.
'The phone.' "I've got an artefact! Yeah! I can barter!" Fishing the flip phone out of his pocket, he would lift it up. "It's got some properties you won't believe!"
Lifting it up, Subaru would point it at the two and open the camera, pressing the flash on and pressing the central button; the Whistle and Rom would shift surprisedly at the sudden light.
"See! It can save images!"
There was a short pause as the two in front of him staring at the photo before an unimpressed hum from under the respirator, "Oh wow, a portable luminograph… how creative b-b-bravo…"
Rom chuckled, "He even got one of 'em current bulbs on it…"
"Huh..?" Subaru would lower the phone, suddenly worried at the lack of surprise or interest, "Is something wrong..?"
"Look, Scarhead, we may b-b-be fourth-floorers b-b-b-... however, we aren't some country b-bumpkins to not know how a luminograph looks." Felt's voice was more annoyed than anything, the aggression leaking out in whistly breaths.
"Heh, what, you think you got one of 'em, uhe… current lightbulbs from Priestella on it, and you can jus' profit on ya investment by trickin' us?" Rom would pronounce grimly and put his metal arm on the table, letting out a deafening clang. "I think, euh, you better ~hic~ leave…"
The phone… it wasn't… "Uh! Sorry! I didn't know uh- just give me a second-!" Subaru's mind darted about, trying its best to find a new bargaining chip, coming to terms that his tech wasn't, in fact, as miraculous as it could have been.
Felt would get up, her leather gloves giving out a small crack as she clenched her fists, "I told ya not to screw with me, so you better skip this joint… GOT IT!"
"Food! Food! I can offer you food!" Subaru would quickly drag out the hot pot boxes in front of the two. "It even heats itself! I swear!"
"I said…" The Whistle's voice turned into a muffled roar, "SKIP. THIS. FUCKEN'. J-"
"Ya ~hic~, said food, right?" Rom's voice instantly sliced through Felt's tirade, the young man grabbing at the chance.
"Yes! It's hot pots! You just add some water, rip this part, and it'll heat itself up. Here, I can show you!" The young man would grab one of the packages, quickly ripping off the cover.
"Hey, what the fuck! I told you to get out!" The thief protested, but it seemed that Rom's interest held her back from anything more rash, the gas mask lenses glinting with frustration as she stared at Subaru preparing the box.
Trying to keep his hands from shaking with desperation, Subaru would look up at the two, "Do you have any water?"
Rom took a gulp of his mead, sighed and pronounced as he continued to look at Subaru intently, "Felt."
"I d-d-d-don't wanna…" The thief didn't move, crossing her arms, "The b-b-b-b-b-bliz-b-... the snowstorm's at its peak out there."
"Ya did it during a Hakugei attack, ya can do it *hic* now… so go on, fetch some snow…" The giant's tone was conciliatory but, at the same time, forceful. "Don't be petty."
"Hmph…" Clicking something on the mechanism on her legs, the thiefling would pull on her hood and check her respirator, walking out of the bar demonstratively slowly, as if saying, 'I'll do it, but only at my pace.'
Subaru turned to look at Felt leave, relaxing a little. While both of the pipe workers were fairly intense, the feeling of familiarity he felt toward Rom made him at ease.
"So… er… what's ye want with that medallion?"
The young man looked at Rom cautiously, "What?"
"What've you got in… er… for the medallion?" Rom said, eyeing Subaru slightly more intensely.
"Heh, it's just a good-looking valuable, right? I just-" Subaru did not feel comfortable lying so blatantly, however-
"Riiiight, so Felt gets a special steal order, an' less than a day *hic* less than a day afterwards, some stranger comes in, password an' all, an' starts bargainin' for it." The giant shook his head, "Yer, eh, hiding something, aren't ya?"
'For a drunk, he sure catches on.' Subaru felt the uncomfortable chill of shame drop into his stomach. It felt like conning people out of their livelihood, considering that the hot pots weren't that special, really.
Emilia's monotone but intense look flashed before his eyes. But he really owed her, and he couldn't just throw everything out and abandon a girl like her, especially a silver-haired elf…
'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FOCUS! Focus! It's repaying the favour, then checking her out.'
"Heh…" The young man's internal monologue was cut short by Rom's unimpressed chuckle. "I guess ye're not just gonna tell me… Well, we all got our secrets in this business… But just so ya know…" The metallic arm clamped its fingers together, the menacing sound of metal snapping causing the young man to shudder.
"If you put Felt in any danger, I will tear your head off, and then the heads off of the rest of whatever posse ye're part of. Comprehending?"
"Y…Yeah…" Subaru gave a short, shaky laugh, "I simply just want to buy that insignia, no harm done."
"Good enough by me." Rom said as he leaned back and watched the thief re-enter through the front doors, carrying several handfuls of snow, "Well, look *hic* look at ya! Wasn't so hard, was it!?"
He did not expect either of the pipe workers to have forks, let alone use them. The abject poverty seemed so all-encompassing that seeing the two with their rusted forks, trying freshly-heated hot pot felt comedic, Rom's giant hand trying its best to handle the utensil and Felt's sipping from under her mask.
Scraping the last few sauce-covered noodles, the Whistle pulled down her respirator and sighed, "Well, ya d-d-didn't lie, it sure is food."
Subaru almost burst out laughing at Felt's statement, "Yeah! It sure is!"
"And it sure is self-heating…" The thief had mellowed out a little from the warmth and full stomach, her threatening aura having calmed a little, "So fine, guess we're not kicking you out. How many of these you've got?"
"Well, aside from the one you just ate, there's four more." Placing the plastic bag on the table, Subaru tried to read the thiefling's expression through the mask in a vain attempt to predict if putting all of his bargaining chips like this actually worked.
A short pause. "Yeah… That ain't gonna b-be enou-"
"Ye're *hic*, uh, getting greedy," Rom mumbled into his drink.
"Wh- Shut up!" Felt slammed her fist on the table, "It's just four meals!"
"Ye've got yerself some meals that cook themselves, use snow as their secret sauce and are light enough to carry. If there are any perfect emergency rations, ye've got 'em here." The giant snorted, "What else ya want out of the guy, a position in Priestella?"
'Thank you, Old Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn!' While Subaru did not say it, he barely contained the grateful grin on his lips.
"D-d-d-damn alright, fine!" Felt would get up again, trying to tower over the sitting Subaru, "You've got yourself a deal! All of those… hot pots! Or however they were called! Now, come on, we've gotta go talk to my contact and say the d-d-d-deal is off."
Subaru's heart sank, "But can't we just-"
"Nah, all's fair in blood and money. They've gotta know you've outbid 'em. Can't just leave them hanging, and 'sides, I was going to meet them to hand it over right about now anyway." The thief crossed her arms mockingly. "Or what, you're gonna bitch out when you've already got the deal?"
"No! No way!" Subaru stood up, "I'm gonna do this!"
'Just a little more. Just a little bit, and I'll be done.'
"Wait, so your contact is in THE Empirium Rosee?"
"Yeah? So what, there's no performance right now, so it's all empty, perfect for business like this. Now, shut it; I can't make out where the guards are." Leaning forward a little from behind the corner, Felt would turn her ear and freeze up as she concentrated on making out the stomp of mechanical armour and hobnailed boots that accompanied the patrols.
Subaru looked up at the building and shuddered. Last time, the building was FAR from empty. 'Well, maybe we show JUST early enough to get our deal over with, and scram before things get too dangerous.'
"Alright, NOW!" The thiefling would dart across and slip through the basement window seconds after the Traveller's mechanised sabaton clanged down the alleyway and disappeared behind the corner. "Come on, get your ass d-d-down here before they come around!"
'Shit shit shit shit…' Taking a couple quick peeks left and right, Subaru would also sprint across, gaining enough speed to drop down and slide in, the whole sequence done in one fluid motion, landing in the basement with both feet on the ground.
"Woah, nice moves." The Whistle sounded almost impressed, but only almost, turning around to quickly shut the narrow window.
"Heh, just callisthenics and coordination." Subaru humblebragged and looked around. The cellar was much more frugal than the first floor, and while it was to be expected, the dank brick walls covered in snaking rusty pipes contrasted so much against the victorian grandeur that the young man could not hide his surprise.
The thief also noted Subaru's expression, "It's like this everywhere… separated… " Felt pronounced bitterly as she stepped forward into the darkness, "Some get the Empirium Rosee, and some get its b-basement."
"Yeah…" Subaru didn't know what to respond, simply following, trying not to step in the puddles created by the dripping from the piping, "That's… Yeah…"
Wandering through the dark, the two would come upon the stairs to the performance hall, Felt testing the door and swearing under her breath. "They put a lock on it." Leaning down, she would click something on her legs, the pistons around her ankles activating and revving up. "B-b-b-b-b-back me up."
"What?"
"I said 'b-back me up', push against my back, I don't wanna be thrown down the stairs. What are you, deaf?"
"Right, right, sorry." Subaru would walk up another two steps and put his hands against the thief's back, still confused about why he received such a request. 'Man, this is weird; just don't be awkward, don't be weird.'
Placing her foot and the mechanism on it up against the corroded iron door handle, Felt held her breath and shouted, "Brace for it!"
A loud clang would echo through the basement halls, Subaru nearly being thrown off his feet as the thief would be thrown at him. Stumbling backwards and catching his balance, his grasp still around Felt, the young man looked up at a small light permeating through a round hole in the door.
"W-what was-?" Subaru was at a loss for words.
"My Jackrabbit, d-d-d-duh." Pulling herself out of Subaru's grasp, the thief would step back up to the damaged door, bringing it down with another kick, this one without any mechanical assistance. "What, you think I'd only use them to jump around?"
"No, I just-" Clearing off the wooden chips that peppered his sports jacket, the young man would catch up to the thiefling, nervously looking at the crumpled door.
Felt seemed quite proud of impressing him, even if it was only discernible by tone, "No Traveler's got the speed or the b-brains to pull something off like this. Use an actuator when ye're standing on some cobble or steel, and it'll throw ya in the air like it's supposed to, but give some wood or flesh a good kick," She gave a proud chuckle, "And they'll b-be picking the remains up for days."
"Right…" While Subaru really wanted to answer something more coherent, terror suddenly clamped down on him as they went up the stairs towards the performance hall, the memories flooding back in. "Let's hurry this up."
"D-d-d-don't shit yaself, no one's comin' in, and 'sides, we already agreed, I ain't some bitch to go b-back on my-"
"Let's just move on, please." It was hard not to sound pleading, Subaru's legs were starting to go numb as the emptiness in his stomach expanded, the nervous void engulfing his gut, the unpleasant emotions causing the young man to clench his fists.
"Alright, alright, don't gotta get yer trousers in a bunch." Pushing the door into the performance hall, the two would enter the darkness.
It was no different from the previous loop; the lights were off, the haunting silhouettes of chairs, tables and the stage hiding in the darkness. 'We gotta get out, gotta get out, we gotta go.' "So, where's that contact of yours?"
"D-d-dunno." The crimson lenses glistened in the light from the hall as the thiefling turned her head, left and right, looking around. "The messages said that they'd send one of theirs here, though d-didn't say who."
"Well, they should h-"
A chair clattered to the ground, Subaru turned at the noise, unconsciously taking a fighting stance, raising his fists. "Who's there?"
" who's… there… "
The new silhouette stood up, having stumbled over the chair, its low gurgling voice echoing back.
" who's… there… "
"Didn't think they'd send us someone brain-damaged, heh." The thiefling stepped around Subaru, standing between the new arrival and the young man, "So, what've you got? You're here for the medallion? Well, tough, the deal's off. This guy," Felt pointed at Subaru with her thumb, "Outbid ya, and while working for small pay's nice, I like food more."
" nice… food… "
The figure stumbled over another chair, the furniture clattering as the silhouette moved; each motion was terribly uncomfortable, as if a clumsy puppeteer was leading the body on.
"Tsk, they're probably drunk; let's skip this joint." As the Whistle turned around to leave,
" Warm… bloo- "
The figure charged them, Subaru stumbling back helplessly about to let out a scream-
POW
It flew back, smashing through the furniture, disappearing in a cloud of dust and pieces of wood. "Hands off. He's now my client, b-b-bitch." Felt lowered her leg out of the kick, the actuators on her legs retracting, the pistons having sprung into action.
" BLOOD. BLOOD. BLOOD. "
The figure lifted itself up, its arms grasping onto its guts as if picking up armfuls of dirty laundry. 'No wait, that can't be…' Subaru blinked.
The Amethyst of Gusteko stared at her own intestines inquisitively, mumbling to herself, her dress in tatters. But it wasn't her; no, it couldn't be. Her eyes were not rolled back like that last time he saw her, her cheeks not torn, the suave smile now replaced with a mindless gape.
"Felt, is that…" The adolescent asked breathlessly.
"Well, I'd be damned if she is." The thief took a stance and stretched her legs, her stuttering suddenly gone as if the combat relaxed her. "But I don't think it fucken' matters. I'm putting her into the ground."
Elsa, or whatever this was, ran her hand through her own entrails, " not… warm… " and looked up, assessing the two in front of her. " aeh… aaaaackkkkkk… " Twitching, the thing would charge again, ignoring the organs trailing after it.
"Ya don't learn, do ya!?" The thiefling would also take off towards her enemy, "Stay down!"
Contact. Subaru held his breath.
The thing did not drop. Felt did. So did her leg, separated from her torso.
Straightening out, as far as it was possible for its body, Elsa's stomach wound would be exposed, rotor like blades rotating within the bowels, a metallic tubular structure as if forcefully crammed into the body. A long thing blade revealed itself from under the skin of her arm.
" Warm… WARM… "
'I have to run. I HAVE TO RUN. MOVE. PLEASE MOVE.' The young man couldn't take a single step, rooted to his place, terror taking over.
Elsa would come near him, her face so close, as if going in for a kiss, the wounds on her cheeks now even more visible, the metallic smell of blood sickening. She would unhinge her jaw.
'RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN.' To his horror, Subaru noticed the second set of steel teeth closing around his skull in his final moments.
CRACK
".tnioj siht piks s'tel ,knurd ylbaborp er'yeht ,ksT"
Tick… Tick… Tick…
"?su 'nikcirt yb tnemtsevni ay no tiforp 'suj nac uoy dna ,ti no alletseirP morf sblubthgil tnerruc …ehu ,me' fo eno tog uoy kniht uoy ,tahw ,heH"
Tick… Tick… Tick…
".gnirad ruoy no uoy etalutargnoc dluow I ,em revo lla gnideelb ton erew uoy fi ,retsiM ,~ym yM~"
Tick… Tick… Tick…
"!snoitisop ruoy ot kcitS !rednu nwod ,srekrow epip ,uoy stnaw eno oN !hgual em ekam t'noD"
Whir…
Clink!
