Greed that Surmounts Death
—
Welp, it's official. That last chapter was my peak. Unless the commencing chapter is somehow on par. Who knows, I haven't written it yet. In News: I am going to spruce up the titles and A/N's of the previous chapters to fit this pattern. Actually, I'm also considering rewriting the first few chapters since they… erm… kinda suck in terms of writing quality. Anyways, I'll leave that decision up to you guys to decide if it's something worth doing.
—
"This place looks rather gloomy."
Meiss surveyed the immediate area. The buildings looked poorly built, with cobbled-together and oddly sized bricks and wood. Some of the houses also seemed to have a slight lean to them, though Meiss wasn't sure. There was a low stone wall bordering the village, remarkably high in quality compared to the houses. The grey brick was cut with smooth sides and sharp corners. It gave the village behind it a more closed-off and isolationist feel. The Oni, Rem, sighed to his side.
"Rem has gotten used to it, with her not infrequent visits here."
Meiss heard this, and expected some sort of comment from Subaru, only to remember he had traveled here before. We need to have a more serious talk about his Time Reversal. The blonde turned to look at the japanese teen, who eyed the area like someone who was acquainted with the territory. He kept glancing at Emilia, who was fidgeting and looked generally uncomfortable.
"Welp, we're here, might as well do some introducin'."
Garfiel hopped out of the carriage and landed on the earthy path. He sauntered over to the wall, which was only waist-height. Hopping on top of it, he spun to face the group and carriage, spreading his arms wide. The glint in his eyes was sarcastic, and his sandy hair waved in a slight breeze. His hair was a different shade of yellow, more a sandy, sun colored color as opposed to Meiss' rich golden waves.
"Welcome all, to th' place Roswaal so graciously calls a fuckin' Sanctuary. Otherwise known as th' Witch of Greed's gravesite."
"If it's a gravesite, then gloomy is a given I guess."
The carriage, which creaked slightly now due to Garfiel's manhandling, slowly entered through the gates of the well-preserved wall. Meiss noticed Emilia fidget slightly in her seat, as if uncomfortable. Who wouldn't be? This is supposedly a gravesite after all. Now what Meiss didn't expect, was for the half-elf to cling to Subaru like he was an anchor. Do the dead really freak her out that much?
"Garf, where is Roswaal-sama right now?"
The petite blonde clicked his teeth together, gesturing to a slightly bigger and well kept looking house father down the road.
"Very well, show our driver where he may park his carriage, I will take everyone to meet with Roswaal-sama immediately."
The party lightly hopped from the carriage. Rem seemed to know where she was going, turning to wait for the rest. Emilia stepped down from the carriage, looking around as if trying to spot some creepy dude watching her.
Oh wait, that's Subaru.
The time-looper and the Oni walked confidently towards the less ramshackle looking house. Emilia clung weakly to Subaru's sleeve, who slowed his pace to accommodate her.
"I don't like it here, It feels like I'm being watched."
Subaru responded by holding her hand and giving a light squeeze, before breaking off from the main group. He took a few steps towards the tree line before turning back to face the group. Subaru looked rather guilty for leaving after Emilia's statement, but he broke off nevertheless.
"Sorry to leave you all like this, but I have matters I would rather discuss with Ros-chi alone. No hard feelings?"
"No, not really."
"None whatsoever."
"Kay then, I'll see you guys later."
After Subaru left to who knows where, Emilia sped up and made her way as fast as she could to the house. She must be anxious, and moving fast unconsciously. The half-elf didn't seem to notice the growing distance between her and the duo of Rem and Meiss. The two walked slowly side-by-side.
"Emilia-sama cannot leave."
"What?"
Rem turned to Meiss. Her blue eyes betrayed worry for the half-elf. She was under oath to not speak of the inner-workings of this place. But said oath is no longer binding due to the theft of her name. The Oni is happy to reveal such information if it will benefit her Subaru-kun. Since she learned of the time-reversal though, it stands to reason that Subaru already knew. So the next person besides Emilia to tell would be Meiss.
"The barrier that surrounds Sanctuary prevents half-bloods from leaving the area. Emilia-sama is trapped here until someone conquers the Trials."
"Goddamnit."
That was more like a statement, rather than an outburst.
"So this barrier requires the completion of a trial? Seems like some sort of carnival game to me, rigged to fail..."
Meiss grit his teeth. Was this 'Roswaal L Mathers' the type of person to orchestrate events behind the scenes? Despicable people in his opinion. Pulling the strings of fate and bending events to their will for benefit. I mean, just let kismet play out normally. The blonde set his eyes on the house down the road, was this someone to be wary of?
—
"Myyyyyyy oh how haaaaaaappy I am to see everyone safe and sound!"
Meiss already feels his ears beginning to bleed. Next to him, Ram is white as a sheet, taking in the situation and condition of the man before her. He was wrapped in bloody bandages from head-to-toe. Who applied them remains a mystery. The clown is sitting up with the help of pillows behind him.
The house itself was made of rough stone, and comparable in size to a single-story house Beyond the Waterfall. It was significantly more spacious and well-kept than the other houses, despite that, it was rather cramped with so many people.
"Now, just whoooooo are these fine young additions to the party?"
The clown had navy blue hair that flowed down his shoulders. Along with a set of heterochromia iridum that are sky-blue and golden-yellow. Not a pleasant combination. The yellow eye was the only one visible currently, and it glared at Meiss and Rem curiously.
"Hmmmmmmm, fair woman of sky hair… you look rather exhaaauuuuusted. We can find you a bed if you requiiiiiiiiire one."
Personal image of this guy goes down by the second.
Before they entered the house Rem had asked him to try and hold his tongue, but that barely veiled jab made it hard to. Was it even a jab though? He couldn't possibly know what had happened to Rem, and what may have happened had Meiss not been there. The blonde glanced at the Oni, did she actually look tired?
"R-Roswaal-sama, what… what happened? Who did this?"
Roswaal closed his yellow eye, shutting out the world. He breathed deeply as Ram edged closer to inspect his wounds. He opened his blue eye this time and peered at the maid.
"It is not a question of whooooooooo, but whaaaaaaaaaat?"
"You don't mean... "
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, but it matters not. What Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm more curious about is the fine young gentleman here. Just wheeeeeerrree oh wheeeeeerreee did he come from?"
"Roswaal. That was a serious question that I would also like to have answered. Especially with someone of your... caliber… To get injured like that is no joke."
Stunning everyone with the harshness of her reply is Emilia. Makes sense, ever since stepping foot into this place she has been on edge. Being irritable and abrasive is kind of a given for her right now, despite her usual bubbly personality.
"It appeeeeeeeaaars that even Emilia-sama is not in the best of tempers. Buuuuut considering where we are, there maaaaaay be no avoiding that."
Emilia's brows shoot up as she realizes the harshness of her words and tone. Her tight lips bend into a slight frown as her hands fidget with the hem of her white dress. The half-elf thinks for a moment before drawing in a breath. She puts in an effort to relax her shoulders as the calming sigh leaves her body
"Before this conversation goes in some jumbled direction, what of the villagers from Arlam? Your condition makes me worry for them."
"Feeeeeeaaaar not, the residents of Sanctuary had noooooo part in my injuries. The Arlam villagers are quite unceeeremoniously crammed into the cathedral. Though I believe 'crammed' is an exaaaaaggeratiooon, the building is quite laaarge by Sactuary's standards."
Looking content, Emilia continued with her questioning.
"You call this place 'Sanctuary,' though it feels like anything but. Garfiel called it the 'Witch of Greed's gravesite.' Which is true?"
"Both are true. Something can have two names, no? This is where the Witch of Greed, Echidna, met her end; I personally would call it Sanctuary"
This response was lower in tone, deviating from his uncomical lightheartedness and drawn-out syllables. This change of attitude instills the sense in Meiss that the statement was true. Though…
"Wait wait, Witch of Greed? There's more than the Jealous Witch? Though I guess that would make sense with the seven and nine though…"
Said Meiss as he waved his arms around subtly. This was something alright… The Jealous Witch he knew of, but now there's a Greedy Witch? The next leap is that there is a Prideful Witch, Lazy Witch, Vengeful Witch, Lustful Witch, and a Gluttonous Witch as well. Don't forget the Melancholic Witch and Vanitous Witch.
Wow. Meiss is surprised that it never occurred to him before now.
"Nooooooo records of her existence remain, except for those who knew her personally."
"That implies something impossible, unless you happen to be centuries old. You aren't centuries old, are you? I happen to know a few people who don't have great body-age correlation."
Roswaal barks a laugh. He keeps on laughing, wiping tears away and wincing slightly at the sudden movements he's making. Ram is buzzing around trying to make sure he doesn't laugh to death or something.
"Haaaaah, If your plan was to make me laaaaaauuuugh to death, it's certainly working!"
Meiss realises the man isn't joking, some of the bandages around his chest area appear to have acquired a brighter red tint to them. Ram hovers around more frantically, going into other rooms and looking for bandages.
"No, no. This place and the name of Echidna was paaaaaassssed down through the Mathers family, down through the Roooooswaals for generations."
"Ok then… What is the purpose of this place, and why haven't you and the villagers left yet?"
Roswaal closed his eyes and smiled. His finger reached up to scratch his chin as if he was thinking about something. Ram has returned from her toilet paper crusade with a bundle of bandages.
"Why the villagers and I have not yet returned… Ooooooooone could say we are in a state of confinement. The moment you entered, you wound up in the saaaaaaaaame situation. I have nooooot been attacked by anyone, just to claaaaaaaaarify."
"Then…"
Emilia gestured to the entirety of Roswaal's bandage covered body.
"The reasoning for theeeeeese? Well it isn't that there's nooooooooo relation, but us being confined is not the direeeeeeeeect reason."
Ram had started to examine the areas that Roswaal was injured in with more detail. The bandage bundle was being slowly unwrapped, and the maid continued to look over her master's body to find the best way to remove the bandages. There didn't appear to be any scissors or knives in the many(two) places Ram had searched. Emilia tentatively reached out her hands, before stopping them to let them hover over the bleeding body.
"Have you had any healing magic done?"
"No, as healing is ooooouuuuutside my area of expertise… Demolishing, afflicting, bewildering, but I have not a speeeeeck of recovery."
Heh. So this guy does nothing but offense? Not even the tiniest healing spell? Meiss remembers how he specializes in healing and support when it comes to games. He was great at providing much-needed healing to his comrades, but could hold his own against the damage-oriented classes by spamming his healing items to become invincible. That and tactical retreats were his two biggest contributors to staying alive for so long.
Wryly, Meiss thinks about his current situation. The role is reversed for him now, Melancholy is a powerhouse of an authority. Pure offense, not a spec of recovery. Unless you count cauterization, but most people wouldn't.
"Then I can… Rem and I can heal you, though it won't be at my usual level since Puck isn't here."
"The Great Spirit isn't here?"
Roswaal looks quizzically at Emilia, like this is a huge surprise. Though it probably was, since the two haven't seen each other in about a week.
"Perhaps that is why you are soooooooo grumpy, though maybe it's because of this place. Spirits do nooooooooot favor this land, so he may have retreated within the crystal to avooooooiiiiiid it."
Nice, another thing to keep the spirits off my back.
Realistically, the spirits may not enjoy the gloomy atmosphere. Or perhaps the presence of the Witch of Greed's tomb has that effect. So many questions, maybe it's time to accelerate this discussion a bit…
"So… any more information worthy to note? Besides that fact that Emilia cannot leave until it's done."
Ram looks like she has something to say, but a hand from Roswaal silences the words in her throat. Meiss feels the air shift, the tension growing steadily. This guy is a powerful mage, but Acedia doesn't beat down just physical attacks...
"Ram please fetch our dear guest something to drink."
"Water, please."
The maid looks from Meiss to Roswaal for a second, before slowly walking from the house into the sunlight. The door closes behind her, and Meiss' eyes adjust once more to the dim lighting of the house.
"Emilia-sama, I request that you go fetch Garfiel and Subaru-kun, please. I wish to discuss privately with our guests."
This normal voice is unnerving, coming from Roswaal. Just like before, it conveys this aura of truth and succinctness. Emilia feels the tone shift as well. At first she is hesitant to leave the two, and the one unhealed, but she can see the seriousness in Roswaal's eyes. The half-elf backs out of the house, looking over her shoulder once or twice.
Meiss looks to Rem, her eyes shine in the darkness just like his.
"You want to tell him, or should I?"
"By all means, talk away Meiss."
"Roswaal."
"Meiss-san. Interesting name by the way. How were you aware of Emilia-sama's predicament before it was revealed? Furthermore, you hinted to knowledge of the trial. How is that?"
"You see gentle Rem over here? Well she may have worked for you before we had a little run-in with Gluttony."
"Ahh, to be afflicted with Gluttony's authority… Strange, I was not informed of her appearance, but Meiss was expected. Oh, did you enjoooooy my gift of brimstone?"
I swear to every religious entity. Two people with precognition? No wait, Subaru is rewinding time, very different. This guy has precognition? This may be a problem, and that's even without his status as the Lord if this land.
"It was very much enjoyed, thank you. Now… onto more pressing matters."
Meiss pointed at the clown, arm fully extended. Roswaal widened his eyes, possibly expecting an attack since that appendage is aimed at his face and his first impression kind of sucked.
"End this game. The trial is rigged to fail and you have a plot to use someone to your advantage in a series of events planned out beforehand."
"…"
"Not entirely true, the trial is not rigged to fail. I merely foresee that Emilia-sama will have some difficulty with it."
Dolorem slowly spread across Meiss' hand in that slow, threatening manner he used against Garfiel. The clown hadn't challenged Meiss' notion that he was using someone for a hidden agenda or that things have been predetermined. Roswaal's eyes widened when the color and light became visible. Ho? Was this power not foreseen? Well then…
"The chess match may have started but that doesn't mean we've lost yet. I'm confident that my friends and my Melancholy will be able to take your king."
Did Roswaal stiffen? Was that my imagination? The clown seemed to look shocked for a second, just a second, before that mask of poor comedy shut everything out. The door opened behind them, and Meiss recalled dolorem as fast as he could.
"Meiss-sama, here is your water."
"Ah, thank you. My throat is parched from all the doing-nothing-in-a-carriage I did all day."
Wow, why does this water taste so good? It has a slight earthy tinge to it, yet it isn't coarse or slick because of it. The water is the perfect cold temperature, numbing his throat and shocking his nerves. The essence of good water.
The door opened behind them once more, and Emilia poked her head in without entering fully.
"Um… I couldn't find Subaru, but Garfiel is here now."
"Veeeeeeery well, tell him to show you the waaaaaaaaay to the tomb."
Emilia's face disappeared from the door, and a loud exclamation followed from Garfiel. He grumbled for a bit before seeming to agree. The rambunctious blonde opened the door wide, beckoning for Rem and Meiss to follow.
Meiss turned to the door, and started to walk towards it.
"Meiss-sama."
"I really need to have the honorific talk- Yes, Ram?"
"That foolish Barusu will undoubtedly try to enter the tomb in Emilia-sama's stead. He must not, lest he succumb to the spuriousness of a Witch."
—
Ram closed the door behind the blonde. She couldn't help but feel the same feelings she had when Barusu first arrived at the mansion. He gave the impression of someone who was in a certain place at a certain time. Someone who was lucky.
The pink maid turned to her master. He was the world, there was no room for anyone else. Perhaps in another life… her stillborn sister would have taken up half of that world. But this life is this life, and that life is that life. Ram grabbed the bandages from the bed beside Roswaal-sama and set to work redressing the ones wound around him. She registered the troubled look on her master's face. That must have come from his talk with Meiss and Rem. Ram knew Emilia had left to find Garf, as she saw them talking on her way back to the house. Just what did those three talk about to bring such an unpleasant expression upon Roswaal-sama's face?
Roswaal sat upon his bed restlessly as Ram fiddled and hovered around him. He absentmindedly pet her head, not noticing her face become the same color as her hair. To him right now, it all blended together. Rain started to appear on his window, a light drizzle had just started. The first time it had rained since Subaru arrived.
"Potestas de Tristitia."
"AAAUUUUUGGGGGHGHHGHHGGUUHUUHGH!"
Roswaal writhed in pain, choking on his own blood, bathing in his own blood. He was pinned to the ground, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to fight. Roswaal A Mathers, the pinnacle of magic and sorcery, was being flattened as if it was an afterthought. Rain poured and cascaded around his writhing body, the bullets of water stinging his wounds.
Cold, apathetic eyes churned their gaze into his form. They cared not if he died or lived, merely seeing him as an obstacle to their goal. They approached slowly, lazily, sadly, depressed. The closer those eyes got, the more Roswaal was pushed backwards. His body bounced and crushed, crushed and bounced. Agony. Blazing, glowering, mind-numbing agony pierced every fiber of his being as those eyes strode steadily towards him. Another guttural scream echoed from Roswaal's mouth as his body was pressed further into the ground by the eye's air of melancholy.
"Such a racket. Such a bother. So tiresome. So irksome. This drains me, depresses me."
"AAAUUUUuuuuGGhgHIKkikiiiigk, kuuuh... GGGGAAUAAAUAUA!"
"Can't you just stop? You've worked yourself so hard. You can't win against me, but you worked and you worked. Nothing but working, and this has to be enough... Working hard has no point at all."
Through the pain, through the blood clogging his throat and staining his eyes and pooling from every pore...
"Your speech... so idiotic... How could I possibly... give up- AAAAAUUUGGHGH, AAAAUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Huuuuuh... This is what weighs my head most. Nauseates my chest. Dampens my spirits."
Those eyes kneeled in front of Roswaal. They examined their own hand for a second, twitching each finger and watching Roswaal bend in another unnatural shape. Suddenly, the warlock plunged his hand into the ground, watching as a fresh wave of blood poured from Roswaal.
"... I hate this. I really did back off. It's really been so long since I've backed off this much and it's the worst. The worst, the worst, the worst of the worst of the worst of the worst. So… much… melancholy."
Roswaal struggled less and less, the blood staining the earth around him was a fatal amount to be removed from the body. Melancholy looked sadly at the mangled form before him, he pensively turned his gaze to the houses of Sanctuary.
Roswaal took a deep breath. He could still see those eyes even after all these years… Now though, there was this new face. Roswaal was not informed of his particular quirk.
Ram was undoing a bandage on his upper arm. He winced as the raw skin met with the cold air, though nothing could compare to that air of melancholy. The clown narrowed his eyes, picturing the slicked-back blonde hair, the black padded vest, and the orange-cyan glowing hand.
This boy will not obstruct my goals.
—
"I was wondering when you guys would make it."
Subaru stood at the entrance to a high iron fence with a stone bottom. The iron was rusted in patches, but mostly unblemished, and the stone was exactly like the wall of bricks surrounding the village. Atop the fence, spaced at regular intervals, were small unlit torches. The same unlit torches adorned a large building in the center of the space cordoned off by the fence. It looked like a large box, with one doorway that hid in shadows. The roof was flat for the first foot or so, before the stone rose and fell in jagged cliffs. There may be a picture on top of the tomb, but nobody was tall enough to see.
"Well what about the trees surrounding the tomb?" you may be asking. Answer: The Witch of Greed's miasma circulated around this place. It had no ill effects if you entered for a short, or even long, amount of time. But for the grasses and trees and foliage, being there their whole lives was impossible. As a result, there was a barren scar of wasteland surrounding the tomb for upwards of fifteen feet.
Well anyways, Subaru is there and he greets everyone warmly, though Meiss catches him scanning the treeline once or twice. He seems to be wary. Gerfiel clicks his tongue at Subaru knowing where the tomb is before being escorted to it. That suspicion may be a problem in the future along with Roswaal.
The alien crossed his arms and looked at Meiss out of the corner of his eyes.
"Huh, Important people really like having large graves. Doesn't matter what the time period or world is I guess."
"Uhm. Garfiel, what exactly are we here for?"
"Wha? Grrrrrrrr, so th'sonovabitch hasn't told ya anythin'? Well ya can grill'em later, for now, jus' step inside th' fence."
Emilia looks even more worried, but steels herself up. Meiss is also worried. It is expected that Emilia will enter the tomb, but since Meiss just announced he would try his hardest to fuck up Roswaal's plans, Emilia must not enter the tomb. Meiss notices that Subaru doesn't look concerned for Emilia. So this must not pose a threat…
But screwing with Roswaal is more important.
"Ah, sorry about this, guys."
As Subaru argues with Garfiel about going to find Otto or something. Meiss steps through the opening in the fence. Just a quick lo-
—
Subaru holds his head in his hands with a bored expression. He is currently sitting in a wooden chair overseeing the sleeping Meiss. Emilia is sharing the chair with him, but was barely sitting on her seat, you would be more accurate to say she was wall-sitting. Subaru was hogging the rest.
They are currently in a ramshackle wooden cabin. Garfiel carried the unconscious boy here after he collapsed in front of the tomb. I mean come on. Meiss isn't stupid, so why would he do that? No answers came to mind. Maybe something happened in the talk with Roswaal thay had.
Speaking of, the point that Subaru returned to after dying was before they had departed to Sanctuary. His reasoning for branching off immediately was to check if he still had the qualifications. He did, and ended up loitering around the grave until the party made their way over. Rem had given him the gist of their talk after Meiss fainted. Subaru still couldn't believe Meiss had the balls to threaten Roswaal of all people. The guy eradicated a forest full of wolgarm by himself, he was not someone to be taken lightly in terms of power. Emilia was the one to pull Meiss out of the grave's courtyard.
The half-elf finally huffed angrily, shoving Subaru over and plopping down in the chair. She smiled contentedly at her secured sitting space, though she nearly jumped off in terror when…
"Stupid fucking Windows XP Witch!"
Then Meiss fell off the bed.
—
It is impossible to talk about Echidna without at least mentioning the Bliss wallpaper. Anywho, I think this came out well (Particularly enjoyed the Meiss/Roswaal interactions and the Roswaal flashback). Now all that's left to do is wordcount it and title, though you already saw the title. Welp, see ya later alligators