"Talking"
'Thoughts'
'Higher Being Telepathy'
I don't own Re: Zero or any other works referenced
Enjoy
Chapter 3: Arc 2 Part 2
Mabeast's Forest
'Life here couldn't get any worse.' I can hear the horde of Mabeasts chasing me from behind. I keep running for who knows how long, never able to stop and catch my breath.
'This was not what I signed up for, when I accepted that offer! Ahh, No use complaining now. Any second now, I'll come up on a river and use it to my advantage.'
After a couple more minutes of running I start to see a clearing up ahead of me.
"Yes! Just you wait Mabeasts, you're about turn into Ma'Bitches!" Laughing at my own joke, I finally arrive at the clearing.
Expecting running water going downstream, I am severely disappointed to find an edge of a cliff.
Having no other choice but to go forward, I get close to the edge but not enough to fall. Turning around, I see a little over forty Mabeasts coming out the trees and bushes.
"Hey guys, I take back what I said. We're all friends here right?" Only receiving growls in return, I'm left with no other choice but to go on the defensive.
"Fura!" I take out those that get too close, in doing so however initiates their attack.
"Fura!" Two down. "Fura!" Three more. "Fura!" After a while I lose count of how many I've killed. I just know I killed almost all of them considering the lack of attackers.
"Is that all of them?" I say outloud hoping for it finally to end. I look around the corpses, looking for a live one. Until my eyes finally land on a small puppy by the trees. 'Oh, no.'
It growls at me, releasing so much bloodlust I could basically feel it. The puppy slowly growing into a huge Mabeasts version of itself.
Not giving it time to attack, I shoot a wind blade at it's face. "Fura!" 'Yes! Direct hit on the eye!'
With one of its eyes gone, it enters a berserk state, smashing everything around it. I can tell it's running on instinct alone now.
I shoot another Fura at it, this time hitting its side. The attack having basically no effect, leaving only a shallow cut. 'It's hide is pretty resistant, eh?'
Left with no other choice, I summon my spirit friend for support. "You ready?" Im met with an affirmative nod and head back into the fray.
"EL Shamak!" Inside the cloud I sense the Mabeast going wild, destroying everything.
'Come on, this better work!' "EL Fura!" I shoot a more faster and stronger wind blade at it, injuring its back with a deep cut.
Preparing for another attack I'm able to notice it coming close with one of it's claws outstretched. Putting my right arm up as a quick defense, I'm sent flying back.
Thinking quickly I have my spirit cast Murak. In the air, now I have a good shot at its neck now. Raising my right arm to cast a wind blade, I notice something missing.
'My arm! It's gone... No! Its right there It's just a bit hurt.' Trying hard not to acknowledge it, I use my left arm instead. Pouring in as much mana as possible without it failing, I finally release it. "EL FURA!" Its head cleanly cut off, falling off to the side.
"Finally, its over." I start to feel drowsy, the only thing keeping me awake is the pain. I feel Murak wear off and expect to fall on the edge of the cliff. However life had other plans.
I continue falling off the cliff. 'Why is this happening to me?!'
Earlier That Day
"*Yawn* Good morning, Miss Rem, Miss Ram." I greet the maid twins.
"Good morning Ren." Rem greets me with a warm smile.
"So you've finally woken up from your hibernation." Ram on the other hand greets me with a cold but smug sneer.
"Actually, I pride myself in waking up 2 hours before work." I make a small rebuttal.
"I can see that trash have very little to be proud of." 'Ouch, she's gotten better at insulting me, somehow.'
"Let's not waste any more time, What're we making today, Rem?" I know when to cut my losses.
"A simple meal of Meat, eggs, and a side of steamed tatos." 'Ugh, the word tatos still pisses me off.'
"How about instead of steamed tatos, We mash up the tatos into mashed tatos?" I make a suggestion.
"Mashed tatos? Whats that?" Rem with a confused expression is kinda cute.
"You'd rather make a dish that's never been heard of instead of steamed tatos? To be expected from one who has not experienced the joys of steamed tatos." I'm not even surprised Ram said this.
"Miss Rem, do you think I can make my dish?" I ask our head Maid.
"Alright, but quickly. We've got to start preparing the main dish."
"Thank you!" I start to prepare the necessary ingredients.
~30 Minutes Later~
'Alright! Done and ready to be eaten. Now onto pouring some gravy on it.' Once I finish making the dishes, I head towards Rem to help her out.
"How're things over here, Miss Rem?"
"We're just about done. All that's left is serving the food."
~Break~
"I must saaay, your food was quuuite delicious, My dear Ren."
"Thank you, Lord Roswaal." I say as respectfully as possible.
Afternoon
"If I lose it all, slip and fall~ I will never look away~ If I lose it all, Lose it all...~" I sing under my breath, while cleaning one of the halls on the second floor.
"That's quite the song you're singing. What's it about?" Man, this girl is really sneaky.
"Ah, Lady Emilia... Err Emilia. The song is from my home, It's... It doesn't really matter. How has your day been?"
'Home... I wonder how Mom must feel. Me being dead must've been horrible to hear about.'
"...en! Ren!"
"Oh, Sorry Emilia, I got lost in my thoughts." I quickly apologize for my rude behavior.
"It's suuuper rude to start a conversation with someone and then just ignore them." She reprimands me with a pout.
"Hehe... I'm sorry. I was just thinking about my home."
"Your Home? You don't seem to be from Lugnica. Based off your looks, are you perhaps from Kararagi?"
"Somewhere very similar, yes. But I was thinking more of my family." I try and avoid telling her where I come from. It'd be too hard to explain how I come from another world anyways.
"Your Family?"
"Yeah... For their only son to leave them so abruptly. Talk about worst son of the year." I mostly mutter under my breath. I start to feel my eyes start to produce moisture.
'Goddammit, I'm starting to get emotional.'
"Um? Ren? Are you alright?" The ever compassionate Emilia, comes in.
Quickly composing myself, I try to play it off. "Sorry, a bit of dust came on my eye." (AN:Ayo)
Trying not to have a conversation right now, I excuse myself. "Lady Emilia, I must be going. The estate won't clean itself."
I leave quickly, not giving her a chance to say anything. 'I can't show my face to her for a while now. I already have enough problems, why do I have go and get more of them.'
Opening the door nearest to me so I can continue my cleaning. Instead of being in a guest room or something of the like, I am greeted by the bookshelves of the Forbidden Library.
"You are quite the annoying pest, I suppose."
"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Lady Beatrice." I quickly apologize before I get shot out.
"You seem to have learned some manners since Betty has last seen you, I suppose. At the very least, you shall address a great spirit such as Betty more correctly from now on. I suppose."
"Thank you, Lady Beatrice. I must be going however, The Manor is not quite fully clean yet. If you'll excuse me then." I try to leave as fast as possible.
"Hold it, I suppose." My escape is quickly stopped by her command. "Betty would like to point out something on Betty's mind."
"Is something the matter, Lady Beatrice?" 'She's not gonna kill me, right?'
"I did not mention it before due to the amount of Mana you held, but how is it possible you hold an affinity over all the Elements? You do not have a single Divine Protection, so tell me how you are able to do so. I suppose." Wow, she really dropped the bomb with that question.
"And? Why should I explain myself to you? In fact, Why does it matter to you? We've only talked once, and based off your attitude towards them, you don't seem to truly care about the residents of the manor. The only logical answer would be is if you wanted something from me, but what do I have that you, a Great Spirit, doesn't?"
'I get the feeling, I'm coming off a bit too harsh.' She pulls out a book, reading through the blank pages. From what I could tell she seemed, desperate almost.
"Nothings changed..." I'm able to catch what she mutters at first, the rest was too quiet however. She finally speaks up, what she says is obvious. "Could you possibly be 'That Person'?"
"That Person? If you're talking about a prophecy of sorts, then you've got the wrong guy." I gotta say, my acting has gone up a few levels since I've gotten here.
'I'm sorry Bea, but you've got to wait another month before I can give you an answer to that question.'
"If you'll excuse me, Lady Beatrice. I have work to do." Quickly leaving The Forbidden Library, I can only sigh in despondency.
'Was what I said the right thing?'
Outside The Manor
"If he tries anything..." 'Thanks for never doubting me, Miss Ram'
"Don't worry, Sister. I can handle him easily" 'I thought we were friends, Miss Rem.'
"I'm right here, you know."
"Oh? I didn't notice your insignificant existence, till you started your incessant babbling."
'I have only said a single sentence. But I know if I point anything out, I'll end up having to cry myself to sleep.'
"We should get going shouldn't we?" We're burning daylight after all.
"If you keep your hands to yourself, you may live to see another day."
'Considering what today is, that's actually quite ominous.'
"Even If I don't do it I still might die?! Anyways, I'll have you know, I feel zero sexual attraction towards the both of you."
"I find that hard to believe, considering I am the perfect beauty of any man's dreams." Talk about prideful.
"Fortunately, your not in any of my dreams, you might be in my nightmares though."
"I'd say it's about time we left, Ren." 'Why is Rem mad?!'
"Yes! Let's!" 'I know that if I don't agree, We'll be here all day.'
~Break~
"So this the village, huh? What's it called?" I ask my silent companion.
"Irlam Village. It is one of the villages under the Mathers name. It also happens to have a neighboring forest filled with Mabeasts."
"Isn't that dangerous?" I know there was a barrier, but it broke I'm pretty sure.
"All throughout the perimeter of the forest, are mana crystals. They serve as a means to repel Mabeasts from invading the village."
Even so... To have monsters in your 'backyard', not really the smartest play.
"You should try and familiarize yourself to the village, while I gather all that we're missing."
"You won't need help carrying stuff?" I'm still a man, yknow.
"I'll be fine by myself." 'Why am I even here, then?'
No choice but to introduce myself to the village.
~Break~
"I think it's about time we leave, Ren."
A collective 'Aww' sounds out after Rem comes and says that. I feel a tug on my shirt, It's little Petra.
"Do you really have to go?" Isn't this too cute?
'Field Operator...'
'I get it already. I wasn't ever going to do anything to her anyways.'
'As long as you understand.'
"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll be back next time." Petting her head with a smile.
"Hold on, please." The little purple assassin finally spoke up. "We have something to show you two."
'And out comes the two dogs... That's not right. Two? I'm pretty sure it was only one, unless... Damn it Roswaal, you ass. He must've told them I can use magic, so they in turn prepared more.'
Too absorbed contemplating what to do, I hear a yell from one of the children. "Miss! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Rem says staring intently at her hand.
"Kids, you shouldn't pick up any violent stray animals off the ground, even if they look cute." I scold them, most of my statement going towards Meili.
"Let's go, Ren." Rem practically drags me behind her.
"Remember what I said, Kids! No strays! Stay safe!" I yell out to them, waving as well.
"Bye, Ren! Bye, Miss!" They all wave back.
~Break~
"I get the feeling they like me." I get a small smile in response. Success! "How's your hand?"
"It'll be fine once I heal it. That is not the problem however."
"The dogs right? They did appear strange to me too. They both had bald spots on their heads, and were only hostile to us." I point out.
"So you noticed, too? You have quite the keen eye."
"One doesn't live long in this world without developing a sense for these things." I say bullshitting my way out of a long interrogation.
"Oh! I'm sorry, let me get that for you." I grab the barrel of supplies off her.
"Thank you, but I would have been fine."
"Hey, you're injured and my pride as a man wouldn't allow for me to let you do all the work."
"How very charming." Her tone dry.
The Manor, Night
Roswaal had already left by the time we came back. Rem explained everything to Ram, While I had put all the supplies away.
'I should probably check up on Rem now.' I start to head to Rem's room. Once there, I knock.
No answer.
I knock, again.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Actually worried now, I try opening the door now.
'It's not locked.' My relief is cut short by the figure collapsed on the ground.
"Rem!" Picking her up, I check for breathing. 'It's light.'
Making a quick decision, I carry Rem bridal style. Running down the hallway waiting for the feeling to hit... There!
*Slam* "Beatrice! I need your help!" 'I don't care how disrespectful this may be, I'll take the consequences.'
"What is it now? Your presence has started to irritate me. In fact."
"I'm sorry Lady Beatrice, but she needs your help."
"The blue maid?" She gets closer to Rem, activating a spell. "There is nothing Betty can do. The oni has been cursed, she will die soon to lack of mana."
"Oni... Bea you genius!"
"Of course Betty is a genius, But Betty doesn't see how that matters at the moment." I don't really pay attention to what she says, Preparing my next move.
"I'm sorry if this is a breach of privacy, Rem." I place my hand on her forehead, right where her horn should be. Directing mana to my hand. I see her horn start to appear, draining the mana from my hand.
After a couple minutes she starts to breathe deeper and louder.
"You used her horn to drain mana from yourself? That is quite the unorthodox method to counter the curse, but all you've done is buy her some time. Roughly three hours. I suppose."
"That's more than enough time, but I've got to get going." I stand up and head towards the door. Where I see... "Ram! I can expla-"
"There's no need, I heard all of that."
'Thank God, thought I was going to die there.'
"That's why, I'm also going." She announces.
"You can't!"
"Oh? And why can't I?" Her tone filled with venom.
"You need to stay here and supply Rem with mana. I'll go by myself."
"I hate that you actually have a convincing argument. Alright fine, I'll stay here. But if my sister doesn't get better in 2 hours, I'll head off to kill whoever cursed my sister along with you."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Scary...
~Break~ Irlam Village
"Mister Ren!" The head of the Village, Milde, calls out to me.
"Milde? Whats wrong?" 'Let me guess, the children?'
He tells me all about how the children disappeared. I head into the forest with them to look for the kids and the dog.
After around 15 minutes of running we find them on a hill, unconscious.
"All of you, grab the children and go back to the village." I command them for a retreat.
"What about you?" One of the villagers asks.
"The children might be cursed. I'm going to hunt down the one responsible."
"Have this, then." Another villager hands me dual daggers of decent quality, from what I could tell.
'This'll come in handy.'
~Break~
'There you are, Meili.' I see the prone body of Meili, obviously acting asleep. 'How do I get all the Mabeasts here, though. I don't have the Witch's Scent... That'll work.'
Crouching down near Meili, I put one of the daggers to her throat. Waiting a moment before quickly parrying an attack while dodging to the right.
'Good thing, I saw her reflection on the dagger.'
"You know, of all the things I expected, You weren't even close, Elsa. How're you holding up after that little blast at the Loot House?"
"I still have to pay the Sword Saint back for that, but I believe we should continue our short dance from before. I can't wait to see your face when I play with your entrails." Also Scary.
"As much as I would love to dance with a beautiful lady like you, It seems the dance floor is too full." Looking around I notice I'm surrounded by Mabeasts. "Let's dance another time, See ya!" I say running into the forest.
I can hear the Mabeasts chase after me as I head deeply into the forest. 'What to do now?'
The Present
'Oh right, that's what happened... Hold on why does that matter! I'm falling to my death and that's what I think about!? Is my life flashing before my eyes?!'
"Murak! Murak! MURAK!" In spite of all my casting the velocity I was going at was too fast. My fate was already sealed.
Shink*
I feel a foreign object enter through my back and out my stomach. I lay there impaled. I could feel some of my bones broken from the fall. The pain so excruciating it felt almost numbing.
'It hurts.'
With the last of my strength, I give my spirit one last mission. To check on Rem.
'Rem... I'm happy, I died saving someone else's life. Am I a hero? The "Hero of Irlam" doesn't sound so bad.' I try and chuckle but all that comes out are pained filled breaths.
'It hurts so bad.'
'I don't want to die, not again.'
'It doesn't hurt anymore.'
Ahh... I died.
To Be Continued
So the first of few deaths has happened. Don't expect it to happen too often. Don't want the Mc to be traumatized. Also while he may have died before, that doesnt mean he remembers how or if he was in pain. So he reacted about as anyone else would've, at least I tried.
I'm going to work on the next chapter soon. I'll be busy working on another story.
Spells Ren can Cast
Goa - While not shown he has practiced it a little more than before.
Fura
Shamak
El Fura - Better version of Fura
El Shamak - Better version of Shamak.
Murak - Removes the effects of gravity and makes them weightless.
Spirit Arts
Murak
Vita - Doubles the effect of gravity.
El Shamak
Shamak
Stay safe, Buh-Bye