"-Hey! Hey kid, you alright?" The voice of the appa guy broke me out of the trance I was in. The void slowly receding, releasing me back into the world. The world that has taken my life for the fourth time now.
Slack jawed, eye's unfocused, I simply rest my gaze on the merchant.
"Kid?"
I bring my hands to my neck, making sure that everything Is still connected. Running my fingers up from the base, to where my jaw sits. Nothing out of the ordinary, everything Is fine, totally, everything Is fine. My head Is still attached to my body, It's not rolling around on the floor of the destroyed loot house, the screams of terror that left the throats of my new friends are gone. Replaced by the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of the capital.
Bringing my hands in front of me, staring, simply staring, I thought we won. When Reinhard had offered to help me I'd gladly accepted, I'd led him to the loot house and wasn't expecting too much.
"Satella" then arriving at the loot house,kicking the door open ready to blast us all with her Icicles, only to see Reinhard sitting at the bar. She'd been confused, asking what the Sword Saint, the hero of the kingdom, was doing there. I was equally confused, I thought he was just some guy with a cool title.
I was proven wrong when Elsa had burst through the roof, coming extremely close to stabbing her dagger right down "Satella's" head, only to be punched straight through the one of the Loot house's wall. She had quickly charged in but when Reinhard got his hand on the sword I'd thrown at him he easily knocked her away and then went on to blow the entire Loot house up In a majestic and awesome explosion of blue light.
He had of course apologized to Old man Rom about the damage. I'd pried the insignia out of Felt's hands and handed it to "Satella'', and after she'd thanked me she told me that I could ask for anything from her. The obvious favor had been to ask for her name. Emilia she'd said. And I was so caught up with hearing her name that I'd almost failed to notice the sounds of debris exploding behind me. I'd only had a second to turn around and see Elsa charging at me before everything became blurry and my vision spun around. My head finally hitting a wall of the loot house, and giving me time to see my still standing corpse fall down beside Reinhard who had his knee on top of Elsa's back. Seeing Emilia stare at my body In shock and then switching over to my head. I only heard the screams for a brief couple seconds.
Clenching my hands, gritting my teeth. "Dammit."
"Alright kid, If you're no-"
"Dammit" I growled.
"Huh." The appa guy stares at me in confusion.
"Even with him… Even with the so-called Sword Saint. Even using four of my goddamn lives I can't beat her!" I shout. I bring my arms up above my head and slam them down on the stand In front of me. "DAMMIT!" I slam them down again. The fruit on the stand rolled out into the street "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!".
"Kid! Get the hell out of here!" The Appa guy says while grabbing my collar, finally breaking me out of my short mania.
Turning around, I'm greeted with the sight of everybody on the street staring at me in silence. The awkward atmosphere and scornful looks digging into me.
I don't need any further convincing. Already taking off through the street. Turning to and running into the nearest desolate alleyway.
"Shit shit shit!"
The reality of everything slowly crashing down on me pulls me away from reality. Four times, four times I've failed to keep my promise and survive that goddamned encounter.
Pushing my back onto the alleyway wall and slowly sliding down, I'm forced to realize the reality of the situation. Forced to solve this conundrum, the impossible situation I'm in.
I take a deep breath and let it out.
Reinhard had definitely been the key to solving this. I'd been skeptical about if he'd even be strong enough to help out. But being at the end of my rope had made me reconsider.
But now?
*sigh*
Pulling my knees to my chest, putting my head into the self-made shelter of my knees and pulling my arms up to shield me from the outside world. I can finally let it out.
"Why?..."
Yes, why? Why did it turn out this way? Why did I have to die? Why did someone always have to die? This wasn't how it was supposed to go, not even close.
Wasn't I supposed to be the hero? Wasn't I the one who was supposed to get overwhelming power so I could save the day? What was the point in bringing me here if I can't even save one single person?
My eyelids quiver, the sides of my eyes start to wetten.
"What do I do?"
*Sniff*
"What *sob* am I supposed to *sob* d-do-"
"You're supposed to hand over your shit!"
"Huh-?" Forcing myself to move my head out of the safety of the cradle I'd made, I turn to look towards that all too familiar and irritating voice.
"What? You deaf or somethin'? I said, hand over all your stuff!"
There stood Chin and his entourage, the three thugs that I've been unable to get rid of throughout these last four repeating days.
"I don't think he quite understands the position he's in Rach." The tiny one I'd named Kan said.
"Seem's we'll have to teach him bout' it" Ton let out while cracking his knuckles.
The three thugs had come to try to rob me again. The ones who'd already claimed one of my lives by now. They didn't remember any of it of course. But the frustration and anger stayed with me. They would never remember what they'd done, living in blissful unawareness, not forced to remember
As opposed to me, they were allowed to keep going about their lives, not forced to fight insurmountable odds the first day they came into this world. Being allowed to grow up in a world of magic and adventure and settling with becoming robbers and thieves.
"I've had it with you guys." I growl.
"Huh?" They all let out in confusion.
"Hey shithead, I don't know what you're going on about but you better-" Chin had started rambling on with his usual nonsense. But I was furious, these stubborn idiots had been given the chance to be born into a world that people back on Earth could only dream and fantasize about.
And you became robbers, you chose to become the most lowly of existences no more than goddamn animals, you were given time to grow strong, compared to me who only has less than a goddamn day to prepare to win against the seemingly peak of what this world has to offer.
Jumping up from my position I sprint towards Chin.
"You ungrateful fucks!" I shout, letting out all of my frustrations and anger at these poor guys.
"RAAGH" Like an animal I let my vocal cords rip throughout the alleyway as I throw my first punch at Chin's jaw.
*BAM*
The punch connects and dull pain goes through my hand and up my arm, but in my rage I barely register it.
Chin flies backwards, his body twisting and landing on his stomach, his face hitting the cobblestone while Kan and Ton freeze in a daze. I turn towards the biggest guy in the group and throw my second punch straight at his nose, seamlessly connecting with his face and forcing him to fall back while clutching his face with his hands.
Ignoring Kan, I run toward the downed Chin, lifting his shirt so I can get access to his back. There I find the short sword he'd accidentally killed with me in a not so distant loop, stuffed into his pants. Pulling it out and turning to Kan with sword in hand and pointing it haphazardly in his way, I see him finally break out of the daze he'd been in as he starts to register his surroundings.
"You tiny little shit! Get out of here before I gut you!" I scream in my animalistic rage.
Kan doesn't need any further words of encouragement, shouting at Ton to get his act together and run away.
They ran as fast as they could out of the alleyway, abandoning their unconscious comrade with me. Waiting until their hurried footsteps are lost to distance, I let myself kneel down in front of Chin to inspect the damage and grab him by his hair, lifting up his head reveals his closed eyelids, bruised jaw, and nosebleed he'd most likely gotten from hitting ground.
Taking a deep breath, I gently let his head down again to the ground, putting the sword into the back of my pants, same as Chin had done, and slowly rolled his body over to his back.
The catharsis of the fight had finally started calming me down. Panting, I start to realize that I'd completely lost my cool, just a little bit more and I would have probably crossed that line.
"Shit…"
Backing up until hitting the hard stone surface of the wall behind me I slowly slid down once again.
"I'm…"
Gonna die…
The inevitability of death, of the pain, of seeing my intestines get ripped out of me after being forced to see the people who I've gotten to know die right in front of me.
"I don't wanna."
I don't want to die.
"I don't want to fight."
I don't want to fail.
The emotions that had been postponed due to the untimely encounter with the thugs were finally allowed to rush forth. The fear, the anger, the sadness, the pain.
I don't want to fight just to fail. I want to be strong but I'm not. I don't want to try if there's no point in trying.
If I call for Reinhard then I can just leave it to him. Tell him that the bowel hunter is going to show up at the loot house and run away. I'll survive, he can handle it. Everybody else in the loot house would be able to react in time to Elsa rushing at them. And then Reinhard would stop them.
But I can't leave it to him.
I want to be with her. I want to help her, as she helped me. As she selflessly saved me from the thug trio. Demanding nothing after she scared them off and healed me, trying to get me to leave her. Trying to insist that I owed her nothing.
That selflessness has to be preserved. And I want to be the one to keep it safe. I want to be by her side. Calling for Reinhard would only mean that I give up the right to stand with her. That I'm not strong enough to protect her. If I'm not strong enough to protect her then why would or should she let me accompany her?
I would just fall back to my old ways. I would just be indulging my sloth, same as I did in my previous world, nothing would change except where I did it. I would just be a burden again leeching off the goodwill of those around me. Instead of leeching off my parents I would just be leeching off Emilia and her all too good heart.
How could I ever expect to be allowed to live beside her if I don't work to be allowed that privilege. My parents only let me wallow in self pity in my room because they were forced to due to their responsibilities as the ones who made me.
Thinking about it now. They would have probably kicked me out the day I turned Eighteen. Probably trying their hardest to make sure I picked myself up before that.
But after that? It wouldn't be their problem anymore. My selfishness would have led me to getting kicked out, and it couldn't have even been blamed on them. It would have only been a matter of time.
Time.
I had all the time in the world back there. And now I'm here in a situation that I can't solve due to my lack of time. How ironic, fate is basically giving me the middle finger right now. Forcing me to make a choice on whether to let somebody else take care of my problem, removing my chance at being with Emilia. Or trying to solve it myself and dying.
A joke.
It's just a cruel joke.
Dangling what I want before my eyes, a beautiful and nice girl, showing me that my sloth will inevitably lead to the death of Rom, Felt, and Emilia. And then showing the person that's the complete opposite of me.
Reinhard, the Hero. Fate shows me what I want, then shows me that I can't have it, and then finishes by showing me what I could have had if I had lived differently.
Nobody reaches Reinhard's level of strength without a reason. It's obvious how he'd lived his life, It had been like mine. Trying to live up to the expectations of our families and those around us.
He had the title of sword saint to live up to, whatever that means. And I had to live up to the reputation of my dad. It's almost funny, the expectations on Reinhard could only have been enormously heavier than mine, he'd said it himself. "Everyday, I feel I'll be crushed by their expectations." And he had still been able to do it.
Reinhard has been diligent, and I have been sloth. And that's why I'm the one sitting against this stone wall, in this dusty alleyway next to the person I have just assaulted. While Reinhard is out in the light as the Hero.
He didn't hole himself up in his room and refuse to work, study and train just because he was afraid of possibly not reaching those expectations. He did all those things and they had paid off.
Seem's reality has finally caught up with me. Fate laughs at me as I sit here and cry about my own inaction. Wasting time and risking the death of others because I'm too selfish to accept that I can't have what I want without having worked for it.
*sob*
Finally unable to hold it all in. I let the tears flow.
—
"It's alright! Don't cry, I'm just trying to help."
Once again, even when trying to do good, my appearance gets in my way. This silver hair, these ears, these eyes, they all just keep getting in my way. This little girl who'd seemed so nervous and anxious on the side of the road had completely forgotten about those feelings when she saw me. Her feelings turning to sheer terror and fear when faced with my features.
Still in the process of searching for my stolen insignia, I'd spotted the little girl, I had to help her, of course I did, if not me then who else? I couldn't risk letting the responsibility fall to anyone else. She may not get any help at all if I did that. Even worse, someone devious could have come to "help" her instead.
So the thought of having to let go of the search hadn't hampered me at all. But my appearance has once again come to torment me.
"It's okay Lia, maybe you could just let someone else do it for now? We still have to get your insignia back y'know?" Puck's voice comes through the contract, trying to convince me to let things be.
"You know I can't do that Puck. The insignia is important, but if I let up now then I'm no better than her." The despise and emphasis on the last word not going unnoticed by the spirit.
"I have to prove to everyone that I'm nothing like her."
"Lia, you will be able to prove that once you win the royal selection. You don't have to try to prove anything to anyone right now. And If you lose the insignia then you may lose the chance to prove it at all, not that you have to prove anything in any case." Puck says sagely.
Puck can be a right dunderhead sometimes. I understand what he means but…
"I do have to prove it, Puck. Or else I won't ever make any friends. And I'm not gonna prove it just by winning the selection, I'm gonna prove it like I'm doing right now. Here in my daily life. And good deeds do eventually come around to help out. This time as well, I'm sure of it."
"Though.. I am going to have to solve this situation soon.."
Turning around to see a small crowd start to form. I feel a cold sweat go down my back from the cold glares aimed at me.
The crying of the little girl had started to draw the attention of the passer-bys who instantly noticed my peculiar features.
"Hey! Stop terrorizing the little girl you devil!"
It didn't take them too long to start their witch hunting.
"Yeah, let her go!"
"You gonna eat her or something?!"
"Witch!"
"Filthy half-de-!"
But a confident and playful voice cuts through mean remarks of the crowd surrounding her.
"-What I have here is a ridged ten yen coin!"
—
The rumbling of the carriages cut through the bubble I'd constructed around my mind. Having forced myself to act after coming to terms with the reality of my situation.
Time wouldn't stand still for me, and accordingly, the events that were going to take place. Pushing my consciousness into the back my head had been the only thing that allowed me to move, just so I could get some reprieve from the thoughts assailing me.
The fear of having to go up against Elsa had only become more and more relentless in its quest to stop me from acting. Each second that ticked by was one second less of this life. One less second from which I was safe from Elsa, one second less from excruciating death.
Pushing my consciousness back had certainly helped in the short term, having given me the ability to keep moving, keep moving where?
I had no destination in mind. Slowly stumbling through the bustling main street filled with carriages, where I'd first made a fool of myself by making a pose and trying to use magic to save that child in the first loop.
If I'd had time then I could have probably learned to use magic, but I wasn't going to get that opportunity, was I?
Turning off the main road to the market streets, I saw a gathering off to the side of the street.
"-you devil!"
I could only let out a dumb "huh?" while hearing the shout. Narrowing my eyes allows me to get a good look at the bystanders. A plethora of emotions shown on each face. Most prominently is fear on the less statured people, mostly the stray women or children who kept themselves to the back. The emotions morphing between people the closer my gaze comes to the target of the remarks.
At the middle point of the crowd the emotions are closer to anxiousness and mild irritation. But at the very front, where the biggest people of the crowd are, I see anger.
Pushing forward I start to slowly but surely understand the situation.
"You gonna eat her or something?!"
Completely idiotic questions aimed at a person who could never do something like that. Someone actively trying to do good, but who is being hindered.
Slowly pushing my way through the crowd, I open my wallet in preparation.
"Witch!"
Almost to the front now, I pull out a coin from the wallet.
"Filthy half-de-" Cutting off the next remark I reach my hand forward towards the crying little girl.
—
"Did you notice anything weird from this boy, Puck?" I whisper while waving towards the leaving pair of Plum and her mother.
Puck seemed to think it over for a while before answering.
"Other than that he's carefree, no, not really Lia." He answered with a bit of hesitation before continuing on.
"Although, he does have some sort of attachment to you, if I'm judging his emotions correctly each time he looks your way." My spirit says with a bit of contempt.
"Attachment?!" I accidentally blurt out, getting the boy's attention.
"Were you saying something?" The mean eyed boy asked me with curiosity in his tone, his full gaze directed at me, like a Wolgarm waiting for an opportunity to pounce on its prey.
Flustered, I hurriedly let out "Oh! Um, nothing…" Before attempting to cover up my mistake.
"Actually…" I think it over for a bit.
"Hm?" The boy let out with renewed interest.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me back there… I don't know if I would have been able to help that girl myself becau-*ahem* Well, anyways, thank you!" I bow while I say my thanks.
The boy seemed to light up like a light bulb at the appreciation.
"Ah! No problemo! Really. I just saw things getting heated and thought that I had to help a pretty girl out." The boy said while adorning a grin across his face.
I feel my cheeks heat up a bit at the remark. "Y-you dunderhead! You can't just say things like that out of nowhere!"
The boy giggled for a bit. A small smile stays on his face while responding. "Who even says dunderhead in this day and age?"
We giggle for a while after that before getting cut off by the specks of light that appear as Puck materializes.
"You better watch who you're hitting on there mister! Especially with the girl's father nearby!" Puck says teasingly.
"With the father here I'll have an easier time earning his blessing, so I don't think It's too bad." The boy said with another grin crossing his face.
Pucks' eyes narrow a bit at that statement. "I wouldn't be so sure, kid." Puck says condescendingly.
The boy scratches the back of his neck and closes his eyes at the retort. "Yeah.. Well I'll still have to try…" His previous cheerful demeanor taking a turn.
I shouldn't burden him any more than I've already done…
"Well. Thank you for everything, but I have something I need to do right now.. Sooooo."
The boy jumped a bit and started waving his hands around at that. "Wait wait! Maybe I could help if you're having any troubles right now!"
Does he know? "No, it's fine! You've already done more than enough! Although… You wouldn't happen to know anything about a blond haired thief would you?"
The boy perked up at that. "I do actually! Did she steal anything from you?"
My eyes widen in surprise at the boy actually knowing who I'm referring to. "Yes! Would you happen to know where I can find this person?"
The boy seemed to waiver a bit. "Um.. Yes actually.. But it could be really dangerous.. Is the item actually that important to you?" He said cautiously
Why does he seem so… Afraid? "It is. It's sort of like my lifeline right now.."
The boy narrowed his eyes and seemed to fall into thought letting his features loosen a bit. "Well I guess it can't be helped." He said while letting out a heavy sigh and shrugging a bit. '
—
"Soooooo how long until we reach this person Subaru?" I heard Emilia say in a suspicious tone.
Turning to her I just responded with a short "Soon" before turning back to the road ahead.
I'd been leading us around the capital aimlessly for at least more than a couple hours now. Time inevitably ticking down, the nagging feelings of fear and anxiety slowly heightening within me throughout our walk.
A pointless action.
Emilia had placed her trust in me to find Felt. No doubts in my mind that she had confirmed with Puck if my statements about knowing where she was were true. It didn't bother me at all. I did come out of the blue, helping her with Plum and then saying that I would help her with this entire other matter.
And while I did know. It didn't mean that I was actually gonna lead them there. At least not the fastest way possible. Trying pointlessly to drag out time so I could enjoy this peace for a little longer. To enjoy her company, to not have to think about what was to happen in the loot house.
I knew it was only a matter of time until Emilia and Puck would demand that I stop dilly-dallying and actually lead them there. Puck would no doubt threaten me bodily harm to make me lead them there or give up the location judging by what I've seen from his personality from the little time I've spent with him. Whether he would actually go through with it was something I wouldn't want to actually confirm in any case.
After I'd told them that I could help, we'd quickly exchanged names at my request, Emilia following the actions of what her counterpart in the first loop had done and given the false name "Satella". It didn't bother me as much now since I actually knew her name and had just this loop started putting together the puzzle pieces as to the reasons why she had given the false moniker.
Something was definitely up with Emilia. The reactions of the people around her only led me to think that she may have made a very big and bad mistake in the past to ruin her reputation, since there was no chance at all that she would have done anything bad intentionally.
What that mistake could have been was beyond me. Something so bad that she would be verbally assaulted by so many random bystanders while only trying to help a child. She did also seem to have some sort of higher status considering how Reinhard had acted and addressed her in the last loop at the loot house.
Maybe she was the daughter of some noble and had mismanaged something within her domain and made a mistake so bad that she lost all the trust of her people and gained their ire. Something so bad that her reputation followed her to the capital.
In any case.
Stumbling onto that scene of everybody verbally attacking her out had been extremely confusing at first. Remembering the brooch from the last loop had been enough evidence to that she had succeeded even without my timely intervention. How she had done it could only be down to two options.
Either that scene had happened and she had simply taken the verbal attacks and eventually broken through to Plum.
Or my actions this loop affected her through an extreme case of the butterfly effect.
Destroying Kadomons stand and beating the crap out of the thugs had been my only major actions in this loop. And beating the thugs up couldn't possibly be the reason as to why she was being verbally assaulted.
And me destroying Kadomons stand could only have affected Plum in some way if she were actually there.
Which meant that Emilia being verbally harassed was a constant, a constant only I could change.
The thought that I actually had some sort of impact on the things around me brought a melancholic smile to my face
Some change at least… But not the changes I need to be able to do.
The silver-bell like voice finally pulled me out of my head.
"Ok Subaru! Are you actually going to bring me to where that thief is or are you just wasting my time?!" She said in a harsh tone.
Wincing a bit, I turned around to face Emilia who had stopped in her tracks to confront me. Her beautiful eyes conveying her irritation very clearly to me. Turning my gaze upwards I saw that the sky was very close to darkening. The dark sky started to veil over us as the sun set in the distance.
I had successfully dragged out the time to the last minute. I finally took notice of a couple things.
Emilia had never had this tone or facial expressions towards me. And they hurt deeply. I had taken advantage of her trusting nature again.
But more importantly.
Puck was gone.
Which meant that two different things had happened.
Our, most likely, strongest combatant was gone. And…
The floor of the loot house was covered in the blood and gore of Felt and Rom's bodies.
A sight I hoped to never see again went through my mind. Puck dematerializing due to running out of time, opening the door to the loot house, and seeing my guts spilling out alongside Emilia.
Doing my best to keep my bile down, I tried to make the best reassuring face I could.
"W-we're almost there, I'm sorry it's taken this long. But I promise we're almost there."
I almost fail to notice Emilia's ears twitch at the word "promise". She pulls her hand up and clenches it in front of her face, covering her mouth. Her eyes glance at me and then away a couple of times.
"Well, this is your last chance, I reaaaaally need to get my insignia back. If you don't want to lead me to where it is then you can just tell me where to go!"
I start to slightly panic at that. Throwing my arms around I try to convince her again and letting out a harsh "No!".
Emilia, a bit bewildered now, just waits for me to keep explaining.
"I mean, sorry, but I promise, again, that we are almost there!"
Emilia's expressions seem to soften now to her usual levels.
"Ok fine, but I have a person waiting for me, so let's hurry up and get this over with…"
A person waiting for her? Who?
"Yes, let's."
—
The slums area was covered in almost pitch black darkness now. We have arrived much much later than we originally should have, even later compared to the first loop when I held Emilia back throughout our search.
I'm still a bit surprised that she still hasn't parted with me yet. She is definitely at the limit of her trusting nature, which seems to be the most out of any person I've met yet.
The slums area was even more nerve-wracking now than in any previous loop. The inhabitants having gone to whatever residencies they have, leaving the area eerily quiet, the only noise we can register being the dirt and gravel crunching under us.
Something I had yet to think about until now was that exact same quiet. We are supposedly in the capital of the country, but even then It's deathly quiet. A very new thing for me.
The usual distant sounds of running cars being non-existent, the sounds of passing passenger planes, trains, alarms, anything from my past world really, was gone.
It invoked a sort of peace within my mind. And it made sense, the realization that my past world was incredibly loud was something I could only notice now after having dragged out the time this much.
A few more moments of peace before the raging storm that was Elsa allowed me this moment of clarity.
And even though I know the storm is fast approaching, I can't let the thought go. The quiet, the peace, things that I shouldn't be capable of feeling at this moment considering what was to come, but still felt. It let me relax.
And the bubble around my mind finally popped.
This loop has already failed. Felt and Rom were dead, Puck is gone for the night, Emilia is extremely distrustful, and Reinhard isn't here to save the day.
But…
Looking at Emilia injected the feelings that I'd lost this loop back into me. The reason why I still bother to stick around this nightmare.
The promise.
"I'll definitely save you."
"Did you say something?"
Emilia's apprehensive eyes met mine. I must have said that out lout.
"O-oh.. Nothing, sorry, I just had a realization."
"What realization?" She said warily.
I scanned my surroundings for anything I could use, and found the perfect excuse. I pointed at the house in front of us.
"We've reached the loot house."
—
Walking up to the door of the loot house was almost as hard as walking knee deep in mud. Forcing myself to trudge forward with Emilia in tow while trying to keep myself composed enough for her not to start questioning me.
Coming here willingly again even while knowing the consequences of dragging out time and what it will inevitably lead to must have been one of the worst decisions I've made up until this loop. We have even less of a chance of survival with Felt and Rom dead and unable to help.
Sloth, there it is again. Enacting my sloth yet again has led me to these unwinnable conditions. By needlessly dragging out time I've willingly led us into a situation that will inevitably lead to our excruciating deaths.
I thought things would change by coming to this world. That I got a second chance at life and would finally be able to shed my sloth so I could become the best version of myself.
Chance.
Another chance huh. I guess that-
The silverbell-like voice cuts through my thinking like a hot knife through butter. "Is everything okay? Why did you stop?" Emilia asks, her voice now at the peak of her suspiciousness.
"Oh nothing really. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
How should I explain this? "I did mean what I said about this maybe being dangerous y'know. Are you really really sure that this insignia is worth the danger?"
Emilia furrows her eyes and brows. "I can handle myself if it comes down to it. And I reaaaallly need to get my insignia back, no matter what…" She says. The last part going into a whisper.
I sigh. "Fine." I let out half-heartedly. These really are not the best win conditions for us. Felt and Rom are one thing to not have with us, but not having Puck? That might as well be a death sentence.
"I'll go in first and check that it's safe. That okay with you Emilia?" It takes a few moments for me to realize what I had just accidentally blurted out. Emilia jumped back a couple meters from me, putting her arms out in front of herself and summoning her icicles.
"How did you know my name?! I said my name was Satella! Did you plan to drag time out so Puck wouldn't be here to help stop whatever scheme you made up?! Were you the one who planned to have my insignia stolen?!" Emilia rattles off her accusations. Her eyes brimming with anger. She pauses only for a moment before truly letting her anger out.. And something else…"
"I should have known that you were up to no good! Nobody would ever willingly help me out without some secret-" She tries to keep going before I cut her off.
"No! I swear that it's nothing like that! I didn't plan anythi-!" I'm barely given the time to defend myself as a black figure wizzes by me and towards Emilia. "WATCH OU-!"
Blood.
Emilia's shocked face and her blood fills my vision. I see her look down to see the blood sprawled out on the ground in front of her and the blood filling the front of her clothes. Her entrails flowing out of her stomach and hitting the ground with an audible "squelch" sound is all that we are able to process. She doubles over and screams. "AAAOWWW" Her throat gets clogged with her own blood and she promptly falls to her knees and arms and tries to cough out the blood.
This only worsens her condition, her positioning allowing the rest of whatever's left in her stomach to fall out onto the ground. "Awk-awk" Are the only sounds that leave her throat along with the blood. In a last act of self preservation, I see her try to pull her entrails back into herself, grabbing the dirt covered intestines and stuffing them into herself.
She doesn't get the chance to try for long though, as I see the figure step forward towards Emilia and then raising it's blade in the air, the moonlight shining off it before I hear a "shing" sound reverberate through the air and then the dull thud of Emilia's head hitting the ground.
My body had been stuck in the same position throughout the whole execution. But the sound of her head hitting the ground is enough for me to fall to my knees before doubling over and puking. "Awk, gah 'cough cough'" Is all that fills the air before her voice interrupts my heaving and gagging.
"That wasn't any fun now was it? No fight at all in that girl, although I do have to appreciate you making my mission easier young boy~" Elsa's seductive voice rings out.
"But it does petrube me as to why she almost started to fight you. Did mama also send you?" Elsa asks inquisitively.
"W-who's-I mea-" Elsa's leg flickers and my vision distorts as I hit the wall of the loot house. An audible "crack" rings out as my back and skull break against the wall. I slowly try to reorient myself , white spots cover my vision, I feel something warm run down my head, slowly creeping down it and reaching my eyes.
My vision reddens when the liquid comes into them. "Cough, cough, ow, shit…" This is it, isn't it? I was barely hanging onto my consciousness, My head hurt so badly, the pain… The pain of losing her, the pain of being weak, the pain of knowing I'm gonna lose her. It hurt so badly.
"You didn't die just from that right? I couldn't risk keeping that girl alive while going through her bowels, so you will have to do this time." her eyes narrow before she continues on.
"Though I can't say that it will be too fun, considering how pathetic and vile you are." She scoffs.
My eyes flutter open at that. "You fuckin-auugh!" Elsa's foot presses into my stomach, she twists her foot further in as she continues speaking.
"Oh my, were you gonna talk back to me? Perhaps you didn't like me telling you the truth about yourself? Did I hurt your manly pride? Please continue squirming for me, I like it better when you try to fight back~"
Her heel dug further and further into my stomach, I tried to force my body to move, only to realize that I was basically paralyzed. "Wha-t g-gives.. Yo-u the r-right to ta-lk dow-n to.. Me! You BITCH!"
My anger was boiling over, who was this disgusting woman to talk down to me?! Gritting my teeth and mustering up all the energy I could, I raised my gaze towards her cold eyes and tried to put on my most scary face as possible, I roared out my hate.
"You fucking bitch! I may be weak! But at least I'm not the one going around gutting people like a goddamn maniac! If I had some goddamn time then I swear I could send you down to hell myself!"
I'm panting now, very sure that my rage has been understood, but… I see her expression changing, a small smile now adorns her face, she puts a hand under my chin and leans her face closer to mine before answering my outburst.
"I'm very sure that you could do it, with that expression I'm able to judge that with your conviction you could have done it~"
"But."
She leans even closer to me now, our lips almost touching, her eyes filling up my vision.
"You said it yourself, if you'd had more time."
She licks her lips.
"Which you don't~" She finally says.
Burning, searing, tearing, ravaging, torturous pain spreads from my stomach.
"AAAUUUGH-" I scream in pain. I try to pull my arm to my stomach, but my physical condition doesn't allow it, not that it would have mattered if I'd been able to.
Elsa's free hand reached up to the cut she'd made, it wasn't as big a cut as she'd made to Emilia, but big and deep enough to allow her access to my bowels. Blood was flowing from my open wound, but not as much as my previous deaths.
"You know… My previous victims weren't very fun to pick through, and I didn't even get a chance to pick through that girl you were with… But your gaze has definitely ignited something in me. So…" She trailed off, before her eyes seemed to flare up with passion.
"You'll have to entertain me for a while instead~"
She finally stuck a finger inside the hole she'd made in me. Poking around my intestines and taking care in feeling up each little tiny bit of detail.
"Auugh shi-iit, stop! Fuu-aauugh!" I vehemently tried to plead with her, the pain, weakness, and blood filling up my throat working against me and my efforts.
"But we have barely just started haven't we? But you have lost some of that passion by now… How boring." She let out icily before sticking another finger in to prod my insides.
It was agonizing, the last time she'd dug around in my guts it had been way more fast and violent, but she was taking care to not let me fade away too fast this time around, the quick death's I'd had previously had been excruciating but they were, atleast, quick. Quick enough that I'd been able to reset fast enough to escape the pain.
She was imprinting the pain on me. But she was unintentionally imprinting something else.
Rage.
"There it is again, that wonderful gaze~ I wonder how long you can hold out like this~"
I could feel her brushing her fingers over one of the tubes inside me, something that should have been alien to me but which I'd already felt her do before. It wasn't like I'd gotten used to it, far from it. But the reality of the situation was that she had gotten the chance to do this two times now, and I had to experience it both times.
The rage filled me again, she was toying with me, me! If only I had more time then I could poke stab skewer eviscerate this bitch. But here I was, back to square one.
It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts.
She threw subtlety out the window and finally stuck her entire hand inside, wedging it into the hole, opening it up, the skin tearing at the side and wringing out even more pain than before.
She grabbed the nearest tube and squeezed. The pain flaring up and becoming even more excruciating than before. She shattered what hope I had of the pain not increasing by slowly dragging out the tube from my stomach.
"What lovely colors you have~" She says before licking her lips. "I'm surprised you haven't given up yet."
Given up? I try my best to raise my eyes up to hers, but I can't, it hurts too much, and the blood from my head wound had almost completely glued my eyes over by now. My ears were ringing, my senses were starting to shut off.
So cold, It's so goddamn cold…
"So warm~ Your weak guts are so warm~ I'm surprised such weak pathetic guts are able to be so warm you know?"
Weak.
Sloth.
Time.
Hero…
"That's enough!" His voice covers the area. Here he is again.
"You must be-" Elsa gets cut off as her focus turns towards the new arrival.
"It seems I was too late."
Hero.
"Seems this night has only just started~"
I'm weak.
"Considering the way you've killed these people… You must be the Bowel Hunter."
If only I wasn't so slothful.
"You are quite right."
If I had more time.
"Then in the name of the kingdom, and for the people you've hurt, I will be forced to vanquish you."
Then I could be the Hero.
"Reinhard Van Astrea, the Sword Saint."
But.
"Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter."
I do have time.
The fierce blue light pushes through my blood filled eyes.
Because.
The light starts to vaporize me.
I can Return By Death.
