Re: A half-Elfs Journey

by ned4

Sometimes the burden cannot be held by one person. No matter how strong your will and conviction sometimes its simply to much for just one. Return by Death... a blessing and curse. No longer will the world force a single boy to go down a cascade of life changing decisions and torture all on his own. That responsibility will be given to another.

2. Ch 2-It's all my Fault

Current Area:

Capital of Luginica

Total Deaths:

1

"Huh?"

Subaru did a double take. It was as if she just completely ignored what he said prior. It was becoming abundantly clear that something happened to her between him introducing himself and her likely about to do the same but he wasn't having it. He made a promise to himself that he'd help this girl to start off his isekai adventure and he sure as hell isn't stopping now.

"Look what part of "I'm not leaving till I get your insignia back' don't you understand!?" He says while pointing dramatically at them.

"I get that were basically strangers and all but a man never goes back on his word! My dad would have me in a choke hold if he found out I left a beautiful girl scavenger hunting all on her ow- oi where are you going!"

His words landed on deft ears as the girl he was ranting to immediately darted into the other direction. If she were any other girl subaru could've caught up to her with relative ease however her elven strength had other ideas. By the time he took off after her she was already more than 50 yards away from him.

"*pant* how the hell *pant* is she so fast!?"

Despite the distance, the half elf was still running full throttle for nearly 20 minutes. Out of breath and about to collapse due to exhaustion, she immediately took a knee near an abandoned workshop.

"Lia I uh"

Puck had a million questions ever since she broke down out of no where.

'WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?' 'DID THAT BOY DO THIS !?' 'ARE YOUR MEMORIES COMING BACK!?'

Yet the only thing he could muster was those 3 words. Still it was enough for the Half-elf to finally notice her father figure and more than enough for the dam to break once more as she began to ball into her hands again.

"*sob* PUCK I-IT WAS SOOOO SCARY *sniff* H-HE GOT HURT BECAUSE OF ME!"

This only confused the great spirt further. It sounded as if that boy was connected to her past somehow but thats impossible.

'This doesn't make any sense. If the boy was someone from her past then it would've had to have been when I was contracted with her. Humans don't live longer than a century. Of course there are loopholes like those wretched cultists and L. Mathers but those are exceptional cases. There were slight traces of miasma on the boy but that could be a plethora of reasons and none of them explain why Lia is acting like this. Regardless he clearly had an effect on her so until I figure whats going on it's best if I be none specific with my questions.'

"Alright take deeeeep breaths, in and out. Now I'm kinda out of the loop here so if you can tell me why you ran off all of a sudden I'd appreciate it."

Her mind started to cool down from the initial shock but that only further cemented how real it all felt. Images of his face contorted in pain and determination, her choking on her own blood, that evil assassin's dagger, the numbness in her stomach, the warmth from Subarus hand. All these memories kept shuffling through her head as she looked down at her feet wishing the world would just swallow her whole right then and there.

After what felt like hours but was only a couple of seconds, she finally looked up towards the floating cat. Anxiety and worry were at the fore front of both of there minds with the girl finally letting out the words that have been plaguing her for half an hour.

"Puck I-well me and Subaru we... *inhale* *exhale* look I know this sounds suuuuper weird but..."

"I saw Subaru d-di-"

Before she could get out the last of her sentence time seemed to have stopped altogether.

'W-WHATS GOING ON!?'

She tried to say these words out loud but she was completely immobile and at the mercy of whatever entity that caused this. As she struggled to fight back control over her body, a black shadowy hand came charging at her seemingly with the intent to kill.

Terrified of the implications, she tried to close her eyes in hopes that whatever this dark and ominous appendage had in store would be quick but right when the shadow was inches away, it stopped. It then proceeded to slowly approach her and placed one of it's eerie fingers on her lips in a shushing manner and suddenly darted off to the direction she was running from. Everything was still for approximately 30 seconds until she felt something 'snap' in her chest. It didn't hurt by any means, rather it felt like something was torn from her. It was a presence she had no recollection of but immediately noticed that is was no longer there. Before she could even began to comprehend what just happened, time began to move again, causing the girl to suffer mild nausea from how abrupt it all was.

Her body felt like lead while her vision was seeing three things at once. She winced in pain against the nearby wall and clutched her head in order to regain her senses. Once she was able to collect herself she breath a sigh of relief due to that "thing" not doing any real harm to her. Still the way it dashed towards the direction she came from left her wary to say the least.

"Lia whats wrong?! Talk to me!" The spirt asked in more panicked but authortive tone. He went down to her level and pressed his paw against her forward in order to perform a diagnostic. Not finding anything out of the ordinary, he looked directly into the eyes of his contractor in hopes that she could tell him what's wrong.

"He...He"

She tried to get the words out but the weight of them felt like dumbbells crushing her throat every time she tried to say it.

"He...P-Puck I promise I'll tell you everything later but right now we need to get my insignia back"

'And hopefully save that little girl as well'

Puck was a little shocked that she tried to divert his question but then sighed as she was right about the insignia being there main concern right now. It both pleased and bothered him that she was being so focused on the task at hand all of a sudden.

"Alright...your right but were kinda back at square one yknow. We don't know what the thief looks like aside from her height and yellow hair."

The Half-elf looked at him perplexed but then immediately realized that the information she gained would cut there search time by a tenth due to her already knowing there base of operations. She had mixed emotions, at the very least, of going back to that horrible place but atleast this time she would see the assassin coming, that dagger was burned into her mind and the moment she sees it she'll have her killer.

"I think our best bet is to head towards the slums. She looked to be a child so she's probably stealing out of necessity rather than malicious intent" She explained matter of factly

Pucks eyes widened at this reason of thinking as a slight amount of shame crossed his mind that he didnt come to this conclusion himself much earlier

"That those narrow down our search quite a bit, honestly I'm suprised I didn't think of it myself"

Puck continued

"Still we should move quickly. we're not exactly short on time but I'd rather get this done before she suspects we've caught onto her plus we still don't know where she's hiding out."

'I already have one of those issues resolved but I can't exactly tell him how I know where they are without having to further explain myself. I'm not even sure if what I saw was a vision or some sort of illusion but I know once I make it to that building I'll have all my answers. For now I'll have to feign ignorance and call upon the spirits once more as a probable cause. I don't like keeping things from him but I reeeeally want to get this over with before I tell him all this, Od knows it'll be a LENGTHY explanation.'

"All right then let's head out, we'll use the spirits to guide our path rather than ask people, we don't want to let her know she's being followed "

The Half-elf commented as she began to walk towards the slums.

"Smart move but are you sure your not just using that as an excuse to avoid socializing? Not that I mind being the only one you want to talk with hehe."

The floating feline snickered as he moved side to side, imitating the image of a love stricken maiden.

"C-Can you stop!? Jeez luweaz I'm trying to be serious here!"

Despite the look of embarrassment on her face, a smile finally graced her lips due to her father's shenanigans. Puck noticed it and gave a slight sigh of relief that his daughter was feeling slightly better.

"Yes yes your majesty. Now then, ONWARD!"

Puck said the last word with a cute shout and his right paw pumping the air.

"O-ONWARD!?"

The Half-elf followed his lead albeit with clear hesitation on her end. She pumped her fist into the beaming sun with newfound conviction, ready to challenge whatever adversities laid in her path.

An hour had passed after walking and regularly conversing with the spirits. Puck and the Half-elf were now nearing the door that spelled her doom a little over an hour ago. Each step she took increased her anxiety further and further.

'Come to think of it, I've sort of been acting on impulse since that moment. Rationally speaking, wouldn't it make more sense to avoid this place and come by the nex-'

flashes of the blooded yellow haired girl came into her mind before she could finish her thought.

'No... I-It only makes sense that we go now. After all that thief might've already sold it by now and I won't know where it is if she's...Od help me I hope I'm not too late"

She finished her thought while lifting her enchanted cloak on the off chance that whoever was behind that door was expecting her.

*knock knock knock*

"For a rat?"

"Im sorry?" the girl said in an attempt to grasp the situation.

"Piss off lil lady." The heavy voice said as he edged away from the door.

The silver haired girl immediately conjured a frozen 2-handed hammer and smashed it into the door, causing large chuncks of wood and debree to swirl around the inside of the building!

"Don't you think that was a little extreme Lia?" Said the great spirt looking over the now smashed in hole that used to be a door.

"You're right I just... I just reeeeally want to get this over with"

'Wha dya' mean by that missy?" The main said with a lace of venom and caution as he moved his left arm for presumably a weapon.

"W-WAIT! I don't mean to cause any trouble I'm just looking for a yellow haired girl, she could be in danger!" The Half-elf exclaimed while putting her hands infront of her as a sign of none aggression.

'Danger?'

'Danger!?'

The great spirt and the giant of a man had the same thought although for entirely different reasons.

"Hold on hold on, did this girl steal something from you?" The giant asked as he grabbed his head in both confusion and worry.

"Well yes bu-"

"So I'm guessin' your pretty important considering ya got that strange cloak on? Which also means Felts got herself caught into something serious right?"

'Felt? So that's her name then.'

"Yes so if you could point me to her I'd be most grate-"

"Hold on"

The man interrupted again.

"Before I tell ya anything I need to know EXACTLY what sort of danger she's in."

'I don't like how this old man keeps interrupting my daughter but he's right. I thought we were just getting your insignia back Lia? Never mind how you know all this but why are we concerned about some rotten thief in the first place?'

"I"

The girl's face was hidden so neither of them could see the panic in her eyes once the old man said that.

'This is bad. Really really really bad! I can't tell them about the assassin because I don't know if she'll appear again or what she even looks like aside from that dagger. I could tell them I had a vis- no that's still a theory at best and some weird illusion at worst. Besides after that "thing" touched me for speaking about Subaru's... I'd better not risk it coming back and causing even more confusion. I reeeeally wish Puck could help me out here, I've never been good at telling lies. Actually... maybe I don't have to lie at all?'

*inhale* *exhale*

"That girl stole an insignia that belongs to a royal candidate."

...

...

...

"You've gotta be shitten me."

The old man grabbed his face in frustration.

=1 hour earlier=

'Damn it, damn it, damn it how did this go so wrong so fast!?'

Subaru was still running towards the last place he saw the silver haired beauty in hopes that he can figure out why she ran from him all of a sudden.

'Was it something I said? Normally when a guy gets isekai'd the main heroine doesn't just run off when you introduce yourself. Granted I'm not exactly an 11/10, armed to the teeth, war machine of a man but still this is isekai 101! This is a seriously weird tutori-!?'

Subaru's thoughts were interrupted as he bumped into someone that was more akin to a fortress than a single man.

The red haired man immediately got to one knee and extended his hand.

"My apologies young man. Had I'd known you didn't see me coming I would've gotten out of your way, you seem to be in quite the hurry"

The red head spoke in an melancholic yet clear voice, indicating sincerity in his intent. Subaru grabbed his hand and looked him in the eyes for a split second only to immediately look away from guilt due to how pure and apologetic they looked.

'geez this dudes nice guy index is off the charts. I'm the one that got landed on my ass but it looks like he got hurt more than me.'

"Nah its fine, I wasn't exactly looking both ways there but man your something else! I was running full speed and you didn't even flinch when i crashed into you, the knights here are no joke!"

The boy spoke with increasing passion as he looked the man up and down in pure awe. Subaru had high expectations for the knights in this fantasy world and this man seemed to meet them all in spades.

"It's not fair to compare me to other knights, however I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless."

Subaru was a bit perplexed at his choice of words but immediately brushed it aside as a light bulb went off in his head with this potential new card to play.

'The lady did say to head to the knights barracks but this man seems like the next best thing. I don't know what his rank is but if that crazy looking sword is anything to go off of then catching a thief should be a cinch for him!'

"Hey I'm sorry to throw this on you all of the sudden but I kinda need your help."

"Hmm? Well it depends on what the issue is. Im off duty at the moment so my aid is rather limited ."

The red haired knight said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Its nothing crazy I just need your help finding a thief is all. She stole this insignia from an aquatience of mine and were currently splitting up to cover more ground."

'It technically wasn't a lie but I feel bad for sort of manipulating him like this but that girl did make it pretty clear she didn't want anything to do with me... I really should apologize to her for whatever I did wrong...'

"I see then, do you have a description of the thief?"

"Yeah she was a yellowed haired girl with a black ribbon on her head along with a red scarf and a sleeve-less jacket. Oh and her eyes were blood red."

The knights eyes widened for a spit second but not long enough for Subaru to notice the gears turning in his head after he heard that last description.

"This is very disconcerting news, do you have any idea were this thief could have gone?"

The knight questioned while looking at him with an inquisitive look.

"Still working on that part im afraid. My partner went that way so I think ill be heading west of here to search for rumors about the girl"

"Alright then, let me accompany you then. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that could make your search go alot faster."

'I also to need to confirm my suspensions towards this thief and see if its just a coincidence or something far more serious'

"Awesome your a life savor sir knight! Hey come to think of it I never got your name?"

The red haired knight chuckled a little bit after hearing this.

"Usually the red hair and dragon sword are a dead give away but i guess my reputation isn't as grand as i thought." The man said while scratching his cheek.

'DRAGON SWORD!? HOLY SHIT THATS SOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOL!'

The knight extended his hand in an attempt to shake with the boy. Subaru those the same although is hesitant with how visibly sweaty his hand was from all the running and fan-boying he was doing.

"My name is Reinhard Van Astrea, it is a pleasure to meet you young man"

'Damn even his name is badass! I really hit the jackpot with this guy!'

"*ehem* Likewise, my name is Natsuki Suba-"

Before he could finish his introduction time abruptly stopped.

=Present Time=

45 minutes passed while the great spirt, the old giant, and the currently concealed silver haired half-elf sat in relative silence. The girl was able to convince the man that she was an associate of 1 of the royal candidates rather than directly revealing herself as one. This way she could negotiate her insigina back without the thief running away or the assassin attempting to kill her or the girl.

While it was effective in the sense that it kept the old man's questions to a minimum, it also left him alot more on edge around her.

Puck was impressed with how well she was managing the situation but was still in a sour mood for not being in the loop about her plans. He was also a little suspicious of her seemingly random nervousness through out the entire exhange, as if she was keeping something (besides her identity) from the old man...or from him.

The royal canidate was, lack of a better term, terrified at the moment. The initial adrenaline and the constant moving arond for the past hour and a half allowed her to shove down that "experience" she had not to long ago. Now that she's sitting in silence alone with her thougts, it was impossible to silence those "memories" if you can even call them that.

'So far things have been going pretty smoothly, I have no idea how I managed to keep my identity from being revealed throughout all that but atleast this way the negotiations can go smoothly... hopefully. If I mess this up not only me but this man and Felt could die just for being near me. If only I was more vigilant, I could've stopped this from happening before it even started. Atleast no matter what happens Subaru will be safe and sound...'

The half slightly clenched her hands together as she remembered how abruptly she left the boy. It was rude and quite frankly unnecessary but rationalization at that moment was at an all time low. These memories, or something similar to that, were becoming less and less vivid as time went on. The experience of being stabbed was still engraved in her mind but now that she was alone in her thoughts, it was becoming more apparent how truly bizarre her situation was. She had died... yet here she was, breathing and living as if the event never happen. Subaru had died...yet there he was, breathing and living as if the event never happened. And as long as he was out of harm's way and away from her it would stay that way right? It was the simplest and sureset way to keep that horrendous event from happening again but still...

'I probably hurt his feelings when I told him to never see me again but its better if he's not involved in any of this. Even so... Od this is so selfish but even do I pushed him away I reeeeally want to see him again once this is all over. He was so strange but kind hearted and his optimistim towards things was so... infectous. He clearly didn't know where he was and he didn't have a single coin to his name yet he was still more concerned about my well-being then his own, seriously whats wrong with him!? And those... things he said. Him calling me beautiful, him not caring about my resemblance to the witch, him saying all those other kind words that only puck would tell me. I know this is selfish but... I hope that maybe once this is all over I could be friends wi-'

"WHOA what the hell happend here!?"

The Half-elf came out of her thoughts to see where the alarmed voice was coming from. The girl felt an immense weight suddenly lift from her chest as she saw the all-to-familer yellow haired theif in a battle stance and holding the hilt of her knife.

"FELT HOLD IT! it was just a misunderstanding is all." The old man tried to de-escalate the situation but Felt was cleary unconvinced.

"You call THIS a misunderstanding?!" She says while pointing at the massive hole in the building that used to house a door.

"Yeah I know it looks bad but listen we got far bigger problems right now. It seems that Insigina you snagged comes with alot more weight then we initially thought and little miss 'smash-first-and-asks-questions-later' over there is your one way ticket outta ere' without getting in the middle of some political scandel."

Felt was taken aback that he somehow already knew about the Insigina she stole but immediately connected it to that mysterious women sitting on the far left table. No longer overtly hostile but still extremely suspicious, she reluctantly let go of her knife.

"Alright start talking lady and If I find out you hurt Old Man Rom I swear i'l-"

"You'd do well to not make idle threats towards my daughter less you want an icicle through your torso."

The great spirt interrupted the girl while spreading thin sheets of ice around the surrounding area.

"Puck it's fine, after the commotion I caused it's only natural she'd be a little cautious."

The girl was able to rain in the overprotective spirt although she was met with a very uncomfortable sigh afterwards.

"*Ehem* I don't mean to be rude but I'd rather get these negotiations underway as soon as possible."

The Half-elf continued.

Felt immediatly regained her composure after being subjected to the VERY REAL THREAT from the great spirt and walked cautiously towards the women and Old Man Rom.

"Ok Rom so you said something about a political scandal? I get that this jewels real pretty and all but there's gotta be like a million out there right?"

"Fraid not Felt. That Insigina you swipped is apparently used to legitimize a royal candidate to the thrown. Which means the girl you took that from..."

"Was a royal candidate..." The Thief finished Old Man Roms statement with wide eyes and a slight amount of panic but immediately pushed it down as a small grin crossed her face along with a bead of sweat. She immediately sat down on one of the stools infront of the bar table.

"Well I'll be damned this little jewel is worth alot more than I thought! When my employer gets here she'll probably have ATLEAST 10 holy coins!"

She this while tossing the jewel back and forth between her hands. An immense amount of greed and glee were sketched onto her face.

'Her employer? I see, so she was hired to take my insigina! That means that whoever this employer of hers is either a third party or... regardless whoever they are im gonna give them a piece of my mind once this is all over!"

While the half elf was thinking this she didn't notice the 2 pair of eyes staring at her for some time until the smaller of the 2 broke the silence.

"Ok lady I get that the insiginas important and all but were do you fit into all of this? Are you that silver haired girls lackey or something?"

The thief questioned the girl with an inquisitive look and far less hostility than earlier.

"You could say that, I've been sent to find the person that took her insigina and see if there was a 3rd party involved somehow. I'm not one for violence so I'm more than willing to trade for it once your employer arrives."

Puck looked at her incredulously.

'These mongrels stole from you and you want to negotiate ANOTHER one of your belongings to this thief!?'

The half elf could tell what her contracted spirit was thinking and gave him a look that expressed the thought "please trust me on this". The spirt agreed but not without staring clear daggers at Felt.

Felt noticed the hostility towards her but ignored it as she showed a toothy grin towards the mystery girl and clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Alrighty then, glad that's settled. My employer should be arriving here any minute so just hang tight lad-"

"Oh my, this is a rather unconventional space to do trade wouldn't you say?"

Felts statement was cut off short as a seductive voice ringed from the ears of everyone present.

"Whoever caused this hole those not have a knack for subtlety. Something I am not accustomed to as well I must admit."

The Half-elf looked at the women head to toe. Her expectations for the woman was extremely subverted from her inner description of felts employer. From her braided black hair and black cape to her sultry clothes adorned with black heels, she did not fit the description she had in her head of Felts employer much less of the assassin.

Felt rose from her seat with a slight skip in her step.

"Speak of the witch, you're right on time!"

"Well my line of work those require punctuality above all else. That being said I assume your Job was successful no?~"

Felts inner excitement grew as she said the next few words that could potentially spell her doom right then and there.

"The job was a cinch but it seems your not the only one pining for this little trinket!" She says while pointing towards the concealed woman with her thumb and a snarky grin on her face.

"~Oh~"

"I see" A slight smile adorned the seductive women's face once she finished her response. While neither Felt or Old Man Rom paid it any mind, a slight chill ran up the half elf's spine once she spoke those last 2 words.

'C-calm down its almost over, this whole nightmare is a-almost over! She seems harmless enough, m-maybe the assassin only showed up after Felts employer left? If that's the case then I can simply offer them a stay at the Mathers Mansion. No one has to get hurt and we'll all leave here happy, safe and sound... please please please let this all work out.'

"~Well I must say I was not expecting a bidding war over this "trinket" however I'm more than willing to ablige the mysterious challenger~"

She finished her declaration while winking at the half elf from affar and then proceeded to approach the table now face to face with the concealed women along with Felt and Old Man Rom in the middle.

"5,10,15,20. 20 holy coins in total."

The giant said this with beads of sweat running down his face.

'This is seriously getting out of hand...not only is a representative of a royal candidate after this thing but now someone's willing to just throw out 20 holy coins for it!? I get that its important for the mystery girl but whoever this "Elsa" lady's employer is there probably bad news. Even if the mystery girl's bid is lower I might have to lie about its worth to gear it towards her side. Money is one thing but Felts safety is priority 1 right now.'

While Old Man Rom was thinking this Felt was ecstatic at the opportunity for her and her suto grandfather to make it out of the slums and eat like kings for the next few years.

'Divine Dragon or Od or whoever it was that blessed me today I sincerely thank you for this crazy opportunity. No more stealing appas and living in makeshift tents for a loooooong time after this!'

Elsa's face could only be described as indifferent as she starred intently at her concealed rival.

The half elf was slowly panicking and if it weren't for her cloak it would've been fairly obvious. She was almost entirely sure this women wasn't the assassin but that only increased her worry as they could show up at any moment. However before she could dwell on her thoughts further Felt spoke up.

"Well mystery lady unless you have something that can match that I'm afraid our business is conlu-"

"I can offer you a surplus of mana crystals in the near future. I can also offer my cloak of concealment right now."

...

...

...

Elsa was the first to speak up.

" ~I see... I had a feeling that was no ordinary cloke but for it to be a metia and for you to auction it off like that. I must say I was not expecting that."

"Indeed" Said the old giant.

"The Metia is one thing but how can you gurentee us these mana crystal?"

"Yeah, How do we know that your not swindling us by offering the cloke and backing out afterwards?!"

Interjected Felt with a look of clear skepticism on her face.

"If I may. This cloak of concealment is worth atleast 30 holy coins. So even if I were to back out, this cloke would be more than enough. I simply added the mana crystals as incentive to possibly work for my employer in the near future. She could use someone of your talents."

'It's also a proper excuse to get these two towards the mansion and as far away from that assassin as possible.'

She had no way of actually knowing the cost of her cloke as it was a gift from Roswaal however she would have to hope that the giants appraisal of the item would match up with her price.

The old man was unfortunately shaking his head internally.

'This cloke could barely come up to 10 holy coins on a good day. The Hoshin Company has entire squads worth of these same clokes. it's clearly in Elsa's favor even if you factor in the promise of future employment and those potential mana crystals but even so...Felts safety is our top priority so right now...'

"The mystery girl ain't lying" The giant spoke with a slightly somber tone.

"Sorry Elsa but it looks like the lady's got ya beat by a mile"

"~My My this is quite unfortunate.~"

The sultry women spoke without an ounce of actual displeasure as she sipped the milk in her cup and slowly rose from her seat.

"It appears my business here is concluded. Its a shame I couldn't match your price but the fault lies with my employer."

Felt stood up right and looked at Elsa with a sympathetic but overall indifferent look.

"Yeah it sucks that your request ended up in the girls hands. Speaking of which its time to pay up and see who we've been dealing with this whole time."

The Half-elf flinched slightly at her request.

'The assassin could still be looming over us so I'd rather get these 2 towards the carriage before I reveal my identity but... I made a promise and I have to follow through.'

The half elf rose from her seat and took off her cloke must to the shock of everyone present.

"You conniving bitch! Your the girl I stole from in the first place! Was all that talk about employment just a ruse to catch us off guard!?" She said this while backing away, reaching for her weapon meanwhile Old Man Rom stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"I apologize for the deception but as a spirt arts user, promises mean a great deal to me. Everything I said earlier still holds true including me offering you a job. I could use someone with your skillset."

Everything was silent for a couple of seconds until the giant spoke up.

"Felt the promise of a spirt arts user is nothing to scoff at."

Before continuing he took a large sip of glass and began to stand up. He now stood face to face, or rather face to stomach, towards the Half-elf and gave a stern but apologetic gaze.

"Young lady I don't know why you are helping us when we stole your insignia in the first place but we are eternally grateful for the hospitality."

The giant spoke with alot more clarity and no longer spoke with the tone of a slum dweller but that of a noble as he raised his hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.

Felt was taken aback by the sudden uptight attitude her grandfather has taken. She never would've expected a single once of decorum from the man.

While it was off putting, any since of doubt she had towards the lady was washed after seeing this once in lifetime display of nobility.

"A-alright fine if Roms okay with it then so am I."

The petite theif spun around towards the Half-elf, now standing head to hip with her grandfather. She gave the girl a toothy grin alongside a thumbs up.

"You got yourself a deal lady!"

The Silver haired girl let out an audible sigh of relief after hearing this.

'I did it!? I ACTUALLY DID IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ALL WORKED OUT! Now all we have to do is leave before that assassin comes and were home free!'

"Well I know felt already apologized but I believe I owe you an apology as well Els-"

She turned to face the sultry women only to she's sees nowhere to be seen.

'Wait where did she-'

A purple flash could be seen from the corner of her eye and an ice shield conjured out of thin air, immediately blocked the incoming attack!

The great spirt reamerged and growled at the sultry assailant.

"I had a feeling you were bad news the moment you stepped in here. Glad to see my instincts haven't dulled any!"

"~Oh dear~"

"~I was hoping to send her to the angels quickly but it seems fate has decided to make her death slow and painful~"

The black haired women now wielding twin daggers stared at her soon-to-be victims with hunger in her eyes.

The Half-elf recognized those daggers immediately and starting to hyperventilate due to her ever rising panic attack.

'NONONONONONONO! T-THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING! HOW IS SHE THE ASSASSI-'

"OORRRAHG!"

The giant was the first to retaliate against the demonic woman with an overhead slam from his club, then an upward swing, and brought it home with a spin attack across the women's midsection.

These flurry of attacks would've ended any normal woman in instant however Elsa dodged these vicious attacks with relative ease.

The half elf could only watch in terror meanwhile Felt looked for a decisive moment to strike

"Lia here's the plan. Im going to hone my attacks around hindering her movement so the giant can take more precise swings without- Lia?"

The Half-elf wasn't listening as she was far to busy berating herself due to her incompetence.

'This is all my fault! I can't believe I was so stupid to let my guard around this women just because she seemed non-threatening!'

"Lia!"

'OF COURSE she was dangerous! OF COURSE this wasn't going to work out! Now everyone's going to die and it's ALL MY FAULT for lifting this darn cloak!

"Lia!"

'ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY-'

"OI IF YOUR GONNA JUST STAND THERE BEING USELESS THEN GET THE HELLA OUTTA HERE!"

The petite girl yelled as she readed herself into a stance reminiscent of a track athlete.

*swoosh!*

A massive gush of wind went past the half elfs face as the thief zoomed towards Elsa with unfathomable speed.

Elsa immediately took a stance as Old Man Rom, Felt and puck threw a flurry of attacks at her.

The giant was now taking more short and precise swings in hopes to spot a weakness in her defense. It bore fruit once or twice but not enough to do significant damage as she would immediately counter the giant and deliver quick jabs to his fore arms and torso. Had it not been for Felt and Pucks assistance the damage would've been lethal.

Felt dashed across the assassins peripheral vision and tried to catch her in her blind spot but after repeated attempts of the same predictable attack, Elsa dodged her without looking and gave her a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw. She tried to regain her balance but as soon as got back up she was met with a dagger millimeters away from her stomach. Had it not been for a timely intervention from Pucks ice barrage and Rom immediately striking her with his fist afterwards, she would've died right then and there.

Pucks constant Ice showering was keeping the assassin at bay but they both knew it was only delaying the inevitable. Pucks time limit was already becoming dangerously close and the assassin was well aware that the great spirt couldn't keep up the relentless attacks for long. All Elsa has to due is buy her time and victory would be within her grasp.

While the 4 were battling it out the Half-elf...just stood there. She might as well have been a vegetable with how useless she currently was. She had more than enough hand-to-hand combat strength and spirt arts techniques to tip the balance in there favor but her body simply wouldn't move.

Her fear from her previous experience with the assassin left her completely frozen throughout the entire fight. While her mind desperately pleaded for her body to move, to fight, to distract, to flee, TO DO SOMETHING, it simply wouldn't.

"~A giant, a girl loved by the world, and even a great spirt! I must give my employer my thanks for these wonderful opportunities!~"

The sultry women was seemingly gliding across the room with speed and finesse while clashing with the giant and great spirt.

"Shut it ya black haired bimbo!"

The thief went for one of her blind spots once again but before the imminent purple dagger could reach her, she used the momentum of her speed to redirect her body towards the wrist of the dagger and sliced through her forearm!

Old Man Rom immediately took advantage of this and instead of swinging his club, he threw it near her damaged left arm. Elsa sliced through the club with her right handed dagger but didn't account for the debree blocking her field of vision and an immediate shoulder takle from the giant, knocking her across the room with a staggering amount of force!

Elsa immediately got up but found her lower body completely immobile as both of her feet up to her lower thighs were trapped in ice!

"I wasn't just throwing those icicles around y'know, GOODNIGHT!" The great spirt barked with 10 giant icicles hovering around Elsa crashed into her all at once, puncturing her body and Incasing her in ice!

As the dust settled, each of the combatants held there breaths, not one of then daring to let there guard down till it was absolutely safe. It was eerily silent until a loud thud echoed acrossed the room.

"*huff *huff I think that *huff got her" Said the giant while he collapsed on the ground along with Felt.

"Man *huff I've never *huff fought that hard in my life *huff that was intense!" Felt said this while grinning from ear to ear.

Puck looked at his contracter with his arms crossed and VERY mixed emotions

"Lia... we WILL talk about this later."

He said this with the tone of a stern parent and without a hint of empathy. All the silver haired girl could do was clutch her arms and look to the ground in shame while her sudo father dissipated into tiny beads of light.

Felt was the first to get up with a scowl on her face and her pointer finger digging into the taller girls stomach.

"Hey miss royal pain in the ass! You better hold your end of deal since me and rom did most of the heavy lifting back there!" She said this in a half serious half teasing tone in an attempt to forward there previous arrangement.

"Gotta say I haven't fought that hard since the demi-human war! I swear the term peace just dosen't apply to me."

The Old giant stood up while looking over his wounds and gave out a sigh of relief knowing he'll be able walk it off in a week or two.

"Geez Rom, I know your old but your not 'reminisce on old war stories old' are ya?"

"Damn, didn't even realize how I sounded till I said it, next thing y'know I'll be walking around with a cain!"

"Ain't no way in hell you'll find a cain to support your heavy ass! Might as we'll pull a branch off the flugel tree!"

"HAHAHAHA I guess you've got a point there!"

The Half-elf watched the banter between the grandfather and granddaughter in silence but the anxiety and fear she was feeling moments prior was slowly fading away.

'it's over... this nightmare is finally over!'

Her mouth was agape In disbelief that this had all gone so smoothly. It made her previous "experience" seem almost trivial with how easily it was prevented.

'Puck's probably reeeeally mad at me right now for giving this thief a job AND giving away my cloak but honestly...'

She stares at Felt grinning with her grandfather and flashes of her corpse enterd her mind.

'It was worth it'

"*Ehem* now that that's settled I believe this cloak belongs to you now."

The Half-elf said this with a genuine smile on her face as she took off her cloak and gave it to Felt.

"Right right, and here's your little trinket back. Ya really outta take better care of your stuff y'know."

She said this while tossing her the insigina with a shit eating grin on her face.

"That's not fair! I'm suuuuper careful your just way too good at stealing is all!" The Half-elf put her hands on her hips and was pouting in the most adorable way possible.

"Hehe I guess you've gotta point! Hey since your kinda my boss now shouldn't I get your name?"

'Wow, I feel like I've known this girl for a while now and I'm just now telling her my name? Goes to show how ridiculous this whole ordeal was!"

"Right my name is Emil-"

Her introduction was cut short once she felt an enormous amount of heat shift into her left arm. Before she could even comprehend what just happened she was sent flying across the building!

"Guk!"

The moment she made contact with the wall, lights started to flash across her vision along with tiny sparks, muffeled screaming and red...lots and lots of red.

"Wha just?"

She tried to assess the situation but her eyelids were getting heavier by the second until she caught a glimpse of a hand...her hand. Her mind flashed momentarily of Subaru grabbing onto that same hand in desperation to save her. Only this time he's not here to comfort in her last moments. She can't feel the warmth from his hand, infact she can't feel anything from her upper bicep down. she took a second look at her hand that was somehow infront of her and then immediately shifted her eyes to her left expecting an arm only to see a stub of her previous appendage and an immense amount of blood. The Half-elfs left arm had been completely severed.

"Ghk-AHHHHHHHHHHUH*gasp"

The Half-elf screamed in agony from both pain and shock. Her head was digging into the ground and she cupped the remains of arm in an attempt to numb the pain. She started to hyperventilate again but this time she took action as she froze the massive wound in an attempt to stop the wound. Once blood stopped spewing from what was left of her arm, she slowly got up.

"~I'll admit, you lot almost had me corned there.

The Half-elfs eyes dilated upon hearing the now terrifying voice.

"~Had it not been for my cape dissipating most of the damage back there, that couldve been the end of me.~"

Each time the women spoke, panic and dread seeped further into the Half-elfs core. Seeping into her very bone marrow like a corned animal.

She moved her head frantically from left to right until her vision finally cleared up fully to see the all to familiar devil-of-a-women walking towards her without her cape and seemingly no injuries from the previous fight.

'NONONONONO! How is she-.'

Before she could finish her thought however, her eyes finally adjusted to the scene playing out before her which threatened to leave her catatonic right then and there.

On her right she saw the all-to-familer yellow haired theif laying in a puddle of her own blood once again. This time she had a clear view of the result of her incompetence as a massive gash could be seen from her left shoulder down to her right hip effectively ending any hopes of survival right then and there.

On her left was something far more horrific. The giant she grew so fond of was now laying on his knees with his eyes gouged out and his left arm entirely severed. The killing blow was far more gruesome. His head faced the ceiling, revealing a massive gash from his neck spewing blood all over the remnants of his body.

This massacre that happened in the miniscule amount of time the Half-elf was down left her with one raw emotion afterwards, fear. Her breath was unsteady, her hair was a mess laced with blood and tangled knots, her arm and legs were shaking beyond control and her face was the face of someone who completely lost the will to fight. She was less of a spirt arts user and more akin to a child with no means to defend herself.

"~Hmm it appears you've completely lost the will to fight ~. Disappointing but not entirely unexpected considering the pathetic display you showed earlier."

She said the second half of her statement with clear loathing and without her usual sultry tone.

"~You'll have to make up for it by showing me your wonderful bowels!~"

A wicked smile crossed her face as she proceeded to dash towards the Half-elf with inhuman speed.

"Y-you! YOU MONSTEEEEERRR!"

The half elf screeched this with more volume and intensity then she thought possible as the sultry assassin made her way towards her target.

Before she could make contact with the girls stomach, the Half-elf created a giant encirclement of ice around her immediate vicinity and started to spew ice all around the surrounding area effectively destroying the entire loothouse!

The Half-elf didn't check for a corpse, immediately making a mad dash away from the massacre. She kept running and running and running with tears uncontrollably coming from her eyes. No longer completely entangled by fear another emotion seeped into her mind as she started to repeat an endless mantra in her head.

'ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS ALL MY FAULT ITS MY FAULT ITS ITS ALLMYFAULTITSALLMYFAULTITSALLMYFAULTITSALLMY-'

"YOUNG LADY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

Her internal self loathing was interrupted by a knight with red hair and an aura that felt like the personification of power. He stood before her looking directly at her ice covered wound.

After seeing the knight, her knees buckeld from blood loss and exhaustion. The man caught her desent before she hit the ground, carrying her bridal style.

The man was asking a pletroa of questions but the Half-elf was entirely unresponsive to his pleas. She simply laid in his arms with a blank expression and eyes devoid of any life, lamenting on the udder failure she was for letting not one but TWO people die because of her. She couldn't keep her insigina, she couldn't protect anyone, she couldn't even fight back when it really mattered. The depths of her character were tested again and again and she underachieved in almost every sense of the word. Her dreams, her promises, her vows, none of them mattered anymore. It was obvious to her that she wouldn't be able to fulfill any of these if this is all she could amount to.

The red headed man now dubbed Reinhard Van Astrea was wallowing in guilt for being unable to protect 2 people today as well. Expectations aside, it seemed like nothing was going the way it should today. Maybe due one his many divine protections or maybe just a gut feeling but an irrational sense of responsibility lingered in his mind upon seeing the girls tired expression. For some reason at the core of his heart, he felt as though he was supposed to have prevented what had just occurred. He had no true basis to believe this as he was given no warning of any of these events but he couldn't shake off the feeling that everything thay happened today, shouldn't have happen.

The man rushed to the nearest infirmary as fast as he could without giving the girl whiplash. Muttering to himself over how truly bizarre this day was, the Half-elfs eyes bulged when she heard a certain name be uttered under his breath.

"What did you just say?" The Half-elf murmured with wide eyes.

Reinhard took a double take as that was the first time the girl responded to him and those words weren't even directed at her.

"Sorry. I was simply cursing myself for being unable to protect two people today."

When Reinhard said this the Half-elfs heart sanked even lower. It was as if fate was mocking her for her incompetence.

"Before I saw you a little while earlier a man asked for my help but suddenly collapsed before I could get his full name... all I got from him was that he and his partner were tracking down a yellowed haired thief. I wanted to honor his last request by finding the thief but instead I found well...you."

He said the last part with a sad smile. Any women in her position would be blushing madly after hearing that last part while being carried bridal style by one of the most handsome man on the planet, flying across buildings with the moonlight illuminating them both.

However the silver haired beauty's blood ran cold after hearing his words. A million fears crawled its way back into her mind. She thought, or atleast hoped, that amongst all her failures that he would make it out this unharmed. She internally begged and pleaded with all her might that it was all just a coincidence. That that selfless boy did what she told him to and went to the barracks to have a happy life, without pain, without sorrow, without her... Her next question could spark a small light of hope or completely crush her depending on the answer.

"C-can you take me to that boy?" She asked this with clear hesitation on her face, dreading the potential outcome.

Reinhard saw the look of pain in her eyes and immediately connected the dots that the "partner" the boy from earlier was referring to was none other the lady he was carrying right now. His feelings started to twist and turn from both relief and further guilt knowing that despite not being able to fulfill the man's final wish, he was able to atleast save his partner from whatever dangers she was in prior. This also made him prioritize her safety over all else making him very adamant on getting her properly healed as soon as possible. His frustration boiled over knowing that despite having unfathomable power he can't heal this girl and could potentially fail once again if he isn't quick enough.

"MISS you are missing an arm and already lost alot of blood! Whoever that boy is to you surely it can wait til-"

"PLEASE I NEED TO SEE HIM!" Her eyes showed an equal amount of unfathomable power and determination in them along with clear desperation. Whatever regrets, guilt, pain (physical or mental) she felt, it all paled in comparison to the conviction she had to confirm weither or not that strange boy had his life snuffed out AGAIN due to her negligence.

Due to his divine protection of empathy, unfortunately he was able to get a vague but powerful understanding of what was going through the girls mind. Against his better judgment,he changed direction mid sprint towards the morgue that held the recently deceased boy.

1 minute. 1 minute of pure silence aside from the tapping of the knight shoes against the pavement. 1 minute was all it took for Reinhard to cross 4 miles towards the morgue that housed rows and rows of corpses for people to mourn before they are barried for all eternity. 1 minute of the Half-elfs mind praying with all her might and will that it wasn't who she thought it was. That her incompetence and her many MANY failures wouldn't take him away as well.

That 1 one minute was the last time the Silver Haired Half-elf, the spirts arts user, the infamous Witch of the Elior Forest, the potential ruler of lugunica, and the so called vessel of Satella, would ever be whole again for a long long time as she starred motionless at the raven haired boy, dead with a blanket covering everything but his face.

"The doctor said that his heart was crushed. A truly heinous crime but there were no traces on how it occurred aside from the thick coat of miasma on him and 5 pressure tears on his heart resembling a hand."

Reinhard said all this not to comfort her but as an obligation to the women that obviously cared deeply for him. He dared not look at either on one of them due to his overwhelming guilt but instead decided to do the only thing he knew how to do. Be a knight.

"I understand if you would want to mourn but it's imperative we get you to the infirmary as soon as-"

"That won't be necessary" The half elf said without a hint of emotion

Reinhard was visibly shooken by the stark contrast of emotion she had prior but it didn't dissuade him as he had a duty as a knight to protect the citizens of lugunica, even from themselves.

"My lady I understood that you are feeling an indescribable amount of emotions but if we don't get your arm looked at there could be irreplaceable dama-"

His plea to help her was cut off short as he finally took a look at her amethyst eyes that were now vowed of any emotion. The concept of fear wasn't new to the knight. He's always feared that he wasn't good enough. That he was nothing but a monster unable to protect anyone. That he was cursed to be nothing but a weapon and scorned by everyone.

However... fear from someone else.

That was new to the man.

His conviction to escort the lady was crumbled into dust right then and there as he unconsciously took a step back from the silver haired half elf.

"I-I understand. But please... be safe young lady"

The knight begrudgingly turned away from the injured women as he walked away with shame written all over his face.

Time passed as the Half-elf walked seemingly aimlessly across the streets of the lugunica capital. minutes, hours, days, months, years, the concept of time was irrelevant to the half elf at this point as she was seemingly in a trance. She walked and walked and walked and walked and walked until she abruptly stopped.

"Please... end this" She spoke without a hint of emotion as a blade was suddenly lunged at her chest.

The familier black haired assassin looked at her with clear disdain as she grabbed the insigina from the half elfs possession and immediately departed, not even giving the soon to be corpse a second look as she darted away.

'Even if this dosen't work... even if it was just some illusion, even if I just committed suicide... it's better then a life without you... Subaru'

Darkness