I do not own Re:Zero or any of the characters.
Saving Her
Ian grimaced as his eyes opened. he was lying on his stomach on a bed, and Beatrice was seated beside him, in the process of healing him. He remained silent and still, and after another minute, she sat back. His body still hurt, but she seemed to be finished. He sat up, sucking in a breath as his arm shifted and flared agonizingly.
"It's still broken, and will be for a few days of treatment, at least, but I was able to dispel the curses the Maw Beasts placed on you."
"What about Subaru?" Ian asked, using the pillow case to gingerly sling his arm.
"He had too many curses to dispel, I suppose," Beatrice said. "The children were saved, though. All of them."
Ian nodded. "How's Rem?"
Beatrice remained silent, and Ian nodded, standing and picking up his sword, using one of the bed posts to hold the belt at his waist while he buckled it.
"She went out alone, didn't she?" Ian asked.
"Yes," Beatrice said. "If all of the Maw Beasts were to be killed, Subaru's curses would be rendered useless, I suppose. That would repay him for saving her. However, I believe she knows she can't possibly survive the attempt, and is hoping to be killed as punishment for attacking and injuring you, I suppose."
"I figured," Ian nodded. "Wish me luck."
"You're going to get yourself killed, I suppose," Beatrice warned him.
"I'll be fine, Betty," Ian smiled. "I'll be home soon."
"You'd better be," Beatrice said. "I won't forgive you if you die, I suppose."
Ian flashed her a confident smile before leaving the small building he was in. Outside, he found Ram and Subaru talking pleasantly, Subaru holding half a piece of a steamed potato, his face smeared with red from the other half he'd probably had shoved down his throat.
"Oh, Ian," Ram said. "Good timing. I-"
"Rem's gone into the woods alone," Ian said. "I need your help to save her."
Ram's basket of steamed potatoes crashed to the ground instantly. "Let's go!"
The two of them turned and sprinted toward the forest, Subaru just behind them. At the edge of the village, the same young man they'd met before going after the children stopped them, giving Subaru a sword, which he claimed was the sharpest in the village. The kids all arrived as well, begging Subaru to save Rem so they could thank her for saving them, stuffing gifts into his pockets all the while. Finally, they got away from the kids and entered the forest. However, Subaru began to tire quickly, obviously still weak from nearly dying.
"You should head back, Subaru," Ian said. "We can handle this."
"No way!" Subaru said. "I'm going to help save Rem! And besides that, if Rem's better at everything, can Ram even fight?"
"If you mean, 'can I fight like Rem can in her demon form?' I can't," Ram said. "Unlike my sister, I'm hornless. I can only use a bit of rather extreme Wind magic."
"Well, at least we have Ian's power," Subaru said.
"Until Rem has calmed down, I can't use my power, except as an absolute last resort," Ian said.
"Then how the hell do you expect to win this fight!?" Subaru demanded.
"I'm going to use my magic instead," Ian said.
Ram looked over at him in surprise before nodding. "Barusu, starting now, you need to stay an absolute minimum of six feet away from Ian." She took a couple steps away from him as well.
"Is his magic really powerful or something?" Subaru asked.
"Less powerful than unstable," Ian said. "I still struggle with control, so I have a tendency to explode when I use it. Six feet will keeping you from being hurt, but you'll still be in the splash zone."
Subaru grimaced, then groaned. "I didn't even get to hear Mili say, 'I'll see you soon,' in her sweet little voice.
"Until you say, 'I'm home,' last night's 'See you soon,' is still in effect," Ram said.
"Oh, really?" Subaru asked. "Is that how it works?"
"Besides, didn't you get something from someone in the village other than Miss Emilia?" Ram asked.
"Sure did," Subaru nodded, drawing the first few inches of the sword. "Something pretty beautiful, in fact."
"Take care of it," Ian said. "Once we save Rem and go home, I'll teach you how to use it."
Subaru nodded.
"Ram, go ahead and use your Clairvoyance," Ian said.
Ram nodded and closed her eyes. After a moment, she frowned. "Something is watching us right now. Up there!" She pointed off to the right just as a Maw Beast leapt out at them, only to be split in half by Ram's magic.
"Don't overdo it," Ian said. "Pace yourself as best you can so you don't burn up all of your magic."
Ram nodded just as two more raced out of the trees, one in front of them and one behind. Ian shot forward, stepping aside from the one he'd chosen and slashed it, splitting its head and left side as Ram used her magic to split the one behind them in half vertically from nose to tail. Then, she and Ian continued walking, Subaru chasing after them, complaining about them just walking off.
"Anyway, Barusu, why does every individual seem to lose their head when they see you?" Ram asked. "Miss Emilia, the villagers, the children, even my sister. Frankly I don't understand it. "She thought for a moment. "Is it because you're such a weakling?"
"Even after you hesitated, that's the conclusion you reach?" Subaru asked. "Rude."
"Is it because you seem like such a wimp, then?" Ram asked.
"Just because you reworded it, that doesn't," he switched to an impression of Roswaal's odd way of speaking, "change the root of what you're saying, Ram-Ram."
"Get serious, Subaru," Ian said, readying his magic.
"I am serious," Subaru said. "Words hurt."
"Not as much as the bites you're about to have if you don't pay attention," Ian said. "Leave it to a NEET to not pay attention while surrounded by monsters."
"Hey, that hurts even more!" Subaru snapped.
Just then, several Maw Beasts burst out of the trees.
"Cloak," Ian said.
With a roar of gale-force wind, his magic exploded into existence around his body in a spiral of green-tinted wind, raging around his body tightly and circling each limb separately. He leapt forward, wind shooting downward from his cloak to push against the ground, allowing him to glide as he streaked around them in a circle, moving in a near-blur. He slashed the group of Maw Beasts as he passed them, the dogs all being split in half cleanly. However, just as he landed lightly a short distance from the others, the wind split his left shoulder open shallowly.
"Whoa!" Subaru said. "That was frickin' awesome! Wait, your shoulder..."
"Drawbacks of using my magic without proper control," Ian said. "I got lucky. Usually it's deeper."
"What if it splits your neck, or your larger arteries?" Subaru asked.
"As things stand, using my magic is a gamble, but if I use my power, I won't be able to calm Rem down," Ian said.
"Well, I have an idea to find her," Subaru said.
"Subaru, no," Ian said.
"It's our best option," Subaru said.
Ian frowned for a moment before nodding.
"What is it?" Ram asked.
"Listen, Ram, the thing is, I can return by-" Subaru stopped, clutching his chest in agony as the trees around them suddenly came alive with the thunder of thousands of birds being startled into flight.
"What's that?" Ram asked, looking around urgently.
"I made a wager that seems to have payed off, but it brought a bit of pain with it, too," Subaru said as Ian prepared to fight the incoming horde of Maw Beasts.
"What did you do, Barusu?" Ram asked. "The wind is erratic, and I smell beasts approaching. A large number of them! And on top of that, we haven't found Rem yet!"
"Rem will be here soon," Ian said. "You probably didn't notice thanks to focusing on the beasts, but Subaru's gone and soaked himself in the Witch's Scent. It's drawing the Maw Beasts, which Rem will chase down. And once Rem catches a whiff of Subaru, she'll stop at nothing to catch him, too."
Ram stared at him, then at Subaru, before nodding, readying herself for a fight and standing back-to-back with Subaru as he drew his sword. Ian took a few more steps away from them and readied his magic again.
"Okay, I'm going to have to rely on you two to do most of the fighting, so feel free to go for it," Subaru said as Maw Beasts began to step out of the trees all around them.
"When this is over, take an objective look at what you just did, until you wish that you were dead!" Ram shouted, sending out a blast of Wind magic as the first of the dogs charged, killing it.
As she did, the rest charged and Ian activated his own magic, a gash opening instantly on his cheek. He short forward, slashing a pair of dogs before another leapt at him from the side. his wind spun him and he slashed it as well, then shot forward, slashing three more as he raced past them. Ram killed two that leapt at him from behind and he slashed another as Subaru managed to stab one. A Maw Beast leapt at Ian from behind, but as its jaws met his wind, its head was ripped to shreds and its body blown away. However, the wind also tore a gash across Ian's lower back at the same time.
Ian growled in pain, streaking around the clearing and slashing a handful of Maw Beasts before deactivating his magic as his right thigh was split open by it, fairly deeply this time. Just as he did, Ram blasted a pair of Maw Beasts, only to collapse, already out of strength.
"Ram!" Subaru shouted.
"Take her and run!" Ian shouted, reactivating his magic.
Subaru sheathed his sword and lifted Ram under his arm, sprinting away from the Maw Beasts along a river through the center of the clearing. Several beasts leapt as Ian and he spun, slashing them all before streaking after Subaru. Four beasts were chasing him, but Ian quickly slaughtered them, deactivating his magic again, now bearing gashes on his right bicep, left calf, and right shin, all blessedly shallow.
"This is what I get for believing you when you said you could fight!" Subaru shouted as they ran, more beasts joining the pack chasing them.
"Well, I was fighting, wasn't I?" Ram asked. "The problem is, my strength didn't hold out as long as I expected."
Ian spun, ducking under a beast as it leapt at him and slashed it, then activated his magic to slash two more before spinning and continuing to flee, letting his magic deactivate again. However, just as he did, Subaru shrieked in fear and dismay as he ran straight over a cliff. Ian activated his magic yet again, growling in annoyance, and shot down the cliff after them, focusing it to his legs and ignoring the gashes being sliced open ever few seconds.
He grabbed Subaru around the waist, Dubaru still holding Ram, just before Subaru could stab his sword into the cliff, then dropped off a curve where the cliff turned from a steep slope to a slant in the opposite direction. Subaru screamed in terror the entire seventy foot drop before Ian landed on his feet, a massive pulse of wind canceling their momentum but blasting numerous deep gashes into his legs. He shouted in pain, dropping the other two as his magic deactivated and Subaru scrambled to use his jacket to bandage Ian's legs.
"Are you alright?" Ram asked.
"I'll be alright when we save Rem," Ian said, raising a hand. "Come here."
She knelt beside him, reaching up to take his hand, only for him to reach up to her forehead, placing his index and middle fingers where her horn should be. Then, he began to focus, channeling his mana into Ram's body through that spot, Ram gasping in surprise.
"What...It's...so different!" Ram breathed.
"Roswaal, for all his amazing talent with magic, is hampered slightly when recharging you because he has so many affinities," Ian said. "Mine, on the other hand, is purely Wind-type, so it's more compatible with your own." After about a minute, he stopped just as Subaru finished binding his legs.
Ram smiled slightly. "Thank you, Ian." Her smile dropped. "But this doesn't change my mind."
"I know," Ian smirked. "I'd be disappointed, and a bit suspicious, if that's all it took."
A Maw Beast growled as it stepped out of the trees surrounding the rocky area they'd landed, more and more joining it as the puppy stepped up on a boulder directly ahead of them. Ian clenched his teeth, forcing himself to his feet as Ram's wind magic began to rage around her. Then, Rem crashed down ahead of them, her flail crashing down off to the side.
"Rem!" Subaru smiled. "Thank goodness. We're finally saved!"
"Not yet," Ian said, just as Ram swung her flail around at them. "Down!"
All three dropped, Ian sucking in a pained breath as he squatted, the flail tearing along the cliff behind them, the chain missing them by inches.
"You're kidding!" Subaru shouted. "She can turn into a demon but she can't control it!?"
"Ram, keep Subaru alive," Ian said. "I'll calm her down."
"You'll probably die trying," Ram said. "Go ahead."
Ian activated his magic and shot forward. Rem spun, her flail killing three Maw Beasts as they charged at her before whipping around at Ian. He flipped over it, letting his magic end before landing on his feet and staggering over to her. She lunged, cocking her free hand back to punch him, but before she could hit him, he stepped forward, placing a kiss against her horn. Rem froze instantly and Ram's magic killed a group of Maw Beasts as they charged at them. Rem's horn shrunk quickly until his lips were resting against her forehead. Tears began to roll down her cheeks before she fainted, Ian catching her instantly. He lifted her into his arms, ignoring the agony in his left shoulder, and turned, running as fast as his wounded legs could carry him, Subaru and Ram running at his sides, Ram blasting several Maw Beasts behind them. They left the clearing onto a path through the trees, and all pushed themselves to run faster.
Hours passed, Ian and Subaru both gasping and panting for breath, but they didn't slow. Ram blasted any Maw Beasts that caught them, and they all pressed on. Finally, Rem stirred in Ian's arm, looking up at him before beginning to cry.
"Ian!" Rem choked out. "I...I'm so...s-sorry!"
"It's alright, Rem," Ian smiled. "I know you didn't mean it. Let's just focus on getting back to the village right now. Can you run?"
Rem nodded, wiping her eyes, and when she was done, Ian slowed enough to put her on her feet before they continued. However, as soon as they did, Rem swept Ian into her own arma, suddenly looking terrified, devastated, and furious all at once.
"Look what you've done to yourself!" Rem shrieked. "Are you out of your mind!?"
Ian sighed exasperatedly, but smiled, reaching up and kissing her on the cheek. "I'll be fine, Rem."
Rem shot him a glare, but didn't argue. A Maw Beast suddenly burst onto the trail ahead of them, only for Ram to blast it instantly. Finally, they ducked into the trees to rest, Rem setting Ian down and beginning to heal his legs.
"Why did you all come out here?" Rem asked.
"Come on, Rem," Ian smiled. "You know me better than that. You know I'd do anything for you. Did you really think I wouldn't come save you?"
"But I tried to kill you!" Rem said, crying now. "Twice!"
"So?" Ian asked, smiling. "I'm still alive and you've calmed down, so I have no reason to be afraid. Besides, if I can't handle you're temper, how can I ever hope to spend my life with you?"
Rem's eyes widened before tears spilled from her eyes and she buried her face in his chest, sobbing. Ram turned her head away, frowning deeply, but Ian ignored it, simply holding Rem comfortingly. However, after a moment, a growl echoed from a short distance away. Ian looked over, seeing half a dozen beasts sniffing around, making their way toward them, and seeing the dog on a boulder in the middle of the pack. Ian pulled back from Rem, shifting into a low crouch, and noticed that most of his legs' wounds, though not all, had been reduced to shallow cuts. They still hurt, but he wasn't bleeding as heavily.
"What do we do?" Rem asked. "I'm too tired to fight, my sister is almost out of mana, Ian is too wounded, and Subaru is too weak and pathetic."
"Ya know, that really hurts," Subaru said.
"Ram," Ian said, reaching up, Ram leaning toward him slightly so he could reach her forehead.
As he began to channel his mana into her, he noticed her hands tighten their grips on he knees slightly as she trembled ever so slightly for a second in a shiver. He grinned internally, and lowered his hand once he had given her enough for a few minutes of sustained combat, if she was careful about its usage.
"You know what to do, Ram," Ian said.
Ram nodded and threw Rem over her shoulder, sprinting away as Ian and Subaru stepped out of the bushes and began to walk toward the Maw Beasts. Ian smiled as he heard Rem screaming at him and Ram, begging Ram to help him, or to let her, but her voice continued to grow fainter.
"You can safely use your power now, right?" Subaru asked.
Before he could respond, the puppy began to grow, rapidly mutating into the same kind of Maw Beast as the rest, but towering over them at double Ian and Subaru's height. Unlike the smaller ones, this one's tail bristled with spikes at the end, and it didn't have the horn on the end of its nose. Ian sighed.
"Under the circumstances, my power won't help us much," Ian said. "Even if I saw an attack coming, I wouldn't be able to get out of its way." He considered his options for a moment before sighing. "Subaru, remember the rule about being six feet away from me?"
"Yeah," Subaru nodded.
"Double it, backward," Ian said. "Now."
Subaru spun, running away from the Maw Beast as Ian activated his magic and raced forward. As he neared the massive Maw Beast, the others all leapt at him. He stopped just in front of them all and slashed, slamming his sword into the ground less than a second before the Maw Beasts reached him. Instantly, Wind Magic exploded out of the point of impact between the sword and the ground, forming a massive dome of spiraling, razor-sharp wind that expanded rapidly. The wind tore numerous deep gashes into Ian's body, and ripped the smaller beasts into pieces, but despite tearing massive, deep gashes into the massive beast, it didn't kill it.
Ian collapsed as soon as the blast faded, his magic fading before he hit the ground, and the Maw Beast's pained shriek turned into a roar as it lunged. However, before it could reach him, Subaru stepped up beside him, slashing it across the face and making it recoil. Then, Subaru smirked.
"Shamak!" he shouted, pitch-black smoke exploding up around him.
The beast recoiled, and he leapt forward slashing its throat. As soon as he landed, he shoved the sword back into its sheath and grabbed Ian and his sword, sprinting away from the beast.
"I could do without the bugs, but thank you for the Bokko Fruit, you little brats," Subaru said, spitting out the half-chewed fruit, only to freeze as the massive beast burst out of the smoke behind them. "Crap!"
He hurled Ian away from himself a split-second before the beast's paw crashed down on his back, pinning him to the ground. Subaru stabbed upward behind him with Ian's sword, catching the beast in the gums, and it roared in pain, the sound mixed with a bit of gurgling as blood bubbled out of the gash in its neck. It reared up and Subaru scrambled to Ian, lifting him again and beginning to run again. The beast roared moving to charge after them.
"Ul Goa!" Roswaal's voice said cheerfully, a blast of fire streaking down from above and enveloping the beast, which thrashed and roared in agony, then collapsed as Roswaal floated down in front of it, facing Subaru and Ian, who stirred and looked up at Roswaal. "Oh myyy, you look an absolute fright, don't you, Subaaaaru. Oh, is that Ian over your shoulder? I thought you had a piece of bloody Wolgarm that you planned to eat. I was going to warn you not to."
Ian held up his good arm, middle finger extended.
"My, my, is that any way to thank the man who just saved your life?" Roswaal asked, his speech slipping into a slightly more even, threatening tone.
Ian let his hand fall as Subaru set him on the ground and slid his sword into his sheath.
"Better late than never, right Ros?" Subaru sighed, Roswell laughing softly.
"How'd you find us?" Ian asked, lying on his back to avoid aggravating his wounds.
"Miss Emilia drove it into me quite thoroughly in the village," Roswaal said as Rem reached them, beginning to heal Ian as Ram walked over a little more calmly. Roswaal's voice rose another octave, making it even more obnoxious. "'Even if it's rash or recklace, he'll use magic if he's cornered, so don't lose sight of him from above,' she said. And there you go."
"Lord Roswaal," Ram said, bowing. "I'm certain we caused a lot of problems for you. My apologies."
"Quite the contrary," Roswaal said. "Truthfully, you both accomplished fine work in my absence. I'm grateful. And I will certainly show that gratitude for what you have done for me. You have my word."
Subaru lay back and groaned pitifully as he finally passed out. Ian, on the other hand, glared at Roswaal.
"You said 'lose sight of,'" Ian said. "Not 'watch for.' That would imply you were watching the entire time."
"By wording alone, one would think that, wouldn't they?" Roswaal asked, watching Ian with a dangerous light in his eyes.
Ian glared at him for another moment before setting his head back down, letting Rem work. After a few seconds, however, he followed Subaru's example, though silently.
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