A/N: Tme for some suffering! Hope you guys enjoy~
Chapter Seven
The Blinding Curse
In a flurry of sweat and yelling, Subaru struck out at his opponent with several slashes from his blade. The other expertly parried and dodged his strikes, before moving past him and prodding him on the back with the tip of their own weapon, making him growl and spin around to continue the assault.
"You won't get away from me–!"
THUD! Suddenly, they smacked their wooden blade on top of his head, making him fall back onto his ass.
"Ack–!"
Rubbing his head, Subaru scowled. "It's too early to be giving me a concussion, Julius!"
The violet-haired knight smirked, lowering his practice weapon. "While I have enjoyed your request for more training, morning is now upon us. We must both attend to our duties."
He offered a hand to Subaru, who took it and stood, wiping sweat from his brow as he turned to the side to give a few more practice swings of the wooden sword he held. The two of them were utilizing an open space of the dining room, with Julius insisting it would be unsightly for others outside to see them.
"Right right, well, thanks again," Subaru said, raising a fist to the knight. After a moment, he obliged him with a gentle fist bump, making the boy grin. "Just you wait, one day I'll be thwacking you on the head. Then I'll get to beatin' the crap out of Ricardo!"
"I feel like I am being underestimated to be merely your practice for someone else," Julius said, shaking his head. "Either way, I must go. Good luck in today's ventures, Subaru."
Going their separate ways, Subaru patted the wooden sword onto his shoulder the whole way back to his room upstairs. After taking off his night clothes and wiping sweat from himself, he opened up the window to the room to take in the morning breeze.
"Oh… It's dark." He peeked outside, seeing dark gray clouds gathering above, nearly obscuring the rising Sun. "I miss having semi-reliable weather reports…"
It was the third morning since their arrival in Picoutatte.
As Subaru changed into a fresh pair of black slacks and shirt, he noticed his cell phone on the nearby table. Grabbing it, he turned it on, waiting a moment before the screen illuminated.
Subaru got a sense of home just by seeing the device. He had to turn it off for most of the time to conserve its battery, unsure of how he could go about charging it. From his time in the Capital, it seemed like it could be valuable, especially in a place of trade such as this. A 'metia', Julius had called it at one point– He wondered just what brought him to that conclusion, and what other metia might exist out there.
It was an odd feeling, because Subaru was enthralled by his new world, and yet… Home was still there in his mind. The place that he felt lost and worthless in still held the two people he had respected more than anyone…
After fiddling with the device for a moment, he turned it off and closed it, setting it down with a sigh. He gazed into the mirror atop the dresser, seeing just how worn out he looked.
Subaru hadn't seen Meili since she had been taken away by Joshua on the first day. He was worried, but he had decided to try and take Ricardo's words to heart— That he didn't need to defend her all the time. Instead, he'd decided to focus on training up to
Still, the worry was there, ever present.
Smacking his cheeks, he shook himself out of his stupor and grabbed the black jacket from the lone chair in the room, putting it on quickly and tying the red sash around his waist. The garb flowed a bit past his bottom, and had the red symbol of the Iron Fangs on its back. According to Ricardo, it had belonged to Lady Anastasia at one point, after he'd insisted she looked good in the colors– Only for her to say she preferred quite the opposite color scheme.
Clad in the dark colors of his new allies, Subaru, fledgling of the Iron Fangs, was ready to face his new day of challenges— Or so he thought, at least.
Heading out, Subaru found Ricardo tending to the ligers in the stables. The Captain turned to Subaru and grinned at his appearance.
"Lookin' fancy, rookie! Ready to go out?"
"Go out? Where are we going," Subaru asked.
"Ya' see, the Boss' been worried about that sighting the other night," Ricardo explained. "The White Whale… It ain't somethin' we can ignore forever."
Subaru felt his breath catch. Thankfully Ricardo held up a hand to stop his mind from wandering to bad conclusions.
"We're just runnin' recon, don't worry bro," Ricardo assured him. "We gotta get to the Capital in the comin' weeks. Can't let that beast interfere with that. If we do see it, I'll send ya' back to report straight away so they know where to avoid."
"I see…" Subaru nodded, feeling only slightly relieved. "Though it's not exactly what I expected. You know I'm still terrible at riding and fighting, right? Like… I bet even Tivey could beat me with a sword."
"At least you're honest about it now," Ricardo said with a laugh. "Or you're doubting the runts a bit too much."
"Then there's the storm too–"
"Scared of a lil rain? I'll headbutt ya' again if you tell me you are," the wolfkin said, tapping his forehead.
Subaru grinned, but then turned away to try and hide it. He was still conflicted about the Captain— After all, he'd embarrassed Subaru immediately. Still, according to Anastasia, Ricardo had truly vouched for Subaru's honesty, something the warrior must only be able to judge in combat.
This was what I chose. This is what I want, Subaru reminded himself.
He recalled when he pointed to Anastasia's hand, and the smile that had accompanied her nod of approval.
"It is slightly disappointing, but Julius and Ricardo both assumed this would be tha' choice."
Subaru didn't know what she meant exactly, and still found himself pondering it. Had he made the wrong choice? Becoming stronger was important in this world, he already knew that.. What would he gain by becoming a servant? All he could think of was Joshua, and how that boy rubbed him the wrong way.
Nah, this is right. I'll get strong enough to hold my own.. So I can protect whatever and whoever I want to!
As he and Ricardo prepped their Ligers, Subaru reached out to the one that he had been temporarily given to ride. It snapped to him, making him back up a bit, still unuse to the beasts, when he bumped into somebody. Turning, he saw that it was Julius, who seemed slightly out of breath.
"Oh, long time no see! Seeing us off on our epic journey?" Subaru winked at Julius and grinned.
Julius' expression held no humor, however. "Subaru, you must come at once. Please keep an open mind, but Meili…"
Subaru's eyes widened. "Huh?"
Not asking anymore questions, Subaru followed the knight inside, his mind racing. Once there, they both stopped as Anastasia stepped out of the room where Meili was staying. She looked to them with a reluctant smile.
"Lady Anastasia," Julius said, bowing. Subaru quickly did the same but certainly more sloppily, still learning his etiquette.
"Please go inside. It… is difficult," their boss said, looking to Subaru with a strained expression. "I've already called for help, but we had only discovered her this mornin'."
His heart beating hard, Subaru quickly entered the room, not sure what to expect. The room looked similar to his own, which was to be expected. Atop her bed, in a nightgown of sorts, Meili appeared to be staring vacantly up at the ceiling.
"Li…?"
Subaru quickly ran to her bedside and shook her arm. There was no response. Her eyes appeared glazed over, as if she was…
"Su…baru?"
He let out a sigh of relief as the girl said his name. Her head turned to him, but he could tell that she wasn't looking at him. She lifted a hand, which he quickly grasped with one of his, noting how cold and weak it felt at that moment.
"Hey! How are you feeling?" The boy placed a hand on her forehead. While it was a bit cold, it wasn't out of the ordinary. "Damn, you're lazing around in bed while I'm working my ass off, huh?"
Meili managed a smile at that. "You… fool."
Subaru's smile hardened as he grit his teeth. He could joke all he wanted to, but something was terribly wrong here.
"…Do you know what's happening?"
Meili seemed reluctant, looking at the ceiling again. "I… I think I'm… cursed."
"Cursed?"
"It's… a type of magic, from Gusteko," the girl explained. "Big sis was from there. Assassins.. we..like to use them."
Subaru gulped. "Assassins…? Did they find you?"
Meili shrugged weakly. "It's… I don't know…"
The girl was surprisingly composed despite the danger. Subaru respected her immensely for it, but even so, he refused to let her resign herself to her fate. He hadn't asked how tough it must have been in the organization at her age, but it was obvious that she often thought about it when she thought nobody was looking.
"Hey hey, it'll be alright. There's gotta be a way to cure a curse, right? Otherwise that would be way too overpowered!"
As the door opened, Subaru turned to see Julius approaching. The knight nodded, though his expression was grim.
"From my limited knowledge on the subject, killing the one who casted the curse should remove it," Julius stated. "But this is magic thought lost to time, it is not assured—"
Subaru put a hand on Julius' shoulder, interrupting him. "Alright, so we just gotta find the damned attacker, right? Then let's—"
A sharp inhale made him turn. He watched as Meili seemed to be arching her back, her mouth open wide, eyes quivering as if in silent, gasping horror.
"H-Hey, Li—!"
"Subaru! Don't—-"
Ignoring Julius' plea, Subaru quickly went to Meili's side. He watched in terror as the girl's chest rose further and further, not making any sound… Then, all at once, she fell back, unmoving, the only noise the slight creak of the bed from her movement.
"What… Meili! Hey! Are you—"
Blackness became Subaru's entire world in an instant. A cold chill enveloped his body, and he fell backwards in a panic, being instantly reminded of the time he had tried to tell Julius about Return by Death.
"Agh—!" Subaru writhed, his arms flailing— Til someone grasped his arm.
"Subaru! Calm down," Julius said. Subaru turned his head, unable to see anything. "Are you okay?... Ah… Your eyes…"
"Dammit…" Subaru scowled, pushing Julius' hand away and feeling towards the bed again. He pulled himself up, finding the cold arm of the girl lying there, using it to guide himself up to her face. "Li, I—"
Subaru stopped. His hands became shaky, the darkness around him feeling more and more smothering as he felt her cold cheek, his other hand touching her neck, where there was no feeling of a pulse or any signs of life within her.
Footsteps signaled Julius' move to Subaru's side. There was the gentle movement of air round the knight, which made Subaru wonder if his spirits had emerged. As Julius pushed into the way, Subaru took a few steps back, only able to stare into the darkness as despair filled him.
She was dead. Meili Portroute had died.
"She is…" Julius couldn't seem to finish that sentence, letting out an uncharacteristic noise of frustration. "Subaru, please, you have to be calm. I am going to contain the curse as best as I can–"
Meili had just died again, and Subaru couldn't do anything to stop it.
"I think when she succumbed to the magic, it was transferred to you since you were so close," Julius stated, putting his hands on Subaru's shoulder. "Even if I must suffer a similar fate, I will assist you."
The feeling of the girl's cold skin lingered in Subaru's mind. He was almost glad that he couldn't see her lifeless self as he fell to his knees, bringing his hands up to his face and his useless eyes, trembling with several thoughts compounding in his mind.
Am I going to be like this forever? Am I really this worthless? Can I even save anyone? Is there any reason to keep going? I should just end it and then I can… I can—
Julius sighed and knelt before him. "Subaru, I apologize. Please rest well. We will save you."
Before Subaru knew it, he felt an odd sensation of dreariness, and he fell over onto the floor, succumbing to a forced sleep…
Darkness.
"How has the search fared, Julius?"
"We have managed to search every person leaving and entering the city."
"No luck, huh…?"
"Damn… First the runt, now Subabro? Should we level this damned city already before more of us get attacked—"
"Calm, Ricardo. His condition has not worsened, but it seemed we had less than a day to help Meili."
Silence. Subaru could sense that those around him were looking down at him. He figured he must look pathetic, staring upwards blindly, with no will to move his body.
Wouldn't it be better if he died? If he could go back… If he could save Meili.
Even if it meant reliving everything and returning to that first day in the Capital. He could do it, he could surely—
"I want you.. to kill me."
A strange yet familiar woman's voice appeared in his mind. Subaru almost could've sworn he saw something shifting around in the darkness. He instinctively reached out towards it.
"Only you. Only you."
"He's awake," came Julius' voice. "Wait.. Please stand back, Lady! Captain!"
Subaru could hear shuffling as he slowly sat up, reaching towards someone within the darkness, their translucent figure seeming just out of his reach.
"I.. love you."
Then, all at once, the darkness became filled with intense agony.
When light returned to his world, Subaru winced, holding up a hand to shade his eyes from it. The gentle breeze that moved over him and the smell of fresh air were an instant relief to the suffocating blackness.
I… I'm… back…
Subaru pulled his hand away, seeing that the girl across the desk from him was giving him a worried look. He blinked at her, then looked around at the suite he was in.
"Subaru? I did not think that choice would cause ya' that much strife," Anatasia stated.
He looked at the girl again, lifting a shaky hand to rub at his eyes. He wasn't dreaming, this was real. He returned to that fateful choice two days prior… But why? Did his 'checkpoint' update, like in a video game?
"S-Sorry," Subaru said, quickly standing, the chair toppling over before he could stop it. He turned and made his way out of the room briskly, not looking back as he ran down the hall towards Meili's room.
Once at the door, he jostled the handle a few times, finding it locked. Letting out a frustrated noise, he brought his foot up to try and kick it in— But the noise of a lock moving could be heard, and the door slowly opened.
Meili peered out at him, raising an eyebrow at his odd pose.
"What are you… Should I even ask?"
Setting his foot down, Subaru smiled. "I… I…"
The girl looked him over, then opened the door wider. "You already look bad, did the Captain bully you or something..? Come on, Dumbaru."
He headed inside the room, memories of the terrifying events he'd lived through popping up in his mind. The girl walked over and sat at the desk chair near the bed, turning it to face him, crossing her arms.
"You know, they told me I can't leave the room," Meili said bitterly. "It's.. annoying."
Subaru reluctantly sat on the bed facing her, rubbing his forehead. He had wondered if dying was behind him, but here he was, faced with a potentially terrible future. The silver-lining was that there seemed to be time before Meili would be stricken by the curse.
Less than a day.. He had heard Julius say that. That meant that the attack might not happen for a couple of days. That was enough time, surely he could—
"Subaru.. You've got a scary look."
"Huh…" He focused on Meili again, seeing her worried olive eyes gazing at him. "Sorry, I'm just thinking…"
Meili had some knowledge about curses. She said her sister and the Assassin Organization as a whole utilized them, though he'd never seen the girl do something like that before.
"This is a little random, but.. Do you.. Er… Know about curses?"
Meili blinked at him. "That's.. a weird question." Seeing his pained expression, she nodded. "But I guess Subaru is a weird guy.. Yes, I know about them."
It was hard to keep it inside. He wanted to tell her what was going to happen, to simply avoid the imminent danger… But was it truly possible? When he tried to tell Julius on the carriage, something strange had stopped him.
Is Return by Death.. a curse?
The thought popped into his mind, and he clung to it. Just like how Meili's curse had spread to him after she died, maybe he had a curse that also activated upon death, resetting him back? It seemed more plausible than anything else he could think of. The ability itself, while having obvious uses, didn't erase the painful memories before dying, so it certainly seemed enough like a curse to Subaru.
"Then is there any way that a curse can… Like… Reverse time?"
"What.. No, are you a kid or something? I thought only kids believed in chrono magic and dumb make believe things like that," Meili berated him.
"Well, not exactly 'reverse', but…"
Here goes nothing—-
"Like… Say if someone were to return to life after they died, and–"
Instant regret. Subaru watched the world freeze around him, an miasma of dark mist flooding the room, leaving only a void of icy cold in its wake, not even thoughts able to process.
Something new happened this time, however. Subaru wasn't able to move his eyes, but he could see a dark hand move out from the mist at the corner of his eye, slithering inside of him, straight towards his heart.
Feeling the hand caressing his heart, Subaru could do nothing but feel the intense pain as it gripped and squeezed it.
"I… won't… forget."
As a strange voice whispered into his ear, everything returned to normal, leaving Subaru gasping and gripping at his chest.
"Agh— Dammit…" He looked up, seeing a terrified expression on Meili's face. "D-Don't worry, I…" He stopped as he noticed the girl in front of him covering her mouth and nose with her hands.
"S-Subaru…" Her voice was shaky. "Why… Why do you smell like the Witch?"
Confused, Subaru thought about the dark hand that had attacked him, and the woman's voice that he had heard. Did Meili actually know something about his curse? If so, then he had to take this opportunity to get as much knowledge as he needed– But she looked frightened about it, so he reconciled himself and quelled his own fears for the moment.
"Sorry, I… I don't know," he said. "Can you tell me about what you mean?"
Meili looked down at the floor, looking nervous. "It… Attracts demon beasts, so I know how bad it can be. I-I don't know why, but it's just the worst!"
Subaru nodded slowly. That didn't really shine any light on the subject. "Whose the Witch? Is it… The Witch?"
"The Witch of Envy, Satella."
Feeling goosebumps rise on his arm, Subaru rubbed it and gulped, remembering a bit of the story that Julius had told. "Right, Satella… So you think I smell like her? What's up with that?"
Before Meilie could explain further, a knock at the door made Subaru suddenly shoot up, turning towards it with a deathly expression. Confused, the girl shuffled past him and headed to the door, only to stop when he spoke again.
"Meili, don't–!"
The girl sighed and crossed her arms, looking back at him. "Why not?"
"Look ,the reason I asked about curses is.. I think there might be an Assassin here! In this city," he blurted out.
Her eyes widening, Meili backed away further from the door. "W-What makes you think that? Are you sure you're not just being overworked already..?"
Another knock. Subaru felt incredibly defensive and frightened, remembering the helplessness of being blind. He moved past the girl and suddenly flung the door open.
"Can you go away for one damn sec– Oh, Julius…"
The Knight gazed down at Subaru with a look of surprise at his outburst. The boy turned his head away, feeling ashamed at how he was acting… But could they blame him? Dying and coming back was incredibly stressful. He'd like to see them deal with it–
"Subaru… What are you doing?"
Julius narrowed his eyes at him. "I may have been incorrect in my assumptions, but since you seemed lost in this world, I had hoped for you to perhaps find a place here."
At first, Subaru wondered why he'd care about a city like Picoutatte that he barely knew– Then he realized what Julius meant by 'here': Amongst the Anastasia Camp. This assertion made Subaru feel even worse, but there was no way he was going to back down.
"Sorry, I… I can't," Subaru said, shaking his head. "I'm just here to protect Meili, otherwise, I…" He gulped. "I have no reason to be here."
For a moment, Julius stayed silent. Then he placed a hand at his chest and gave a slight bow, turning away.
"I see. I apologize for my assertions." With that, the Knight walked away, and Subaru slowly closed the door, clenching his fists tightly. He remembered his excitement at becoming part of the Iron Fangs, and what the future might hold because of it, and now…
"Subaru… What…"
Turning, he saw an unexpected look on Meili's face. The girl had backed away further from him, her eyes looking at him like he was a stranger, one that she should be wary of.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling off," Subaru said, giving the best grin he could as he rubbed the back of his head. "I know that they said you shouldn't leave, but we should look for this Assassin and–"
"There's… There's no we," Meili said, surprising Subaru. "I'm happy that you helped me and saved me in the Capital, but you're way too clingy. Are you really helping me for a different reason?"
"Hey, it's not like that," Subaru said, waving his hands innocently. "You're way too young for me! And you're the one who brought me into this crap."
The girl didn't seem swayed by his antics. Unsure of what to say, Subaru turned away, covering his mouth as a harrowing thought crossed his mind.
Damn, they don't know… How could they know? I must look like some crazy ass pervert or something!
Mentally kicking himself, Subaru opened the door to the room. "Sorry, I get it. Just… Just be careful, alright?"
He quickly left, not wanting to look at Meili right now. He felt terrible, nearly sick to his stomach. What was he doing? What was he supposed to do? Turning everyone around him away and making himself look stupid wasn't going to help, but at least it might keep everyone safe while he searched.
As long as I can make sure nobody dies… I'll play the damned villain for now!
With a determined expression on his face, Subaru walked right out of the Inn, beginning his search of the city.
Reminding him of his first day in the Capital, Subaru truly felt lost in Picoutatte on his own. While he hadn't gotten thrown out of any establishments yet, several merchants attempted to sway him with their wares, to the point that he almost couldn't walk a few feet without being talked to again.
Annoyed by this, he resorted to simply saying, "Broke," to every person that approached him, so that they'd get off his back.
Eventually, Subaru ended up in a part of town that seemed a bit more upscale, but with less people around. This was a relief, but it also meant that he'd probably see less suspects that could be the curse user.
Would they be wearing inconspicuous clothes? Or would they be flashy? He considered a dashing hooded rogue from a fantasy game, but that surely wouldn't be the case, especially since Meili and Elsa both looked like they didn't belong in such an organization. There was also the chance that the attacker had nothing to do with the Assassins– After all, while it wasn't officially announced yet, Anastasia Hoshin was part of the upcoming Royal Selection.
Subaru glanced over at the grand steps going up to a large mosque-looking building. A grand sign said something that he couldn't read, which was quite an annoyance. Luckily, someone exited the front doors and briskly made their way down the stairs towards him.
"Hey, sorry.. What is this place?" He pointed up to the sign.
The boy seemed to be about his own age, with gray hair and fair skin. Like others in the city, they wore a flowing garb of green, and a green hat of sorts atop their head. Their blue eyes slowly shifted from the ground over to Subaru, looking quite frustrated.
"Just a worthless place," they said in a shaky voice, before continuing on. Subaru watched them storm off, only more confused.
Great, that was helpful… Subaru silently cursed the useless denizens of the city.
"Brother…!"
Another person came down the steps. Their similar gray hair and more gentle appearance were much like the other, leading Subaru to believe they must be related, though this man held a short beard that indicated a difference in age. They stopped at the base of the stairs, watching their brother ignore them and continue on, and sighed.
"This is quite unfortunate… Hm?" They noticed Subaru standing nearby, and bowed their head lightly. "I apologize. Do you have business here?"
"Ah, not really. I was wondering what this place was? It's kinda lavish compared to everywhere else."
"I see. You are new to Picoutatte, then?" The man smiled firmly. "This is the Suwen Trading Company building, the finest traders in the Capital."
Suwen… That name rang a bell. Subaru had heard something about Anastasia doing business there. He noticed the person looking him over, likely analyzing his strange attire.
"I'm from pretty far away, I was just trying to find someone in this city," Subaru half-explained. "Do you happen to know where I can get some info on a person whose here?"
"Information? We certainly make trades for that," the man stated. Subaru raised an eyebrow.
"We…?" He looked towards the Suwen building, and it all clicked together at once.
"Indeed. I am Oslo Suwen, head of the Suwen Trading Company." The gray-haired man bowed. "Please, if you do wish to speak more, we can head inside, Mr…?"
"Subaru," he said, a bit stunned by this chance encounter. According to all the info he had, this was likely the person who needed those strange stones that Meili had stolen from Anastasia. If so, this was a rare opportunity to gather more info about many things.
"I see. I still have a small bit of time, so we can speak," Oslo stated. With a nod, Subaru followed him up the steps. The doors opened as they got close. "Stern? Where were you going?"
Subaru looked past Oslo, seeing a young boy who couldn't be more than Meili's age. He had long black hair that went down to his waist and curled around it slightly. His black eyes were slanted, and he seemed to wear a permanent scowling expression, looking up at the man.
"Otto won't get away with talking bad about my Master!"
"Master..?"
At Subaru's question, Oslo waved a hand and shook his head. "Please don't say things like that, or people will get the wrong idea…"
Stern made a low growling noise. His flowing white garb seemed mismatched with his personality, which made Subaru unable to help a smile from forming as he thought about Meili being an ill fit for the incredibly loud and proud Iron Fangs.
"What are you looking at?" Stern glared up at Subaru.
"Just wondering why I always meet so many angry brats–"
Stern suddenly kicked Subaru in the shin, making him lift his leg and let out a grunt of pain, holding onto it. Oslo rubbed his temple at this, shaking his head, before he gave the boy a hard chop on the top of his head, eliciting a yelp from the boy.
"Stern! You must return to your studies at once," the man demanded. "I will come to see your progress soon."
The boy rubbed the top of his head, looking upset at Oslo. Then he scowled at Subaru, who followed Oslo as he made his way to the door. Subaru stuck his tongue out at the boy, feeling a need to return the childish antics.
As he stepped into the building however, Subaru was surprised to hear a snicker. He looked again to see Stern grin widely suddenly, showing a mouth full of jagged teeth, out of sight of Oslo Suwen… But that wasn't the strangest thing, as the boy suddenly spoke words that made Subaru's body go deathly cold:
"You smell like a rat, Natsuki Subaru."
To Be Continued
Trick of the Trade
A/N: That's right! The first of hopefully not too many OC characters, serving the purpose of filling in the lack of characters in some parts of the world. What's up with them? Is it the obvious thing? Who knows! Either way, let the first true bit of Subaru suffering begin! Will he even be able to make it to the Royal Selection the same person he was when he arrived in Lugunica...?
Also don't worry, we'll get plenty of the Iron Fangs to come. I mean... It's practically in the Arc's title, "Iron-Blooded Beasts." This arc is practically purely fanmade, so let me know what you think as we go!~
