"What do we do? They're everywhere, there's nowhere we can run to! There's a fire between the east gate and here, and the rest of the city is—"
"Focus, Otto!" Subaru put a hand on the merchant's shoulder, pulling him back to his senses.
"If we lose our heads, we'll end up regretting it." He said, trying to force down his own fear. He needed to be calm, or else he might make a mistake. And he'd be…
Lying on the ground, blood staining his tracksuit, his insides pouring out from his stomach— No! I'm not going to die!
Otto nodded slowly, his face pale. "Yeah, you're right."
Subaru looked around at the surroundings. The park was still filled with families, most of whom had seen the smoke as well. Panic had started to spread, and most were leaving quickly.
"I think they're all coming from the civilian sections of the city." Otto said, examining the plumes more closely. "We can't see any out west, but the palace hill blocks our sight. If there are any on that side of the city, we'll know in a few minutes, as the smoke rises."
He took a deep, shuddering breath.
"I'm not sure what we should do. The capital hasn't been besieged in centuries. We don't even know what's going on."
He scanned the surroundings carefully.
"Watch out for me for a minute. I'll try and ask the wildlife to look around."
He looked up into the sky, and began mimicking birdsong.
Concern. Fear?
Luna circled around them protectively, looking around for the danger. She didn't seem to even register the smoke plumes. She didn't have the experience to see them as anything other than strange clouds.
"It'll be fine. Tell me if anyone approaches us from that side, okay?"
Subaru looked around himself. The park was slowly emptying, as people chose to seek the apparent safety of their homes.
"Well, it isn't just our side." Otto said. "The birds I've spoken haven't seen the entire city, but they said there's more plumes on the west. I would suggest we gather evacuees toward the noble district, but…" he trailed off.
"They won't let commoners in?" Subaru asked angrily. Damn nobles! Are they seriously going to just close the gates on people?
"It's not that." Otto denied. "There are provisions in the city's laws to allow everyone into the upper stratas in the case of an attack. But… it feels off."
He caught Subaru's questioning gaze. "It's just a feeling! But I can't see why anyone would attack! We have a temporary peace treaty with Vollachia, and Gusteko forces would have to pass through several checkpoints, there's no way either of them could be responsible. It could be mercenaries, but few of them are this suicidal."
He gestured to the smoke trails around them. "This is going to rouse the entire guard, and every uncontracted mercenary in the city is going to try and capture some of the attackers for reward money."
"A temporary peace treaty?" Subaru asked. "This 'Vollachia'… they wouldn't break it to seize the chance to strike a decisive blow?"
"They might." Otto admitted. "It does seem like something they would do. But the border is closed, and heavily guarded. We'd know if an army passed through there."
"Shit, so we don't know anything." Subaru racked his mind, searching for something that they could use, but the fear still building inside him wouldn't let up, torturing him with visions of his previous deaths.
"We could go back to our residence." He said at last. It wouldn't guarantee their safety, but leaving the situation to the better-experienced guards and knights seemed like the rational thing to do. But the fear gnawing at his heart disagreed. I need to run, to get far away from here, otherwise I'll…
"Yeah… That is probably the best idea." Otto said. "I'll ask the birds to scout ahead of us. We'll avoid anyone on our path who looks suspicious."
It was a stressful walk. No matter what he did, Subaru couldn't seem to calm down. It felt like monsters were creeping just out of sight, and his heart leapt in fright at every person he saw.
Everyone else seemed to feel similarly. Most avoided each other, but some argued in the streets, more and more people gathering to shout each other down.
Subaru and Otto gave those few a wide berth. Tensions were running high. It seemed like a riot might break out at any minute. Usually the guard would step in long before this point, but…
They're a little occupied at the moment. Why are these people being so stupid!? Can't they see the danger? An irrational hatred bubbled inside Subaru for a moment, and he wanted nothing more than to give that crowd a piece of his mind.
Anger? Sooth. Sooth. Luna's thoughts washed over him, clearing his mind a little.
"Thanks." He murmured, looking away from the crowd, and following Otto through a side street. "The situation must be getting to me." It'll be fine. The knights will be out in force soon, then they'll stop this.
A low rumble echoed over the buildings, and another plume of smoke rose in the north.
"That's near the main northern gate." Otto whispered. The city had gone unusually silent, as even with the large disputes blocking some streets, there were less and less people walking, and the sounds of commerce and ground dragons had vanished. "There's a lot of smoke in the direction of the south gate as well. Whoever the attackers are, they want people to be stuck inside the walls."
That had… troubling implications. Do they really think they can take out the entire city? Maybe we should be heading for an exit instead. But all the gates are under attack, so we can't get out. If we head into the noble district, towards Anastasia's mansion, we could take refuge there—
They stepped out onto the main street, a group of guards hurrying in their direction. They kept an eye on the two of them as they passed, but made no hostile moves.
"There's no one on the streets the rest of the way." Otto said. "It shouldn't take long to—"
A force hit Subaru like a truck, flattening him to the ground. His ears were ringing, and his vision swam.
Wha—? What just happened?
He lifted his head, sitting up unsteadily. The fear seemed to have been shocked out of him by the fall. Or perhaps he was simply delirious.
Concern! Danger!
Luna was the only thing he could really focus on. She was hovering right in front of him protectively, as if to shield him from something. She was gathering mana, but it wasn't like she could cast anything without Subaru's help. She couldn't get a handle on spells yet, not even shamak.
"Luna?" His voice was quiet. No, he could barely hear it over the ringing in his ears. "What is it? What hit us?"
Attack! Enemy! Danger!
Subaru tried to force his eyes to focus, to drive away the black spots on his vision. It was still blurry, but he could make out the street, the buildings, and… a dark smudge?
He blinked a few times, and looked again. Where the guard patrol had been, there was now a mass of smoking rubble, armoured bodies strewn everywhere.
A few of the guards were still alive, trying to fight a dark blur, streaking around the battlefield, and striking them from behind. But they were slowly closing ranks, driving the blur into a corner. It stopped for a second, and Subaru finally saw it for what it really was. A person, carrying two cross-shaped daggers, wearing robes that covered their entire body, with even the face masked.
It's an attacker! Subaru realised. That explosion just now… They're going after the guards? Are they targeting the defenders?
Just when the guards looked like they had the attacker cornered, a shard of ice hit one of them on the helmet, causing him to lose his footing. The attacker took the opportunity, and rushed out of the encirclement, a river of blood erupting from the guard's neck.
Subaru looked up, trying to see where the ice had come from.
He spotted the culprit immediately, standing tall on top of a building, framed against the pure blue sky. An attacker, judging from the dark robes, identical to the ones worn by the one on the ground. This one seemed to be in a sniping role, supporting the striker on the ground with long-range attacks.
The guards clearly didn't have a way to fight back. Subaru didn't see any of them carrying bows, and if any of them could use magic, they likely would have already.
That left only one option.
"Luna, help me with this." Subaru raised a palm towards the sniper.
"Paralak!"
A javelin of pure darkness appeared with a quiet crackling. One heartbeat.
The sniper's head moved slightly, as the javelin shot into the air. Two heartbeats.
Realising that dodging was impossible on the difficult footing of the slanted roof, he lifted a hand to block the blow, blue light forming a protective bubble. Three heartbeats. It's still not complete, it takes too long to cast properly.
The barrier formed too late, the javelin bursting through it and striking the attacker's arm. It burst into a cloud of blackness, wrapping around the limb like a snake.
The sniper shuddered, then collapsed, rolling down the slanted roof into the street below, hitting the ground with a sickening snap.
Did he just…? Is he…?
The attacker on the ground disengaged the guards, and charged Subaru. Shit! Luna hasn't gathered enough mana for a second spell! He reached inward towards his gate, and…
"Dona!"
Otto shouted, before Subaru could react, and a wall of earth erupted right in front of them. The attacker was almost upon them when it came up, and Subaru heard a dull thud, then a scream of metal on metal.
Otto fell back onto the ground, and the wall crumbled.
Two guards stood behind the attacker, both with swords held at the ready. The attacker had apparently only been able to block one strike.
The robes hadn't offered much in the way of defence. Without Otto's wall to hold him up, the attacker slumped to the ground, blood seeping onto the broken cobblestone.
Subaru's hearing finally returned fully, and without the sounds of fighting, he could hear the two guards breathing heavily.
The left one, the one who had landed the final strike, slowly sheathed his sword, and pulled up his visor, revealing a pair of pale blue eyes, with small tufts of golden hair peeking around the edge of his helmet.
He considered them for a minute, before reaching down a hand. "You two okay? You don't seem like mercenaries, but you really saved us there."
Subaru took it, and the guard pulled him up with little effort. "Yeah, we're merchants. We were trying to return to our residence."
He looked over to the other attacker, still lying where he had fallen. He felt an unease in his stomach, looking at the man splayed unnaturally on the pavement. "Is he…?"
"Dead." The guard answered. "Good riddance. Damned cultists."
Subaru's blood froze, the last words of his previous life echoing in his mind. "Die, Witch Cultist!"
"What did you say?" Subaru asked. "These were cultists?"
"Yeah. Those distinctive robes are what they wear. The daggers are also unique to them. The Witch's Cult is behind this attack."
"So, these are Witch Cultists." Subaru said, looking down at the body. A disgusted, irrational hatred rose up inside him. These people are the reason I lost my place with Emilia. It's because of them! It's all their fault!
He shook his head, trying to drive away the surge of emotion.
"Are you alright, Otto?" He asked, turning to look down at his companion. He was lying back on the ground. One of the guards knelling over him.
"Otto?" Subaru whispered. He wasn't moving. He's not moving. He's not… he can't be…
"He's alive." The guard reassured him, standing back up, and waving over at the others. "Hit his head in the fall, and that magic he cast can't have helped. I'd say he's got a concussion."
"Will he be alright?" Subaru was panicking, he knew. He needed to remain calm. Blood was pouring down the side of Otto's head, if he panicked, Otto might…
"It would be best if you accompany us to the guard station," the golden-haired guard said. "We have healers there. They can make sure he's alright. I'm Alexander, by the way. Second in command of this patrol."
He glanced back at the wounded guards, being tended to by those who could still move.
"Well, in command now, at least until we get the captain back to the station." He turned back to Subaru. "Forgive me for asking, but I couldn't help but notice your spirit, and that spell you used. Are you a spirit arts user?"
"Um, yeah." Subaru replied, dragging his gaze away from Otto. "I'm Subaru Natsuki. I haven't been through much training though."
"Better than any of us." Alexander said cheerfully. "If you can continue to use spells to support us, I'll be very grateful. We wouldn't have survived without your help."
Subaru flinched, and looked toward the cultist again. His spell had killed someone. It was an enemy, but for someone like Subaru, who had never killed in his life, never even been close to danger until a few months ago, it was a weight on his mind.
Alexander followed his eyes, and sighed. "First time taking a life?"
Subaru nodded, and the guard patted him on the shoulder. "I won't say don't worry about it, but try and keep it from affecting you until we get to the station."
Subaru hesitated, then nodded.
"It's a pretty bad injury." One of the other guards had come up to examine Otto, and his diagnosis was like a dagger to Subaru's chest. "Usually I wouldn't want to move him in this situation, but we don't really have a choice. Give me a few minutes, and I'll rig together to carry him with. Luckily the others don't have many serious injuries, we'll be able to move soon."
Alexander nodded. "Fine. Be quick, we don't know if the third one will come back."
"Third one?" Subaru asked. He scanned the rooftops. No one was there, but that didn't mean that one of the cultists wasn't watching them.
Watchful. Luna sent, assuring him that she'd warn him if she saw one of the robed figures.
"The one who put that hole in the street." Alexander replied, one hand resting on his sword. Now that Subaru was looking, he could see tell-tale signs of alertness in the man's behaviour.
"He flew out overhead, and threw a burst of fire at us. The other two came after, trying to finish us off. If they don't meet up, he might come back. Can you do use that same spell again?"
Subaru shook his head. "I can, but it takes a while to cast, and it's easy to dodge, if you see it coming. The only other two spells I know are Shamak, the blinding spell, and a ranged version of it. You'll get caught in it if you are nearby though. It causes you to lose your senses."
"That's fine." Alexander smiled. "I've got a pretty good resistance to mental magic, thanks to my divine protection."
Seriously, this guy has a divine protection as well? Are they actually really common or something?
"From the look on your face, you seem to have calmed down somewhat." Alexander commented. "That's the effect of my Divine Protection of Calming Words. It usually makes dispersing angry crowds easy, but today's events are really putting a strain on it."
Subaru realised the guard was right. He had calmed down, the incessant fear that had plagued him since he saw the smoke plumes fading to a slight murmur in his mind.
He still felt a deep, unsettling fear when he looked at Otto, now being tied to the back of the strongest looking guard with torn up cloth, securing his head carefully so it wouldn't be jostled about.
"Right, Mister Natsuki." Alexander said, "Please remain in the centre of the formation. If we're attacked, please blind the enemy."
They started moving, leaving most of the dead where they lay. Subaru was flanked by two guards, who had pulled out small crossbows. They kept their eyes on the rooftops as the patrol advanced into the city. Luna hovered close to his head, right beside his cheek. If he turned his head too quickly, he'd probably hit her with his nose.
Subaru could feel her reflexively checking his gate every so often, making sure he was still full of mana. Not that running out would be an issue, so many spells had been cast in the city that the air was full of mana, far more than the two of them could ever use up at their level of skill.
Subaru felt mildly anxious as the patrol moved further and further away from his and Otto's apartment, but every word Alexander spoke soothed it away.
He kept talking, trying to keep morale up, and mostly succeeding. While his divine protection didn't make their situation any less stark, it did take away the terror that seemed to dwell in the atmosphere.
Subaru caught glimpses of people peeking out through their windows, drawing back like shadows when he looked at them.
"We're almost there." Alexander called out. "Just past this market square. Keep an eye on the stalls, I wouldn't put it past these cultists to lay an ambush for us."
They moved quickly, a small vanguard fanning out in front of the group, checking the stalls as they went. Subaru watched them closely, ready to start casting the instant one of them raised the alarm.
But it wasn't a guard that spotted the enemy first.
Danger! Behind!
Subaru whirled around at Luna's warning, the two guards with the crossbows catching on and turning.
A robed cultist stood on top of the building, arm held above his head, an ember of fire growing in his hand, getting larger and larger…
In that split second, Subaru knew he'd never be able to stop the cultist with paralak, and that the crossbows being raised wouldn't kill the cultist before the fireball came down on them.
Acting almost on instinct, he reached out to Luna with his mind, and poured the mana she had gathered into a spell.
"Fal Shamak!"
He cast without gestures, without even lifting his hand, which bought him an extra second, but the resulting ball of black smoke was smaller than what Subaru could usually create. It was still powerful enough for his purposes.
It shot out, and exploded between them and the cultist, obscuring line of sight for both groups.
"Get away!" Subaru shouted, diving away from the group.
The fireball flew out of the cloud, exploding in the space they had been standing, but luckily, Subaru's warning had been enough to allow them to get to safety. A few of the nearby stalls were set alight, throwing up smoke.
A single crossbow answered the spell, lashing out into the darkness. They held still, the injured moving further back to seek cover behind the stalls, one crossbow trained on the fading smoke cloud.
Alert!
Subaru felt Luna's warning, and turned to look at the buildings to their left. The cultist ran quickly over the rooftops, trying to get a clear shot for another spell.
"Fal Shamak!"
The black ball missed terribly, so much so that the cultist didn't even bother to dodge it. The explosion of black smoke didn't even graze him, only making him slow down slightly.
That was enough. The second crossbow bolt hit the cultist in the side, and he stumbled, falling off the building.
One of the guards rushed over, and finished the job with a swing of his sword.
"Good work." Alexander came up behind Subaru, clapping his back. "You've got good instincts. Ever thought about becoming a guard? We could use people like you."
Subaru looked away from the body bleeding out on the ground, focusing on Alexander's helmet. "Eh, no thanks. I'm just a merchant."
"A merchant? If most merchants could do that, I doubt we'd be having a problem with this attack." Alexander said, scanning the rooftops briefly. "We should get inside, and have someone look at your friend."
The station had a dedicated medical wing, currently filled to the brim with injured, both guards and civilians the patrols had picked up.
Luna didn't like the tension in the air, so she faded away, leaving Subaru with her feelings of concern and reassurance.
As soon as they laid Otto in a bed, a healer came to his side, and an orb of blue light appeared in her hand. It shone on his head, and his wounds started closing up.
"I'm very sorry, but could you wait outside?" she asked Subaru. "We don't have enough space in here for visitors at the moment."
Subaru wanted to object, but he had seen the crowd of civilians in the waiting room. If they were allowed to wait by the bedsides, there wouldn't be any space for the healers to do their work.
He left, a sense of despair welling up inside him. There's nothing I can do, again! I helped build a company, and I'm become somewhat influential, but it all means nothing!
He grit his teeth, as he came to the unfortunate truth of his life in this world. When push comes to shove, all I'm capable of doing is running away and letting others do the hard work.
Alexander was talking to a couple of guards in the waiting room. He spotted Subaru and gestured for him to approach. Subaru didn't feel like dwelling on his uselessness, so he decided to take advantage of the guard's invitation. He strode up to him as he finished his conversation with the other guard.
"Ah, Mister Natsuki." He seemed pleased to see him. "Don't worry about your friend. Silvianne is the best healer here."
He guided them both to a wall, away from the crowd. "I was hoping we could trouble you a bit longer. Could you send your spirit out to keep an eye outside the station? We're not really sure how long this attack will go on for, since our communication mirrors aren't working. Either the cult has some kind of magic to disrupt them, or the mirrors at headquarters have been damaged."
"I've only got one spirit, but she'll be happy to help." Subaru said. "It's a sunny day though, she won't like to be out for long."
He reached out for Luna, and she responded instantly. When he explained the task, she only sent a feeling of determination.
"She's doing it." He said. "What about the palace? Are the candidates alright?"
"We don't know. When the mirrors were still working, the station received a missive stating that the Royal Candidates were the likely targets of this attack. For that reason, the knights in the palace haven't been dispatched to help put down the attack. Unfortunately, the captain of the knights isn't in the city, and the vice-captain resigned recently for the duration of the selection, since he's working for one of the candidates, Lady Hoshin, if I remember correctly. The chain of command is in tatters."
Anastasia recruited the vice-captain? It must have happened quite recently, if Otto never told me about it. And…
"The captain?" Subaru asked, thinking of the burly green-haired man. While Luna didn't like him, he certainly appeared to be a capable knight. Otto had said he was second only to Reinhard. "Wasn't he overseeing the royal selection? I didn't hear anything about him leaving the city."
Alexander frowned. "Now that you mention it, he was here for the selection, wasn't he? There's no one else ranked high enough to oversee the proceedings. But he spends so little time in the city, I thought…" He trailed off, rubbing his temple.
He shook his head. "Regardless, the palace should be safe. The royal candidates are well guarded, and they are formidable in their own right. Lady Crusch once drove off the Great Rabbit, Lady Anastasia is accompanied by the former vice captain, and… Lady Emilia has contracted a great spirit." There was a hint of hesitation as he mentioned Emilia's name, though it seemed to be out of confusion, rather than fear of her.
"What about the last one?" Subaru asked. "She doesn't get glowing accolades?"
Alexander pulled out his deliberations to give Subaru a bemused look. "Lady Felt is of course, supported by the Sword Saint. However, since neither of them are in the city, I didn't see fit to mention them."
"Eh? No, what about the fifth candidate?" Subaru asked. "I can understand trying to pretend she doesn't exist, since she's so damn arrogant, but shouldn't she be protected as well?"
"Fifth candidate?" Alexander asked. "What fifth candidate? The dragon stone only mentioned four."
Subaru frowned. "What? Are you pulling my leg? I was there at the selection meeting, I saw her myself. Prissy Barry-elle or something."
"Do you mean Barielle?" Alexander paused. "That actually makes sense. There was a rather strange city-wide announcement that a small contingent of knights was being sent out to protect the Barielle manor. As far as I know, it's been unoccupied since the old lord died. Perhaps they were sent to protect this supposed 'fifth candidate'."
He shook his head. "I don't see why they didn't announce her existence though. They should have at least made posters, like they did for the other candidates."
Yeah, it is strange. Subaru thought. I was pretty sure they weren't keeping her secret. Otto didn't mention anything about that, and he's been following the selection news closely.
Someone shouted, and Subaru looked over to see what was going on. Some of the civilians had started arguing vehemently with each other, and the guards were stepping in to break it up.
These idiots are no better than the ones outside. Honestly, why is everyone in the city being so…
He stopped, as an unsettling thought occurred to him.
He examined the other people in the waiting room carefully. They were scared, which was understandable, but every minute they spent in the room only seemed to make the atmosphere worse, despite being in one of the most protected buildings in the city. Even the guards were starting to get snappy with each other.
"Hey, Alexander…" he started slowly. "This might sound strange, but are there any wide area fear spells? Ones that could cover an entire city?"
"Eh?" Alexander considered the question for a moment, then followed Subaru's gaze, his eyes hardening.
"By the dragon. I thought something seemed strange." Alexander murmured. "You think this is the work of the witch's cult?"
"It might be." Subaru said. Now that he was considering it, he could practically feel the weight pressing on his mind like a parasite. But becoming aware of it seemed to make it easier to resist.
Alexander drew in a deep breath, and then strode forward. "Everyone listen up!" His voice bellowed through the station, quieting the petty squabbling. "There is a possibility that the witch's cult is using a powerful spell to cause everyone in the city to feel a sense of fear and anger."
His voice, laced with the power of his divine protection, seemed to dispel the clouds of darkness hanging over the room. Faces lit up with understanding, and nervous fidgeting stilled.
"I ask everyone to remain aware of this effect, and to try and keep your wits about you. The protectors of Lugunica will not allow this affront to our city to stand! Please trust in us."
The civilians voiced their affirmation, too quiet and restrained to call it cheering. At least they seem to be better. It must be a spell of some kind, if becoming aware of it can make you less affected.
The healer that had been tending to Otto came out of the hallway leading to the medical room, and approached Subaru and Alexander.
"How is Otto? Is he…?" Subaru asked anxiously.
"Your friend is stable, for now," she replied, "but there's not much more we can do. This station doesn't keep a staff of healers with the level of skill required to treat his injuries properly. Usually we would send for one from the knights, but with the situation in the city…"
"Isn't there something you can do?" Subaru asked, his fear building once more, and this time it wasn't because of any cultist spell. "Is he going to be alright?"
"He'll be fine for a few hours." The healer said. "But past that, it will be difficult. I'm told he cast a spell right after the injury. He's exhausted his mana reserves, which leaves much less for us to work with. If too much foreign mana is used to heal a head injury, it can be even worse than just leaving it. He needs to see a very talented healer, and soon."
Alexander put a hand on Subaru's shoulder. "Thank you, Silvianne. I understand, and I'll keep that in mind."
Subaru tried to relax his breathing as the healer walked away.
"Don't worry, Mister Natsuki." Alexander said. "I'm bringing a team with me to get reinforcements from headquarters. We'll bring a healer back with us. Your friend will be fine."
A team to…
"I want to come." Subaru said instantly.
Alexander frowned. "While I appreciate the sentiment, Mister Natsuki, I can't drag a civilian into this. It would be remiss of me in involve you in such dangerous events."
"I'm already involved!" Subaru protested. "And I can be useful! How many other magic users do you have available?"
Alexander winced. "None I can afford to take along. But that is a seperate matter. We'll have more archers with us this time, and a better grasp on the cultists' tactics."
"Then I'll just follow along behind you." Subaru said. He barely understood why he felt so strongly about going, but the idea beat stubbornly in his heart. This time I can do something. I don't to run away and leave things to the guards. I've practiced so much with Luna so that I wouldn't have to. Otto needs help, and I'm not going to just abandon him!
Alexander sighed. "If you put it like that… you can accompany us. But you'll have to obey the chain of command. Follow my instructions, and if something happens to me, follow my second. Do you understand?"
Subaru nodded.
It didn't take long for the group to be ready. The patrol had a total of six crossbowmen, with two swordsmen each at the front and back of the formation.
Subaru walked beside Alexander, Luna hovering overhead. She was defying the sunlight to get a better look at the rooftops, so she would be able to warn them of cultist ambushes.
Subaru didn't want her to push herself, and almost called her down. But if there's any time to push yourself, it would be now. I'll make her rest later.
Their preparations and caution seemed superfluous, as they didn't run into any cultists. Even the smoke plumes seemed to have stopped springing up, the ones already there casting long shadows over the city.
They almost reached the entrance to the middle strata, and still nothing came. Subaru felt a prickling down his spine.
Where did they all go? What are they up to?
"I don't like this." Alexander whispered to the group. "There's no birdsong. Stay alert, they could be—"
Five daggers flew from the shadow of a building, but two of the guards raised shields, deflecting them with a series of dull thuds. Three crossbows twanged in response, and two cultists went down, the last ducking behind a building before the bolt hit.
"Natsuki! Cast that blinding spell down down the alley behind us." Alexander said.
Subaru hesitated only briefly, before pointing and shouting, "Fal Shamak!"
The alleyway filled with smoke, and from the sounds of crashing and the dull thumps of bodies hitting the floor, the spell had foiled another attempted ambush. Subaru hadn't realised it before, but Fal Shamak did very well against moving targets. Suddenly losing vision, and more importantly, sense of balance, played havoc on a person's ability to walk properly.
"Keep moving!" Alexander ordered. "We need to get out of this maze of buildings. The middle strata is just ahead, we'll turn and engage there."
They moved quickly, Subaru creating smokescreens as Alexander saw fit. They lost one crossbowman to a flurry of icicles, and one swordsman was wounded holding off two cultists before the crossbows could take them out.
Despite the interference they reached the middle strata mostly intact, though winded. They advanced slowly, waiting for another ambush.
The minutes passed, but no further attacks came. The middle strata was mostly home to noble manors, and the occasional park. The wide open spaces with few hiding spots didn't seem to fit the cult's style of striking from ambush.
"We'll start moving faster." Alexander decided. "We need to get to a main road in order to get into the upper strata. It'll be safer if we go through—"
He cut off with a gasp.
Blood splashed over Subaru's face, and Luna cried out, Danger! Danger!
Two of the crossbowmen were dead, their heads reduced to bloody mist.
Alexander's shield was broken, lying in pieces at his feet. "Natsuki, cover us!" He shouted, as crossbows answered the attack.
"Shamak!"
The air around them was replaced by a sea of black smoke.
The sounds of battle vanished, leaving Subaru in a world of void. He struggled against the emptiness. He needed to get out, to save Otto. If he didn't then… then…
He gasped, and ducked to the side, still in the cloud. He was pretty sure he was supposed to find cover, but he couldn't remember the layout of the street. Had their been a manor nearby? He thought he saw a fence-line somewhere nearby.
The spell drifted apart, revealing a gruesome scene. Over a dozen cultists lay dead around him, blood pooling from sword strikes or the crossbow bolts still embedded in their bodies.
But most of the guards had joined them on the ground, only two still standing.
"Natsuki! Run! Use your spells—"
A fireball hit the ground at Alexander's feet, and the world went white.
He felt pain.
There was a pain in his head. Had he hit it? No, it had been Otto who had hit his head. Otto needed help. Subaru needed to get help. He needed to get up.
He blearily opened his eyes. His vision was swimming, and there was a slight echo to the sounds. His hands were bound by manacles, chained to the wall behind him.
"Ah, how marvellous, how splendid, how truly spectacular! To think there would be such diligence amongst our foes, to industriously seek to fulfil their duties! How did such a thing come to pass!?"
Subaru looked up, seeing a pale, thin man, framed by the shadows of the room. He stood abnormally straight, his arms tucked behind his back. He had green hair, and a maddened look in his eyes, like they were portals to the depths of insanity contained within the man's mind.
"Oh, you're awake?" The jubilant glee faded from his voice, as the man bent down at an impossible angle, to look Subaru directly in the eyes. "I'm curious to know, are you perhaps Pride?"
Subaru drew back, leaning against the wall in an attempt to create distance between him and this madman. "Who are you? What did you do to my friends?" An irrational anger rose up in his mind, doubtlessly fed by the power of the cult's fear spell.
"Ah, yes. I've been very rude, haven't I? I have not yet introduced myself." He drew himself up to his full height, taking a large step backwards. He bowed down, head barely above the floor.
"I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing Sloth, Petelgeuse Romani-Conti!"
"Sin Archbishop—?" Subaru asked. Now that he mentioned it, the man was clearly wearing the same robes as the rest of the cultists they had fought that day, but he didn't have the mask over his head.
"Indeed. Are you not one yourself?" The man stood upright, and began pacing around the room. Subaru tried to look around through the darkness. They seemed to be in some kind of basement, judging from the stone walls and lack of windows.
"The Witch's love hangs dearly over you, I cannot imagine you are unrelated to the Trial. Of the seats of the Witch's Cult, only one remains vacant, so I'll ask again. Are you, in fact, the Sin Archbishop of Pride?"
Subaru recoiled. "No! I've got nothing to do with you freaks! Where are my friends? What did you do with—"
Subaru cut off, as the memories returned to him, the guards lying in their own blood, Alexander's face as the fire spell engulfed him.
"Truly? Truly, truly, truly truly truly?" Petelgeuse leaned in, his face mere inches from Subaru's. "You truly do not posses a copy of the gospel? How strange, how unbelievable, how positively absurd! Tell me, if that is the case, why does the Witch's love hang so thickly over you?"
"Witch's…" A hint of unease wormed its way into Subaru's heart. Does he mean the Witch's scent?
"So you don't even know this much!" He cradled his head in his hands, leaning backwards so far that he should have fallen over, yet somehow his feet remained firmly planted on the floor. "Ah, my brain, it trembles, trembles, trembles!"
He paused, his voice losing the emotion it had contained, "Though, this changes little. A test laid out before me, before the Trail can begin. There is no mention of you in the gospel, so I will simply leave you bound here. If you accept the witch into your heart, the gospel will find its way to you, and you shall be saved! Should you instead choose to practice Sloth, you shall perish!"
"Gospel? And what trail? What are you planning to do!?"
Petelgeuse stopped at the door, sparing him a glance.
"Ah, you seek to learn more despite the precariousness of your situation? How diligent! I'm sure the gospel will eventually find its way into your hands. Then, all will become clear."
"Stop! You bastards, what are you planning!? Get back here!"
There was no reply. Subaru was left alone in the room, the minutes silently going by with only his thoughts for company. Those thoughts tortured him with his failures, and his inadequacies. The fear spell was weighing heavily on him, but Subaru didn't have the strength to fight it. His anger turned to fear, which turned to dread.
Alexander was dead. Otto would join him unless he could get out. Subaru shivered. If that happened…
It would be a last resort, but I could… I would have to…
His breathing hitched. No! I don't even know if I can still return by death. Maybe it was only for making sure I wouldn't screw up on my first few days in this world. It's been over two months, so I'm well out of that range.
If I return again, I would… I couldn't take it!
An involuntary gasp escaped him, dread turning to despair. It was always a possibility that he would die during the attack, but until now, it didn't feel real. I have to focus. I can still get out, save Otto, and live. I need to escape these chains.
He examined them closely, forcing his negative emotions to the side. The chains were rusty, and the rings nailed into the wall weren't of the best quality, but when he tugged on them experimentally, they held firm. He tried to pry the manacles open one-handed, but that offered even more resistance.
Subaru grabbed one of the chains with both hands, and put all his weight into trying to rip one of the rings out of the wall. There was no give at all, and the poorly maintained metal dug painfully into his palms.
"I can't even use magic to bust out." Yin magic only covered debuffs, and Subaru had never bothered to study mana enhancement. That was an oversight he was sorely regretting now, since his ordinary human strength would never loosen the chains that held him captive.
Found! Safety! Scary!
Luna flew into the room from through the ceiling, with the spiritual equivalent of crying in relief.
"Luna? Are you alright? What happened?"
Luna shook slightly. Take! Scary! Hide!
Subaru struggled to make sense of the feelings and impressions she sent him.
"They kidnapped me, and you saw something scary, so you had to hide?"
Luna bobbed rapidly.
"I see. Do you know where they put the key for this? Er, a key is like a small metal stick. It's about this big, and should fit in this hole here."
Luna hesitated in the air, clearly confused by his words. …Find stick?
Subaru sighed. "Never mind. Do you think you lead someone here? Someone friendly, who could help."
Luna sunk down, dejected. Empty.
She conveyed the feelings of deserted streets, of animals hiding from from the terrors of the night.
But immediately, she perked back up. Friend!
Before he could ask what she meant, she disappeared through the ceiling again, leaving Subaru alone once more.
As the moments stretched on, Subaru once again started trying to get out of his predicament, pulling futilely on the rings in the wall. While he didn't think he'd be able to accomplish anything, he didn't want to let his mind start wandering again.
He had almost exhausted himself by the time Luna came back, accompanied by a glowing red speck.
"Um, hello." Subaru said. "Are you a fire spirit? Luna, when I said I needed help, I kind of meant a person…"
The fire spirit conveyed disapproval, turning away as Luna tried to console it.
"Um, I didn't mean any offence." Subaru said. "But I'm not sure you'll be able to help me with this. I need to get out of this chain."
The spirits looked at the chain.
Open?
"I don't think either of you can open this, Luna."
He sighed. If they were spirits capable of taking physical from like Puck or Beatrice, they might be able to find the key, but a pair of minor spirits wouldn't be able to move anything.
"Wait, Puck was a fire spirit, wasn't he?" Subaru said, as an idea occurred to him. "Could you create ice as well as fire?"
The fire spirit did its best impression of an aloof shrug.
"Could you make a contract with me, temporarily? I think I might be able to get out with your help."
The fire spirit instantly refused, floating away from him.
Before it could get far, Luna started pleading with it. After some discussion between the two of them, it grudgingly came closer, and Subaru felt a temporary contract slide into the back of his mind.
"Thanks so much!"
The fire spirit flushed, giving of the distinct feelings of "Well, I didn't do this for you, dummy!"
"Let's see," Subaru raised a hand at one of the chains. He pictured an inferno, hot enough to engulf an entire forest. "I've never done this before, but I think the word is… Goa!"
A small bead of fire shot out from his index finger, turning the few chain links it hit red-hot.
"Ah! That took so much mana, just for a little spell! I really wish I practiced fire magic! Alright, so if I remember correctly, heating and cooling metal makes it fragile. I don't actually know the ice word, since Emilia never bothered to say it. Um, let's see…"
So long as he pictured ice, it shouldn't really matter what word he used, but he felt like using the correct incantation would be better. Julius had shot ice that one time in the loot house, hadn't he? What word did he use then? Syl something, wasn't it?
"Oh, right. Huma!"
A small shard of ice hit the chain, throwing up sparks. The metal cooled rapidly, as ice spread over the point of impact, sizzling and cracking.
"This looks like it will work." The negative feelings at the back of his mind seemed to withdraw in the face of his success. "Luna, could you help gather mana? I'm going to need to do this a few times."
She bobbed, and began circling the room, funnelling mana over to the fire spirit.
"I should give you a name, shouldn't I?" Subaru said, in between spells. "I'll think over it, then you can hang out with us!"
The fire spirit harrumphed, turning its attention back to gathering mana.
"Hey, don't be like that! You really have a tsundere personality, just like another spirit I know. Though, thinking back on it, Beatrice really might have only been helping Puck."
After a dozen rounds of casting those two spells, both chains were riddled with flaws. Subaru pulled on one, and one of the links cracked in half, the ends falling on the floor.
The other one wasn't so easy, Subaru had to hit it with another round of spells before he was free of it. By then, the mana in the room had been completely exhausted, so Luna was having to make trips through the ceiling, bringing mana down for him to use.
The chains dangled from his arms as he walked, so Subaru had to be careful to keep them from clinking too loudly. Luna flew ahead of him, passing though the wall into the next room.
Empty!
He carefully opened the door, glancing out. As Luna had said, the room was deserted. There was a small table and two chairs, beside a stairway leading upwards. He couldn't hear anything from above. It was utterly silent.
He crept forward, eyeing the table. On top of it was a deck of playing cards, and a small metal key.
This can't be the key to the manacles, can it? They wouldn't have just left it here.
He tried it, and to Subaru's shock, the manacles opened.
"Wow." Subaru said quietly, "They were so competent with the attack, I assumed they wouldn't make stupid mistakes like this."
The fire spirit bobbed in agreement.
He crept upstairs, trying not to draw attention to his escape.
The walls on the ground floor had been filled with gaudy-looking paintings, framed in gold and silver
Well, we were in the middle strata when they caught me, which is mostly estates for nobles and the rich. It looks well maintained. No dust anywhere. How long has the cult been here? Did they kill the previous occupants to take over the house to use as a base of operations?
He couldn't hear anything, so he quietly followed Luna as she led him to the door. She and the fire spirit kept a lookout, but the manor seems to be deserted.
They reached the front door without issue. There was nobody in sight, and there were no sounds of any kind, giving the capital an eerie, almost abandoned look. The sunny sky had become overcast, and a blast of cold air greeted him as he exited the building. He shivered, and for once, it wasn't because of the fear still gnawing at his heart.
He looked up at the palace, a landmark that was clearly visible no matter where in the city he stood.
"From the direction it's facing, it looks like we're still in roughly the same area." He muttered to himself. "Alright, let's go. We need to hurry, to get that doctor. We also should warn the knights about that Sloth guy."
He shivered. It had become very cold all of a sudden. Luna and the fire spirit were also quivering. "What's wrong? Are you two alright?"
They were afraid. Subaru couldn't understand why. Luna hadn't been affected by the fear spell so far. "Wait, is there no mana in the air? What's going on?"
Before he could question them further, he heard a rumbling from the direction of the palace.
He turned, just in time to witness the entire structure collapse, an explosion of icy shards ripping through the walls.
He briefly caught a glimpse of a shockwave of frigid air, and then the fear spiked inside him, and he was scared and cold and scared and cold and scared and cold and scared and cold and…
Warm.
He blinked, lowering his hand from his eye.
No…
The sun shone brightly overhead, in stark contrast to the clouds Subaru had just seen.
No, it can't… I can't have…
The streets were filled with the sounds of commerce, and Subaru could see dragon carriages trudging through the streets.
He turned desperately, trying to see if Otto was somewhere behind him. It's a trick! I'm not really… I'm… I'm…
He reached out for his contract with Luna…
…and felt nothing.
"Ah." He collapsed onto the ground, catching sight of the plastic bag of groceries, with the late night purchase he had made months ago, on his last day on Earth.
"Ah ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" He laughed madly. The people around him drew back, avoiding contact with what appeared to be someone having a mental breakdown, but Subaru didn't care.
He had tried, he had suffered, and yet he had failed.
He had died once more.
And had come right back to the start, for the sixth time.
He picked himself up before anyone called for the guards. He didn't need to deal with them, on top of everything else. And worse, if Alexander was one of the guards there…
Subaru knew he'd break down. He had been willing to let him remain dead, just so he could continue living. Was that choice wrong? Was he being punished for his selfishness? He reached out for Luna, but she wasn't there.
He moved through the streets and into the alleys in a daze. What now? Do I just run? Leave this country far behind, and start a new life somewhere far away?
Faces flashed through his mind. Otto, Gertha, Julius, and even Anastasia. If he left, then they could all die. That ice weapon the cult had used at the end…
Even Julius wouldn't survive that.
Subaru reached out for Luna again, a futile effort, but he couldn't stop himself. It was like picking at a scab that hadn't healed yet, it hurt every time, yet he had to continue.
Emilia's face appeared in his mind, and Subaru felt his heart clench. Those madmen were targeting her. Did no one think the cult might attack the capital? Why was everything left so undefended? Why didn't anyone think to get the knights organised, instead letting the captain go wandering off!? Why!? Why why why why why—
"Well what do we have here?"
Subaru looked up. The three stooges stood in front of him, trying to project a menacing aura. Compared to the Sin Archbishop, they were nothing but children, playing pretend.
"Hand over all your valuables, and we'll let you go on your way."
"My valuables?" Subaru whispered, his rage building up, seeking some kind of release. "You see me, and that's the first thing that comes to mind?"
The large thug seemed to have realised something was wrong. "Hey, guys? This one looks like trouble. Maybe we should back off."
"What? Are you crazy?" The middle one said, "He looks like a noble, we'll be able to extort him easy."
Subaru laughed, but it wasn't a laugh of humour. It was filled with despair, with anger at his situation.
All three of them took a step backwards, caught off-guard by his behaviour.
"You want to rob me? You think you can threaten me, after all I've been through!?"
He laughed again, raising his hand, and pointing directly at the middle thug.
"Well, come on! Let's see who's tougher!"
He reached out for Luna, but there was nothing there.
"Wait, we've clearly made a mistake." The thug tried to deescalate, raising his hands, and backing away further. "If we all just calm down—"
"Paralak!"
A black spear of darkness shot out from his finger, striking the middle thug in a crackle of black lightning, as Subaru cast the spell properly for the very first time. He could feel his gate protest under the strain, both from casting a spell it could barely handle, and from him forcing it to keep some mana back.
The middle thug collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Chin!" The big one scooped him up, and ran like hell, the small one close on his heels.
Subaru fell to his knees, cackling like a madman. But those laughs soon turned to sobs, and he collapsed, cradling his head in his hands.
Otto, Luna, Emilia everyone's gone… they've left me again. How many times!? How many times am I going to be left on my own?
He reached out for Luna…
…and he felt a feeling of mild curiosity, of concern, and of caution.
He whipped his head up, and there, hovering directly in front of him in the shadowy alley, was a small speck of darkness.
"Luna," he breathed.
She hung there, not coming closer, and yet not leaving either.
"I…" he swallowed. "I am… I was… a friend. But I don't suppose you remember that."
She sent him a feeling of apology, coming a tiny bit closer.
"No, it's not your fault. I did something stupid, that I knew would cause trouble, and it backfired, just like I should have expected. Though even if I did nothing, I suppose the result would have been the same."
He laughed wryly, making his throat hurt. He had cried so much, he had exhausted it.
"I had so much fun. I fit in, and not like back home. I was myself, and no one expected anything from me."
He started sobbing again. He couldn't stop himself.
"I want those days back! Where we were contracted, where Otto helped me with my crazy schemes, even where Julius would train me!" The floodgates open, he started spilling out all the other wishes he had kept bottled up. "I want to be by Emilia's side, to see her smile! I wanted to be a part of the manor! I want to be friends with everyone! They took that from me! That girl, and that damn cult!"
He grit his teeth, looking back up at Luna. She was still there, hovering just in front of his head.
"I'm sorry, I'm probably not making much sense, am I?" Subaru sniffed. "And you can't understand anyway. That's probably why I'm able to say so much, isn't it?"
He shook his head. "I don't know what to do. I want to help save everyone, but if I fail…"
I'll be sent back here again. He didn't voice the last part. He didn't want to test the Witch's patience.
"You can go if you want. I'll be fine. I just need to sell this." He pulled out his cellphone, showing her it light up. "I know a few more merchants this time. I can get a way better price for it. Anastasia was really hard on me, she made sure Otto taught me which merchants were trustworthy."
Luna was ignoring him. She seemed to consider something in his words, and Subaru felt a mild sense of fear. If she figured out return by death, would the Witch punish him? Would he even care if she did?
Slowly, she drifted closer, and bopped him on the nose.
A weight crashed onto his shoulders, like a mountain descending from heaven.
Subaru's eyes widened in recognition. He knew this feeling.
"You want a contract with me?" He whispered, his lips quivering. "But you don't even know me! You haven't bonded with me, you only met me a minute ago! What makes you so sure you aren't making a mistake? How do you know you really want to contract with someone like me?"
The contract remained unchanged, clinging to his shoulders like she had him trapped in a comforting embrace.
"I…" He thought back to the days where they had sold mayonnaise together, when Luna had stolen mana from him to keep looking around.
"I…" He remembered the times they had discussions about Otto right in front of him, while he was trying to work.
"I…" He thought back to their training, when they had worked together to create their custom spells, laughing as they filled the yard with smoke.
"I accept." He broke down crying, the tears flowing freely.
Sooth. Sooth.
Luna gently radiated the feelings, but Subaru couldn't stop.
Out of all those who had left him behind, who had left him alone in the world…
One had come back for him.
AN: And done! This has been my favourite chapter so far. It seems the longer they are, the more I like them. That last scene might have been a bit overly dramatic, but it's one I've been looking forward to writing.
I've got a name I want to give to the fire spirit in future, but trying to get Subaru to realistically name a spirit after something other than a star or astronomical body is a headache. I think I've got a way to do it though.
In other news, I watched the new Evangelion movie. I'm shocked. I really wasn't expecting it to actually be a satisfying conclusion to the franchise. Go figure.
Next week's chapter will probably be shorter than normal. I'm going to try and rewrite some of the earlier scenes that don't work as well as they could, and maybe start crossposting to other sites.