Chapter II:
A Bump in the Night
The trio had spent hours traversing the city in search of the girl, only to find themselves resting on a balcony overlooking the sprawling metropolis. Subaru had promised to help this girl, but he'd had almost no luck thus far. All he could think of now was to get to high ground and scan the rooftops in case the thief was still up there.
"This city is massive," Subaru sighed. "This is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"It's the capital of Lugunica. You didn't even know that?" She paused, looking at him as though she'd forgotten something.
"That's right!" the floating kitten declared. "We haven't even asked for your name yet! We probably should have introduced ourselves by now."
"Of course, I probably should have done that hours ago," Subaru said, standing up from the step he'd been resting on. "My name is Corporal Natsuki Subaru. I was with the U.S. Green Berets. I'm not exactly from around here, if that wasn't already obvious."
"What's a Green Beret?" the floating cat asked.
"It's a branch of special forces—elite warriors for the United States." There's no way they've ever heard of the U.S., but I don't see any reason to lie, Subaru thought.
"The United States?" the girl asked. "I've never heard of a nation with that name before."
"It's pretty far away. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I got here," Subaru chuckled nervously.
"That is strange," the cat added. "You said you were an elite warrior. Are you a knight then? You are rather well-built, after all."
"I'm not sure. My nation's military doesn't use that terminology, though if you had to make an equivalency, then maybe?" Subaru wasn't sure what kind of powers these people had, and it seemed rather foolish to oversell his abilities.
"Well, Green Beret Subaru, I'm Puck!" the little cat said as he flew right into Subaru's palm. "Nice to meet you!"
It's very unusual to meet someone who can touch a spirit so casually," the girl remarked. "You do look like a warrior, and your outfit is rather odd, so you must be from somewhere outside of Lugunica."
"Now that I've learned your cat's name, what should I call you?" Subaru inquired.
"I'm..." She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Satella. I have no family name, so you can just call me Satella."
"Satella," Subaru repeated thoughtfully. "That sounds like a lovely name."
Floating beside her ear, Puck let out a sigh. "You really have terrible taste."
"I suppose we should get back to it then," Subaru suggested as the three of them descended back into the city.
Together, they wandered a while longer until Satella suddenly stopped. "That girl there—she looks lost." Following the direction, she was pointing, Subaru noticed a small girl with tears welling in her eyes as she looked around frantically. "We should go see if she's alright," Satella urged.
Subaru watched as Satella approached the child in an attempt to help. The little girl drew back, her tears threatening to spill over as she retreated further into herself. Stepping forward, Subaru reached into his pocket and pulled out the pack of gum he had stashed. Taking out a stick, he knelt and offered it to the girl.
Looking confused, she stared at the offering while sniffing back her tears. "It's a type of candy," Subaru explained gently. "You chew on it, but don't swallow."
Hesitantly, the girl took the silver-wrapped stick and unwrapped it. Eyeing the gum uncertainly, she gave it a tentative bite. Finding the sweet flavor to her liking, her face lit up as she began to munch on the rubbery treat with a smile.
"Come on, let's find your parents, hm?" Subaru said, offering the little girl his gloved hand.
"Where did you get that candy? I've never seen anything like it," Satella asked as they walked down the street, the little girl holding each of their hands while scanning for her family.
"Just any old store back home," Subaru said with a shrug. "I always carried it with me on missions. If I got nervous, it helped take my mind off things. Better habit than smoking."
"Mommy!" the green-haired girl cried out before letting go of Subaru and Satella's hands and dashing into the waiting arms of her mother.
"Well, that's a sight to see," Subaru said with a smile as they watched the mother and daughter walk off into the crowd. "Come on, why don't you show me where your insignia was stolen? We'll probably have better luck there."
"Oh, that makes sense," Satella said, her eyes lighting up with renewed hope.
Winding their way through the city, the pair returned to the familiar market street where Subaru had already been earlier that day. Stopping in front of the fruit salesman, Satella announced that this was where she'd had her insignia taken.
Approaching the muscle-bound fruit salesman, Subaru began to inquire about the girl with the red scarf. "Excuse me, sir. I don't mean to waste your time, but my friend here was robbed around this area. You wouldn't happen to have seen a girl with a long red scarf and bright yellow hair pass through here? She was about this tall," Subaru indicated with his hand.
"You wouldn't happen to have any money to spend on my goods this time, would you?" the man asked, crossing his arms. "I have a business to run, and I don't have time to waste talking with you and your girlfriend there."
"Can you buy a few... appas, was it? Yeah, appas, so we can encourage this man's memory?" Subaru asked Satella.
"Um, unfortunately, Subaru, I don't have any money on me either," she said with a nervous chuckle as she scratched her temple.
"So, what you're saying is that I have not one, but two broke customers?" the man said, his annoyance growing. "Alright, get out of here, you two, before—"
"Daddy!" Turning toward the familiar voice, Subaru spotted the previously lost girl and her mother approaching the fruit stand. "Oh! Hey, it's the nice candy man!" she exclaimed with glee.
"Candy guy?" the shopkeeper said, leaning in toward Subaru with a curious expression.
"Oh, I didn't expect to see these two," the girl's mother said with a smile. "They found Plum after she wandered off. Bless them."
"Oh, I see," the man relaxed, his demeanor softening as his little girl ran up and hugged him. Scooping her into his arms, he sat down on the stool behind his stand. "Well, I suppose I might remember something, seeing as you helped my little Plum. It's the least I can do to thank you."
Nodding, Subaru described the thief to the best of his memory, explaining the situation in detail. "That sounds like Felt," the shopkeeper said thoughtfully. "She's a well-known troublemaker, lives down in the slums somewhere, though I don't know much beyond that. Caught her trying to nab some of my goods once, but I'm too keen-eyed for thieves."
"We'll search there then. We're very grateful for your help, uh..." Satella prompted.
"Kadomon. Kadomon Risch, best fruit vendor in the capital," the man replied with a smirk of pride.
"Thank you, Kadomon," Subaru said, giving a slight bow.
The sun was setting by the time Subaru and Satella arrived in the slums. The area was a maze of dusty roads and dilapidated homes, with homeless and weary-looking peasants huddled under decaying roofs, gathering around smoldering fires for warmth.
"Do you think these people would give us any leads on where this 'Felt' might be?" Satella asked as they walked past a group of children who eyed them suspiciously.
"In my experience, people like this don't rat out one of their own unless you give them a really good reason," Subaru noted. "And I don't think we have anything to bribe them with."
"Subaru is right," Puck agreed from Satella's shoulder. "No one here would sell out one of their own. They'd probably give us false information to lead us away from her."
"It might be prudent to come back in the morning; we're running low on daylight," Subaru suggested.
"Whether you stay or leave, you should make up your minds now. I'm almost out of time," Puck said tiredly, leaning on Satella's shoulder to steady himself.
"Out of time? What do you mean?" Subaru asked.
"While I may have a cute appearance, I'm still just a spirit," Puck explained. "It requires quite a bit of mana to maintain a physical form like this. So when night falls, I return to the crystal I was summoned from and await the sunrise. I'm typically only awake for about eight or nine hours a day."
"Interesting. So, you're situational then," Subaru mused aloud.
"We'll be fine without you, Puck. We must move forward," Satella reassured her companion.
"Very well. I really am sorry," Puck yawned as he began to take on a translucent quality, like a ghostly cat. "But I am at my limit."
"Thank you for all your help today, Puck. We can handle things now, so get some rest." Satella removed the green jewel that hung around her neck and held it in her palm as the cat stepped onto it.
"Don't do anything reckless while I'm asleep, okay? If you get into any trouble, use the Od to summon me," Puck said, turning to Subaru with a smile. "Make sure to take care of her while I'm asleep now!"
With that, there was a flash of emerald light as hundreds of orbs of energy spread out before collapsing back into the jewel. The whole transformation lasted only a second before the stone appeared ordinary once more.
"So, any ideas on how we might find Felt, given we've ruled out asking people around here?" Subaru asked.
"Hm," Satella pondered. "I can try asking the lesser spirits."
"Lesser spirits?" Subaru repeated.
"They're beings that haven't become true spirits yet," Satella explained. "Over time, they grow and eventually gain self-awareness, becoming full spirits like Puck."
Closing her eyes, Satella seemed to focus for a short moment before she began to glow with a radiant white light. Out of nowhere, thousands of small orbs of angelic white light appeared all around her. Looking around, Subaru was impressed by just how many of these lesser spirits had gathered. Stunned, he watched as they floated toward Satella until she was enveloped by their glow.
Subaru couldn't help but feel his heart catch at the sight of her as she communicated wordlessly with the spirits. She seemed far above him, like an angel on Earth. He felt a tug on his heart as the spirits slowly vanished.
"They told me that a girl resembling Felt passed by not too long ago," Satella confirmed.
"Did they give you a direction?" Subaru asked.
Satella nodded and pointed west. "They said she's frequently seen going down this road."
As the sun disappeared below the horizon, they ventured deeper into the slums. Spotting a middle-aged man passing by Subaru stopped him. "Excuse me, have you seen a girl with a red scarf and blonde hair pass by here?"
"Hmm?" The man paused before chuckling. "You must mean Felt. I suppose she stole something from you folks."
"Yeah, that would be her," Subaru confirmed.
"If you're looking to get your things back, you'll have to head over to Rom's Loot House, just up the road. But you'll be expected to pay for the safe return of your stuff. Sorry, that happened to you. Best of luck. Live strong." The man raised his hand in a casual salute before continuing on his way.
"Rom's Loot House?" Subaru mused. "Well, that's something to go off of."
"You're expected to pay for your stolen goods?" Satella asked with a hint of annoyance.
"People here seem desperate," Subaru noted. "They'll do whatever they have to in order to make ends meet. I doubt it was anything personal."
"We don't exactly have any money, remember," Satella pointed out.
"I'm sure we'll think of something," Subaru replied as they continued down the road.
Arriving at a large building near the edge of the slums, Subaru noticed a faded merchant's sign covered in moss, propped up against the side of the long structure. Looking at Rom's Loot House, he felt a tingling sensation. "I don't like how this feels," he said. "I'm going to scope it out before we walk through the front door."
"What do you mean?" Satella asked.
"It's dark, which means they're either not home, asleep, or something else is going on," Subaru mused. "Either way, I hate the idea of walking in there blind. Stay here."
Subaru pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on. Walking around the building, the corporal shined the light on each window as he scanned the perimeter. It was slightly better maintained than the rest of the slums, but only marginally so. The windows had rusty bars affixed to them, with curtains drawn inside. A few glass panes were broken, allowing the wind to flutter the drapes.
Frowning, Subaru couldn't find a good way to enter the building aside from the front door. Telling Satella to wait outside, he walked up the porch and gently pushed open the door, sweeping his light across the room, his hand gripping his knife.
The shop was filled with an assortment of items—from pots to full plate armor—with swords hanging from the walls. It reminded Subaru of a pawn shop; perhaps that's what the place was, though he wondered if it was more of a spot where stolen goods were fenced, especially since Felt was supposed to be here.
Sweeping his light across the shop, Subaru's beam fell upon a pool of crimson blood on the floor. Wide-eyed, he saw a severed arm lying in the puddle. Trailing the flashlight upward, he spotted a giant of a man slumped against a crate, his neck slit open, blood still flowing and pooling at his feet.
"Fuck," Subaru whispered under his breath as he drew his blade and looked frantically for any threats.
"Oh dear, you found that?" a haunting female voice called out from a dark corner of the room. "Well, I have no choice then," she said with a sadistic edge to her tone. "Yes, no choice..."
Spinning on a dime, Subaru's light caught the flash of a blade rushing toward his gut. Without thinking, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp edge. Subaru realized soberly that if he had reacted a moment later, he would have been disemboweled. The thought might have made him sick if not for the adrenaline pumping through his veins as his fight-or-flight instincts took over.
Taking his fighting stance, Subaru held his blade out and prepared for combat. Keenly aware that magic existed in this world, he braced himself for anything as he shone his light on his opponent.
The figure before him was a well-built woman dressed in a revealing midnight-black dress that left little to the imagination. He wondered if she had some form of magical protection in place of armor. Despite his extensive practice in hand-to-hand combat and his apparent physical advantage over her, Subaru assumed he might be outmatched.
Unless she killed that hulk of a man while his back was turned, she must be hiding a trick or two, Subaru thought bitterly. I must think of an escape route. The windows are barred, so that leaves the front door. There might be a back door, but I can't assume anything.
"Oh? You want to dance with me?" the woman smirked, sending a chill down Subaru's spine. "I suppose I have enough time for one more dance tonight."
"Shut up and fight," Subaru said coldly.
Stepping forward, Subaru quickly made a swipe at the sadist's neck but struck only air. In a blinding move, the vixen slipped under his attack, aiming for his belly once more. Slipping to the side, Subaru watched as the blade missed him by a hair's breadth. Bringing his blade back down, he hoped to catch her in the back but saw his opponent effortlessly roll to the side.
Retaking his stance, Subaru focused on his breathing. I don't like this at all, he thought as, in the blink of an eye, the black-haired woman closed the gap between them once more. Her speed is inhuman! Subaru realized coldly as her blade flew toward his neck.
Knowing he didn't have enough time to dodge, Subaru did the only thing that came to mind: he raised his left arm. The shock of pain was immediate as the woman's blade sliced clean through his flesh, stopping only when it lodged against his bone. His grip on the flashlight loosened, and it fell from his hand, clattering against the wooden floor.
I'm not going to die again so soon! Subaru told himself.
Feeding on the white-hot pain, Subaru used his injured arm to trap the woman close as he drove his knife forward. Caught off guard, she gasped as Subaru's blade found her belly. Staggering back, she clutched her wound for a moment before looking down at the knife embedded in her. Instead of shock, she wore a smile.
"You're an interesting dance partner," she said, licking her lips. "But I'm afraid our dance must come to an end here." Without a second thought, she pulled Subaru's blade out of her gut, held it up to her face, and licked her own blood from the blade.
Subaru watched helplessly as the insane woman threw his knife back at him. It moved with incredible speed through the darkness of the shop. Despite his best efforts to dodge, the knife still caught him in the left shoulder. Letting out a cry, Subaru felt his arm go limp as blood pooled from his wounds.
"Still fighting, are we?" the woman asked as she receded into the shadows.
"Subaru?" Looking toward the doorway as moonlight flooded into the building, the familiar figure of Satella appeared, and Subaru felt his throat tighten.
"Run—" Subaru began but was silenced as he felt cold steel slice across his neck. His words died then and there as his one good hand went to the gash in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.
D-Damn it, Subaru thought as he collapsed to the floor. Within seconds, he realized he was beginning to drown in his own blood.
Horrified, he was helpless as he watched the demonic figure of his murderer appear behind Satella. He tried to scream, but he'd been silenced forever by the evil he was powerless to stop. Unable to look away, Subaru watched as the woman's blade pierced the heart of the girl who had entranced him. It was like witnessing someone shatter the most beautiful flower in the world just to spite him.
Filled with a rage he'd never known, Subaru tried in vain to rise but could only manage to lift his head from the ground. He watched the shadowy woman casually walk over to him, reaching down to grasp the handle of her blade still lodged in his arm. In one swift motion, she pulled it out, causing him to go limp as his vision blurred and his body slipped into shock.
The last sight he saw was Satella's lifeless body lying a few feet away. As he reached out to her while he bled out, a single thought echoed in his mind:
I wish... I could save you.
Everything faded to black.
Then came death.