The Third Time, Is Still Trouble
Kingdom of Lugnica: The Fountain, Again!
'This is the second time it's happened,' he thought to himself as he made his way through the city streets. 'I've felt death's embrace, then that horrid feeling of despair as I fall through blackness until I find myself by the fountain again. What's more, the sun has reset in the sky and everyone else is doing the same things they were doing again!' Ulric had even been forced to repeat saving the little girl from getting crushed by the runaway wagon. 'It's like events are happening again, every time I die I'm sent back to the moment I arrived here, and if that's true then that means I can maybe save more than one life after all.'
The problem was, he needed to find her first. A task which was about as easy as trying to find her insignia in the first place. But logically thinking, if everything was repeating itself, then he'd need only retrace his steps to where he met her the first time, and given that this was the third time he'd been through this place, he was able to reach the alley rather quickly. He approached it from the other side this time, however, knowing he had little time to waste. He managed to arrive just as she was walking down the alley, or rather rushing down it. Ulric had just passed the alley that he'd encountered the lowlifes in when he caught Emilia by the arm.
"You don't want to go down that way," Said Ulric, "Trust me, it's a waste of time."
"And just who are you supposed to be?!" Questioned Emilia as she pulled her arm out of his grasp, "You wear the trappings of a knight but not any banner I've ever seen."
"You don't remember me?" Said Ulric, not as surprised as he thought he'd be about that revelation. "That's unfortunate, I was hoping I'd left some sort of impression."
"I've met many knights," Said Emilia as she placed her hands on her hips, "But I can't say I've ever laid eyes on one like you before, and while I'd like to continue this little chat I'm afraid I have a very pressing matter to attend to." With that, the half-elf turned to leave.
"You mean chasing the thief that made off with your insignia," Said Ulric, "I'm afraid that'll also be a waste of time, she's too fast to catch on foot."
"What, how do you know about that?!" Questioned Emilia as she turned around with a look of startled surprise. "My insignia was stolen hardly an hour ago, have you been spying on me?"
"It's complicated to explain," Said Ulric, "But as it turns out I know the name of the thief that stole your insignia and even better, I know where she's going to be."
"And just how do you know such a thing?" Questioned Emilia, "Better yet, how do I know you're not trying to lead me into a trap?"
"Because I also came to warn you about the assassin who wants your insignia," Replied Ulric. That seemed to grab Emilia's attention. "A demonic woman by the name of Elsa. She'll be waiting when you go to retrieve your insignia and she won't hesitate to kill you." The silver-haired girl thought about what she'd just been told for a few moments.
"I think we can trust him Emilia," Said Puck as the small cat spirit came floating out from behind her hair, "I don't sense any malice in his words, and I doubt someone trying to trap us would give us a warning about an assassination attempt. Besides, the quicker we get that insignia back, the better, and while I don't doubt my abilities in holding off an assassin, it can't hurt to have an extra hand just in case." Emilia seemed to accept this as she turned back to Ulric.
"Alright," she said, "I'll believe you this time, so take me to my insignia. It's rather important that I get it back." Ulric nodded as he began leading the way. "One more thing, what's your name sir knight?"
"Oh of course," Said Ulric, just now remembering that she wouldn't know his name this time around. "Many call me Sir Ulric, but you can just call me Ulric, and for a short while my sword shall be yours, miss-."
"Emilia," the white-haired girl answered, "You may call me Emilia and this is my spirit Puck." The floating cat gave a wave before flying around to sit on Emilia's shoulder. Ulric nodded with a small smile as they continued on their way. 'I know,' he thought to himself, 'And this time, I'll make sure you get that insignia back.'
It was a serious dilemma truthfully. Ulric very much doubted the half-elf would believe him if he tried telling her that he'd seen her die and that he'd died a couple of times himself. But it was his hope that this time, now that he knew the killer's face that Emilia would be able to use her magic without being taken by surprise. In fact, he hoped to take that woman by surprise and manage to kill her before she could react.
It was a plan with a small margin of error. If the woman evaded the initial strike, it would be an uphill struggle to kill her. But Ulric put such things out of his mind for the moment as they continued on to the slums. At one point, they of course had to stop and help a lost little girl, which wasn't near as difficult this time as it was last time thanks to Ulric knowing what her mother and father looked like. When the green-haired merchant asked them if they needed anything, Ulric discreetly told him that if they saw a knight to tell them that there would be trouble in the slums.
"What was that about?" Questioned Emilia as Ulric and the merchant finished conversing.
"Just taking him up on his offer to repay us," Replied Ulric, "I asked him to let any knights they saw know that there was trouble in the slums."
"Are you really expecting that much trouble from a single assassin?" Questioned Emilia, "You know who she is and where she's going to be. All you have to do is point her out and Puck and I can handle the rest."
"It never hurts to be prepared," Said Ulric, "It's not every day one knowingly walks into the den of an assassin. Personally, I doubt any of the knights around here will come down to the slums, but if one does happen to do so, it can only help us right?"
"It's hard to argue when you put it that way," Said Emilia as she adjusted the flower in her hair while they walked. "But in the end, so long as I get my insignia back I have no complaints. Just don't get us lost Sir Ulric."
"Oh trust me," replied Ulric as they ventured on, "I've walked this particular path a couple of times now. I doubt I'll be forgetting it any time soon."
The Slums near the Loot House
'There it is again,' thought Ulric as they approached. 'After years of war, the only things that really made me feel trepidation anymore was the sight of another army marching across the field or a warrior that I knew was better. It's been a long while since a building's made me feel this uneasy.' The little party of three walked up to the door of the loot house as Ulric stepped in front of Emilia. "If we're lucky, we've gotten here early," Said Ulric, "So we go in, get your insignia and get out. That should present us with the least amount of trouble."
"You mean you don't know for sure that the assassin's in there?" Questioned Emilia with a raised eyebrow.
"I know roughly when she'll show up," Replied Ulric, "So the sooner we do this, the better!" The knight finished his sentence by kicking in the door.
"Hey, what in the world's your problem?!" Called the familiar voice of old man Rom, "Can't a man enjoy his afternoon booze in peace?!"
"Apologies for interrupting," Said Ulric as his eyes darted around the room, noting that Felt was also sitting at the bar. But there was no sign of Elsa. "I've simply come for a quick bit of business."
"Then you could've just knocked," Said Felt with a sigh, "Jeez, I thought we were being raided for a second."
"Well no," Said Ulric as he finished looking around the room, "But there is something we want." The knight then signaled to Emilia that it was okay to enter. The look on Felt's face turned from surprise to one of annoyance.
"Oh it's you again," Said Felt as Emilia walked in, "Can't you just give up already. Or better yet, outbid my client."
"I'm afraid that insignia is too important for me to give up on so easily," Said Emilia in a voice that possessed plenty of authority, "Me and Sir Ulric have come here with a single demand." The half-elf held her hand up, forming six large ice shards which hung in the air, awaiting the command to shoot forward. "Return my insignia and we won't harm you." Ulric smirked at the scene, though more out of relief than actual joy at the thieves' dilemma.
'I'm glad I decided not to try and kill her after meeting her,' he thought to himself, 'As opposed to all the wielders of so-called magic back home, this one possesses some actual power.' "I think I'm gonna have to back down from this fight," Said Rom as he settled himself back down behind the bar.
"What, don't go surrendering just like that!" Exclaimed Felt as her grip tightened on her knife.
"If she was an ordinary magic user I'd go in swinging," Said Rom, "But this young lady is an elf, isn't that right?" Emilia let out a sigh, obviously not liking to discuss this subject.
"I'm just a half-elf," Said Emilia finally. A look of fear suddenly crossed Felt's face at that statement.
"Wait, a half-elf with white hair, you couldn't be-," Felt stammered out before she was interrupted by Emilia.
"My resemblance is merely a coincidence," Said Emilia dismissively, "Truly it's quite a bother that I look like this."
"She's still got more than enough magic to level this little place," Said Ulric, lending to Emilia's already intimidating display, "So the best thing for the both of you would be to return what you stole. Believe me Felt, you won't be able to handle the trouble that thing is going to bring."
"How in the world do you know my name?" Questioned Felt, now confused on top of everything else.
"The same way I know-," Ulric caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. "Emilia on your right!" The white-haired girl barely had time to turn her head before a shadow leapt toward her with a drawn blade. But at the last second, a shield shaped like a snowflake sprang up and deflected the blade, causing the assailant to leap back and move to the center of the room.
"That was closer than I meant it to be," Said Puck as he peaked out with a thumbs up. "Thanks for the warning."
"I'm simply glad I warned you in time," Said Ulric as he drew his sword and faced the now familiar assailant, at least to him. "I had no idea you could do that." 'And I'm also glad I was glancing at the door the whole time waiting for her.'
"A spirit like me can do more than float around and look cute," Said Puck as they all stood and faced the newcomer.
"Oh a spirit," said Elsa as she grinned evilly, "I've never gotten to cut open the stomach of a spirit before."
"What do you think you're doing?" Questioned Felt, now more alarmed and confused than ever, "I thought you were just coming to buy it."
"Well obviously it's impossible to negotiate if the owner is here and trying to get her little item back," Replied Elsa as she examined her blade, "So I'm going with my secondary plan and slaughtering everyone here."
"Maybe if you had the element of surprise like before," Said Ulric as he brandished his sword "But things aren't going to work out quite that way this time around. So ordinarily I'd ask the lady to surrender, but I doubt you will anyway, so all I've got to say now is that it's time for you to die monster." 'And I really hope I can back that up,' thought Ulric, 'we didn't catch her by surprise like I wanted, but we still have a chance if we take her on together.'
"Monster you say," Replied Elsa with a small laugh, "Not at all, I simply enjoy dissecting my prey. And you all look especially exquisite." The woman licked her lips at the thought of cutting open their stomachs. With the stage set once more, the battle began.
Ulric has chosen to face the deadly assassin once again in hopes of saving Emilia, and possibly a couple of other lives. But even with numbers and a wielder of magic on their side, will it be enough? Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and for those of you wondering 'why cut it off here?' The main reason is that the upcoming fight is gonna be rather lengthy, so be prepared. Also, thank you all for your continued support and feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked and what you didn't like so much. Stop in next time as Ulric and Emilia fight a deadly battle of attrition against the lethal assassin. 'Til next time.