Old Rom's Loot House

Kaoru runs frantically through the crowded streets of the central district of Lugunica, dodging merchants and carts full of goods. His breathing is rapid, and even though he is beginning to feel tired, he knows that if anyone is capable of eliminating someone so dangerous, it must be this man. He knows he has no time to waste.

In his mind, the idea of finding the Saint of the Sword, seems like the only reasonable option. Although he hardly knows him, Kaoru has heard enough in her short moments in this world to understand that Reinhard is someone everyone respects, an almost legendary figure capable of facing any threat.

Where are you Sword Saint... Subaru will kill me, if he hasn't been killed yet... I talked to Raigor for a long time and the sun is already going down.

The information that old man gave me was too tempting and I overstayed my welcome.

After running around for a while, Kaoru finally spotted a figure in the crowd that fit Raigor's description perfectly: tall, with bright red hair and a posture that radiated an imposing calmness.

Kaoru approaches quickly, panting with exertion.

"Sword Saint!" He shouts, trying to catch his breath.

Reinhard, who was strolling leisurely, turns his head toward the boy, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"It's... about The Bowel Hunter. I saw her prowling the slums, near the loot house of a man named Rom. My friend is there, and I'm sure he's in danger." Kaoru takes a step forward, still breathing heavily.

"I understand. Even though I'm off duty, I can't ignore something like this. Take me there, and we'll do our best to stop it." Reinhard nods gravely, quickly assessing the situation.

"Really? Thank you so much. I truly appreciate it, my friend." I smile knowing that I was able to get the seemingly strongest person in this kingdom to help me and Subaru.

Reinhard smiles warmly, his tone kind yet firm: "You don't need to thank me. Seeking help for the sake of a friend shows strength, not weakness. I'm sure you're a loyal companion. May I know your name?"

"Kaoru Shimizu," I reply, matching his smile. "And yours?"

Reinhard straightens slightly, his posture exuding both humility and pride: "Reinhard van Astrea. At your service."

Natsuki Subaru's POV (1 hour earlier)

Subaru's breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling as he stood in front of Rom's loot house. Sweat beaded down his forehead, the heat of his hurried run catching up with him. He clutched his grocery bag tightly, the memory of the eerie scene with Elsa and the sense of danger fueling his determination.

He took a moment to compose himself, swallowing hard. "This is where it starts" he muttered under his breath. "I have to find out what happened, no matter what."

Subaru raised his hand and knocked on the creaky wooden door. The sound echoed in the quiet of the slums, and for a second, he worried no one would answer. He knocked again, harder this time, before stepping back and glancing around.

The surroundings were as dirty and unwelcoming as ever. Shadows stretched from narrow alleys and the smell of damp wood and stale air lingered. Subaru shifted his weight, glancing at the shopping bag in his hand. "Rom, you better be here," he whispered to himself. "I can't screw this up again."

The door finally creaked open, revealing the familiar hulking frame of Old Man Rom. The giant's eyes squinted at Subaru in confusion. "What's with the fuss, boy? Don't you see I'm busy?"

 "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. It's just that I need to buy something, hehe. A insignia. I want to return it to its owner." Subaru scratches the back of his neck with a nervous smile.

Rom watches him with a raised eyebrow before crossing his arms. "A insignia, huh? Well, I don't have one right now. But my companion should be here soon with some loot. You could ask her when she comes."

Subaru sighs, relieved at the hope of figuring something out, and reaches inside his shopping bag. "While I'm waiting, maybe this will interest you. Look what I have here!" He pulls out several packs of snacks, spreading them out in front of Rom.

Rom, curious, grabs one and examines it with his large hand. "What's this? It looks weird."

"It's super exclusive food, of course!" says Subaru excitedly. "Go on, try it. You're going to love it."

Rom tears open the packaging and stuffs a handful into his mouth. His expression immediately changes, his eyes sparkling with amazement. "This is so good! What is this wonder, give me some more!"

"Hey, hey!" exclaims Subaru, waving his hands frantically. "Don't eat it all! It's for bargaining!"

The giant reluctantly stops eating, though his eyes remain fixed on the packages.

Subaru, in an attempt to distract him, pulls out his cell phone. "And that's not all! Look at this!"

Rom looks at the device curiously as Subaru turns it on and shoots rom a picture and shows him the photo. "This is advanced technology. It's called a cell phone. It can capture the same space and time forever."

Rom squints, intrigued. "Is it a metia?"

Subaru blinks, somewhat confused, before nodding quickly. "Exactly, exactly. It's a super advanced metia."

Rom nods slowly, still eyeing the device warily. "Well, I've never seen one like it before. It's sure worth a fortune."

Subaru tensed as he heard the loud knocking on the door, his heart racing as a chill ran down his back. "Could it be...?" His mind conjured up images of sharp blades and cruel eyes.

Rom calmly stood up and walked to the door. "Relax, boy. She's probably my partner."

When he opened it, Subaru let out a sigh of relief as he saw a young blonde woman enter with a confident, carefree gait. Felt, with his usual air of defiance, raised an eyebrow as he noticed the stranger. "And who is this weirdo?" she asked, pointing a thumb at Subaru.

Rom let out a laugh as he closed the door. "He seems to be interested in buying you that insignia you brought."

Felt crossed his arms, leaning slightly towards Subaru. "Oh yeah? So, what do you have to offer, kid?" His tone was teasing, but his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Rom, meanwhile, returned to his seat behind the bar and took a long sip of beer before pointing at Subaru. "Though I tell you, lass, this boy's got a rare metia. Something like that must be worth at least... about 20 holy coins, huh?"

Subaru smiled broadly, adjusting his jacket as if he were a seasoned salesman. "Oh, you want to see what it's capable of?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out his phone. "Get ready for a unique demonstration!"

Without warning, he activated the flash and took a burst of photos, the flash lighting up the room repeatedly. Felt and Rom closed their eyes in surprise as Subaru continued to take pictures.

"Hey, what the hell was that, you almost blinded me, you idiot!" yelled Felt, blinking as he tried to regain his sight. Rom, rubbing his eyes, mumbled something between his teeth about dangerous technology.

Subaru, proudly, turned the phone around to show the newly captured images. "This is a metia in action! It captures the exact moment, the exact space and time, forever! Look at these masterpieces!"

Felt looked at the photos and then at Subaru, with a mixture of awe and suspicion. "Hmpf, that's... something. Although your light trick almost made me hit the bar."

The conversation returned to the insignia as Felt casually pointed out, "One client already offered me 15 holy coins for that thing."

Subaru opened his mouth quickly, about to accept the deal, but a spark of caution stopped him. He remembered his mother's words in the past, "Don't show too much emotion in a negotiation, or you'll be taken for a fool." So, instead of rushing, Subaru leaned back slightly, his expression calmer. "15 holy coins, you say? Hmm, interesting. Perhaps we can come to an agreement."

Felt says that the client is coming in a few minutes so he has to wait until she arrives to make a deal and Subaru gets nervous because if that woman comes here it will be all over.

 Where the hell is Kaoru that he hasn't come with help in case that woman comes.

Subaru looked at Felt as she headed for the door. His heart was pounding, sweat was running down his forehead, and a shiver ran down his spine. She knew who might be behind that door, and the worst part was that Kaoru still didn't appear.

"Wait, don't open that door." Subaru's voice came out urgent and shaky.

Felt looked over his shoulder at him, arching an eyebrow. "And why shouldn't I open it?"

"I mean it!" exclaimed Subaru, his hands shaking. "If you open that door, she'll kill us all!"

Felt frowned, but an amused smile appeared on his face. "Kill us? What kind of silly tale are you making up now?" And without waiting for an answer, he turned the knob and opened .

Subaru squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the worst. But instead of hearing the sound of blades being drawn, he heard a sweet, slightly annoyed female voice.

"Kill them? That's horrible! I would never do something like that."

Subaru opened his eyes and saw Emilia standing in the doorway. Her figure glowed in the light of the doorway, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and annoyance.

"W-what?" stammered Subaru, blinking. "Aren't you...?"

Emilia tilted her head slightly, crossing her arms. "I'm not what?, I don't understand, but I came to get my badge back, so please give it back to me."

Before anyone could respond, Emilia raised a hand and materialized floating ice crystals that flashed with a cold, dangerous glow.

Subaru raised his hands agitatedly, putting himself between Emilia. "Stop, stop! this isn't necessary, please listen to me for a second!"

Both sides stopped, though the looks of distrust remained. Subaru took a deep breath, looking at Emilia. "I'll get you the badge, okay? Just... just don't freeze this place."

Emilia, hearing that, softened her gaze and dematerialized her ice shards. "Well, as long as it works..."

Footsteps echoed outside, and everyone in the room froze. Subaru felt his heart stop as he turned toward the door. "No... it can't be..." he muttered, sweat running down his forehead.

The door slowly opened, and there she was: Elsa Granhiert, the woman who had killed him earlier. Her seductive smile contrasted with the lethal gleam in her eyes.

"Well, well~." said Elsa, her voice velvety. "This wasn't part of the deal, little one. I can't negotiate if the mistress is here." She looked directly at Emilia, and her smile widened.

Rom frowned, rising from his seat with his club in hand. "And who are you to come in here giving orders?"

Elsa ignored him, slowly pulling out her kukris. "What a shame...trusting a slumming deadbeat to steal something so important~" She glared at Felt. "I guess I'll just have to kill them all~."

"No shit!" shouted Subaru, stepping forward a pace. His nervousness had turned to fury. "How dare you talk like that to a girl who's doing her best to survive!"

(Subaru start yapping like 1 minute, idk im lazy.)

Elsa raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the boy's audacity. "A little girl? How sweet... but I don't understand what you're talking about, weird boy."

Felt, however, seized the opportunity. "Hey, I don't need you to defend me! But thanks, I guess." His tone was sarcastic, but the slight blush on his cheeks gave away his thanks. She held her knife up, ready for anything.

Subaru took a step back, feigning more nervousness than he felt. "Well, at least I managed to be a good distraction." Elsa frowned, confused.

Then Subaru shouted, "Hit her now, Puck!"

Suddenly, Puck materialized in front of Emilia, his small, fluffy form overflowing with palpable energy. "Time to shine," he said with a playful grin, raising a claw. "Remember my name well, Girl, for it will be the last thing you hear."

A burst of magic filled the room. Hundreds of ice crystals floated in the air, surrounding Elsa with a deadly glow. Elsa spun her kukris, ready to strike, but even she couldn't help but be impressed by Puck's magical pressure.

"This gets interesting," Elsa murmured, grinning even wider. "A higher level spirit... How exciting."

Puck raised a claw and the ice spears hurled themselves violently at Elsa. The impact was deafening, sending a cloud of dust and crystals into the air. Subaru and the others covered their eyes as the roar echoed through the room.

"Did we hit it?" asked Rom, still with his club on his shoulder, with a mixture of hope and caution.

"No way," Subaru muttered, worry marring his face. "We can't underestimate this woman."

As the dust began to dissipate, a huge shard of ice appeared in the center of the room. Inside, a familiar silhouette stood motionless. Subaru felt a glimmer of hope... until the ice exploded into a thousand pieces, causing everyone to recoil.

Elsa emerged unscathed from the ice with a satisfied smile. Her antimagic cloak, now dematerializing after absorbing the attack, fell to the ground in tatters. "Always be prepared," she remarked in a casual tone, as if the situation hardly bothered her.

Wasting no time, Elsa lunged at Puck and Emilia with terrifying speed, her kukris glowing in the dim light. Puck reacted immediately, summoning more ice spears at Emilia's side, who amplified the attack with her own magic.

Elsa, however, dodged the spears with fluid movements, spinning and leaping as if dancing in the midst of battle. Each blow of magic barely grazed her form, demonstrating an inhuman mastery of combat.

From a corner of the room, Subaru watched helplessly along with Rom and Felt. Rom held his club, but it was clear that even he understood that intervening would be more of a hindrance than a help. Felt, scowling, bit her lip, annoyed that she couldn't do more.

"Damn it, Kaoru!" Subaru thought, running a hand through his hair as sweat trickled down his forehead. "Where the hell are you? If I get out of here, I swear I'll kill you... well, not literally, but damn it, don't ever leave me alone again!"

Elsa, meanwhile, didn't seem to lose an ounce of energy. "Ah, this is exciting," she said, her smile wider than ever. "I hope they don't bore me so quickly."

"Can you continue, Puck?" asks Emilia, knowing it's almost time for Puck to go to sleep.

"Sorry Lia, I'm going to sleep, if necessary use your Od to call me."

....

Elsa began to press Emilia with swift and precise attacks. The half-elf responded with a magical shield of ice, raising it just in time to block the blows, while spears of ice surged around her, forcing Elsa to move nimbly to dodge them.

In the corner, Rom and Felt exchanged glances. "We can't just stand by," the giant said, gripping his club tightly.

Felt turned to Subaru with a serious expression. "Hey, thanks for earlier" she said quickly. Without waiting for an answer, he jumped into the fray.

Suddenly, Elsa picked up her speed and sliced through Emilia's defenses with a devastating blow from her kukri. The ice shield crumbled and Emilia was shot into a wall. Before she could react, a chunk of debris fell on top of her, trapping her.

"Emilia!" yelled Subaru, his voice full of desperation.

"It's now or never!" roared Rom, charging at Elsa with his club. His blows were brutal, shattering the floor and walls, but Elsa dodged them with precise acrobatics, a dangerous smile on her face.

Just when Rom thought he had landed a precise blow, Elsa appeared standing on his club. With one swift movement, she raised her kukri, ready to sever his head.

Felt, reacting at the last second, threw a knife that struck the kukri, deflecting it just enough. However, the kukri ended up buried in the back of Rom's head, who fell unconscious, his massive frame collapsing with a thud.

"Damn it!" muttered Subaru as he watched the fight getting more complicated. "Where are you, Kaoru?"

"Bad girl~" Elsa said with a cruel smile. "You have neither the strength nor the resolve. You should have stayed cowering in the corner."

Felt froze in fear as Elsa walked toward her, ready to kill her.

At that moment, Subaru felt a surge of determination. "Return by Death is not an option," he thought to himself. "As long as I have a life, I will fight with all my might."

As Elsa raised her kukri to decapitate Felt, Subaru lunged forward shouting "HAIDARA!" and caught Felt at the last second, dodging the deadly slash.

An ice spear flew toward Elsa's head, and she parried it effortlessly with her kukri. At the same time, Emilia appeared on the ale bar, ready to continue the fight.

Subaru picked up Rom's club, his face full of determination. "Felt, run away! Me and Emilia will take care of distracting her. Run!"

Felt looked at him, surprised and defiant. "Why should I run away like a dog with my tail between my legs?"

Subaru took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the club. "Because I'm 17, you're 15. It's more important that you run away - do it for your own good!"

Felt frowned, remembering his words. "Just now, you were scared, weren't you?"

Subaru smiled tightly. "That's in the past. The present is that I'm going to help you get out of here. Run as fast as you can when I give you the signal."

With a shout, Subaru charged toward Elsa with club held high, launching a powerful diagonal swing. Elsa, nimble as ever, dodged the attack and the heavy club shattered the wooden floor. Subaru, gasping, barely managed to maintain control of the weapon as Elsa lunged toward him, her kukri raised to decapitate him. Subaru raised the club, blocking the blow just in time.

"It's now, Felt!" shouted Subaru.

Felt, his eyes full of determination, began to run for the exit, but before he could make much headway, Elsa, with her inhuman speed, pulled a knife from her belt and hurled it at high speed straight at the back of Felt's neck. In a flash of reflexes, Subaru kicked a wooden table, sending the edge towards the knife. The impact deflected the projectile's trajectory just in time, preventing Felt from being hit.

I'm pretty damn cool

Elsa does a kick to Subaru's neck when he is distracted.

(Fun fact: Elsa reduced her strength to a minimum to play with Subaru and Emilia, just to enjoy the battle.) 

 Kaoru's Pov 

That blonde girl over there is? Felt, isn't it?

Kaoru and Reinhard ran together, approaching Rom's loot house. In the distance, they spotted Felt's figure running at high speed, his face etched with panic. The urgency in his gait was obvious.

"Looks like the fight has already started," Kaoru commented. "We have to get there quickly."

When Felt saw them approaching, he quickly shouted, "Help! Please!"

Kaoru and Reinhard, guided by Felt, ran towards the place, passing the wooden bridge when they were almost there.

General Pov (2 minutes before)

"I'm getting tired of this game," Elsa said with an insistent smile as she fiddled with one of her kukris. "Can't you two keep me entertained a little longer?"

Subaru turned to Emilia, panting but determined, "if you have one last card up your sleeve, it's time to use it, because if not, we're screwed."

Emilia looked at him with a mixture of concern and determination. "I have something, but... if I use it, there won't be anything left, Including you." She paused, noticing that Subaru was still standing, club in hand, despite his bruised body. "I can't do that as long as I see you fighting like this."

Those words ignited something in Subaru, a spark that turned into fire. He gritted his teeth and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I will kill you, you crazy old woman! I won't let anyone else do it, I will tear you apart!" He raised the club and pointed it directly at Elsa. "I'm going to get my happy ending whether you like it or not!"

Subaru lunged at her with a mixture of rage and desperation, swinging his club. Elsa, agile as a wraith, dodged each move with an elegance that seemed like a cruel spectacle. In the process, she inflicted precise cuts on Subaru's arms and legs, small but enough to remind him of his disadvantage.

"That's it?" sneered Elsa. "You're not even worth a distraction."

Subaru gasped, blood running from his wounds, but his eyes showed no surrender. "Shut up!" he pivoted on his left foot and threw a powerful upward swing like he was playing baseball. Elsa, smirking, dodged the move as if she were dancing.

But Subaru, anticipating, already had a move in mind. He let go of the club in the middle of his swing and used the momentum to perform a spinning back kick straight at Elsa's face. The spinning back kick connected with a thud that echoed through the room.

Elsa took a step back and touched her cheek with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Wow, that was unexpected," she said with a small chuckle. "Maybe you're not so useless after all."

Subaru, breathing hard but glaring, picked up the club again, preparing for whatever was to come. "I don't plan on going down that easy."