First fight (Ch:4)

Kaeya and Subaru walked through the slums, searching for the loot house.

Even though Subaru had been there before, he had arrived at night, making it difficult for him to recognize the area.

After about fifteen minutes of wandering—and asking a few shady individuals for directions—they finally stood in front of the building.

"F-Finally found it..." Subaru groaned, doubling over to catch his breath. "Damn, that took way too long."

"I'd say it's your fault for forgetting the way."

"It was night! Everything looked different!" Subaru shot back.

Kaeya ignored his excuse and stepped toward the entrance. Subaru quickly followed, raising his fist to knock—only to freeze mid-motion. 

Kaeya sighed and pushed him aside. "Move. I'll do it."

Subaru huffed, stepping back. "Sure, sure. If you want to, I mean..."

Kaeya knocked on the door.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, heavy footsteps approached from inside. A gruff voice called out, "What's the password?"

"We don't know the password. But do you know a little girl with blonde hair and red eyes?"

The door swung open forcefully, revealing a massive old man. He stepped outside, eyeing them both with suspicion.

"You came knocking without the password?" His voice was rough, like grinding stone. "And what business do you have with Felt, huh? If you're up to no good, I'll kick your asses, brats."

Before Kaeya could answer, Subaru jumped in.

"We're looking for an insignia with a jewel embedded in it. We want you to give it to us."

Kaeya shot him a look. 'Not the best way to ask for something, idiot.'

The old man crossed his arms. "An insignia with a jewel... Sorry, but there's nothing like that here. Though, I did hear Felt got hired for some shady job. You're not her employer, are you?"

'So someone hired her to steal the insignia.' Kaeya filed that information away.

"We're not her employers," he said, "but we still need that insignia. We were hoping to buy it."

The old man grunted. "Well, you're in the right place for that. But you'll have to wait for her to get back. Now stop bothering me."

With that, he slammed the door shut in their faces.

Subaru scowled. "That asshole... He could've at least let us in."

"This actually works in our favor. We still have work to do."

Subaru frowned. "What? You mean we aren't just gonna wait for her here?"

"Obviously not," Kaeya replied. "Let's find her home and buy it from her directly."

Subaru's face lit up. "Damn. That's a good plan, actually!"

And with that, the two of them set off toward Felt's house.

.

.

Subaru stared at the small, worn-down hut in front of them. The wooden planks were cracked, the roof barely holding together.

"Someone actually lives here?" he muttered.

Without waiting for an answer, he stepped forward and peeked inside, Completely disregarding her rights.

"What do you think you're doing, peeking into someone's house?"

A sharp voice rang out, and a small blonde-haired girl stepped into view, pointing a dagger at them.

"Sorry, but there's nothing worth stealing in there," she added, eyeing them with suspicion.

"You must be Felt," Kaeya said.

"And what if I am?"

"We want to buy the insignia you stole. Right here, right now." Subaru butted in.

Her eyes narrowed. "You're not associated with my client. Are you a business rival?" A smirk tugged at her lips. "Well, I don't care. I'm only interested in selling to whoever pays the most. If you've got an offer that's worth my time, I'll listen."

Kaeya glanced at Subaru, who stared back.

Even though Kaeya had around thirty holy gold coins, he had no intention of wasting his money so carelessly.

Subaru, however, suddenly grinned. "Well, I've got this!"

He pulled out his phone, holding it up like a prized treasure.

"This is a one-of-a-kind item that can freeze a moment in time."

He quickly took a picture of Felt and showed it to her.

Felt squinted at the screen, then scoffed. "That's supposed to be me? I look way better than that."

"If you look this good without makeup, you're doing fine," Subaru quipped. "Don't complain."

Felt rolled her eyes. "Well, it's definitely unusual, I'll give you that. But I'm not stupid enough to take a buyer's word without proof."

She crossed her arms. "There's a loot house where—"

"Yeah, yeah, we know. We just came from there," Subaru interrupted.

Felt raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Well, if you already know, then let's go to Old Man Rom. He'll tell us if this thing's actually worth anything."

And with that, the three of them headed toward the loot house.

.

.

.

The old man—now identified as Old Man Rom—examined Subaru's phone closely, turning it over in his massive hands.

"So this is a metia?" he muttered. "Even I've never seen one before."

"It's delicate, so handle it with care," Subaru warned. "Think of it this way—if you break it, you might as well be ready to die."

Old Man Rom let out a deep chuckle. "You've got guts, kid. But yeah, I can tell this thing's valuable." He tapped the screen lightly. "If I were to sell it, I wouldn't take less than fifteen—no, twenty holy gold coins."

Subaru grinned. "Alright! Negotiations complete!"

He spun around and started heading for the exit, but Kaeya stopping him.

"Hold it, Subaru."

Subaru blinked. "What now?"

'Earlier, she said that she will only sell it to the one who pays her more, therefore-.'

Kaeya glanced at Felt. "She's not handing it over just yet. She's waiting for her other client. Isn't that right, Felt?" 

Felt smirked, tossing her dagger from one hand to the other. "Bingo. I ain't dumb enough to sell early. My real buyer's on their way. Whoever pays more gets the insignia."

As if on cue, a firm knock echoed from the door.

Felt perked up. "Oh! That must be them! I didn't give them the password, so let me open it!"

She hopped off her seat and ran toward the door.

.

.

Felt swung the door open, only to freeze in place as she locked eyes with the half-elf she had stolen the insignia from.

Emilia stepped inside without hesitation, her violet eyes sharp with determination.

"I'm glad you're here. You won't get away this time," she said firmly.

Subaru blinked in confusion. 'Why is she here already? It's still light out... Wait, is this how early she would've arrived if she hadn't run into me?'

Felt clicked her tongue. "You never quit, do you? I'm telling you, just give up already!"

Emilia shook her head, raising a hand. Small, glowing ice spikes materialized in the air. "Sorry, but that's not something I can do. Just hand over my insignia, and I won't have to use force."

Meanwhile, Kaeya—his hood still concealing most of his face—shifted his stance. His grip tightened on his sword as he prepared for the real threat in the room. The one who killed Subaru in the last loop...

"If she were just another magic user, I wouldn't back down," Rom muttered. "But this one's trouble."

Felt shot him a glare. "What's up with you, old man? You giving up before we even start?"

Rom ignored her, keeping his wary gaze on Emilia. "Young lady, you're an elf, ain't ya?"

A brief pause.

"Not exactly," Emilia said. "I'm only half-elf."

"A half-elf? And with silver hair... Wait, are you—"

"It's just an accidental resemblance," Emilia cut in quickly. "But it causes a lot of trouble for me, in fact."

Felt turned toward Kaeya and Subaru, frustration creeping into her voice.

"Wait a second! You guys wanted the insignia, right? If she gets it back, you won't be able to buy it. So help me out here! It benefits both of us."

Her eyes landed on Kaeya. "You even have a sword! Come on, do something!"

Before Kaeya could respond, Subaru raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, hold on! The thing is, we wanted to buy the insignia to return it to its owner."

Felt's face twisted. "Wait, what?! So you two set me up, huh?"

Emilia frowned. "What do you mean? You three aren't working together?"

Subaru caught sight of the small flower on Emilia's hair—something he vividly remembered from the last loop. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey! What are you laughing about?!" Felt snapped.

"Come on, isn't that enough?" Subaru said, still grinning. "Just give her the insignia already." He then turned to Emilia. "And you, hurry up and get out of here. Try not to let anyone steal it again."

Emilia's confusion deepened. "Why are you suddenly being so nice? I don't get it."

"I don't understand you either!" she shot back.

But before Subaru could answer, a faint glint of metal flickered behind Emilia. His eyes widened in horror.

An attack!

Before he could shout—

CLANG!

Kaeya's sword intercepted the dagger in a flash of steel.

The attacker, realizing her failed strike, flipped back gracefully, landing a few feet away.

Subaru's breath caught in his throat. 'She's here!'

A small, cat-like spirit emerged from Emilia's hair, floating beside her shoulder.

"That was cutting it a bit close," Puck said, giving Kaeya a playful thumbs-up.

Kaeya lowered his sword slightly. "You're welcome."

But the woman in front of them smiled wider, her eyes glinting with eerie delight.

"A spirit... That is a spirit, yes? How wonderful. I've never cut one open before."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Felt demanded, narrowing her eyes.

The woman ignored her, tilting her head at Felt. "We can hardly negotiate now that the insignia's rightful owner is here. You failed to see your job through to the end. You talk a big game, but your work is sloppy. You really are just another slum dweller."

Then her smile stretched wider.

"So, I've changed my plans." She licked her lips. "I'll just kill everyone here and take the insignia myself—"

"You wonder how you'll do that with me standing here?" Kaeya's voice cut through her words like a blade.

And then he moved.

Kaeya's sword slashed toward the woman's throat.

She barely avoided the strike, twisting out of the way.

Kaeya pressed forward, magic coalescing in his free hand.

"El Huma."

A wave of razor-sharp ice spears erupted toward the woman.

She leaped and twisted midair, evading them with inhuman agility.

"Get her, Kaeya!" Subaru shouted.

Elsa landed lightly on the wooden floor, her eerie smile unwavering. Then she met Kaeya's next attack head-on. Their weapons clashed.

Kaeya's strikes were powerful and relentless, forcing Elsa onto the defensive. She had more experience, but Kaeya's raw speed and strength kept her from gaining an upper hand.

Puck hovered beside Emilia, watching the battle with mild interest. "He's handling her pretty well. I don't think I need to step in."

"You should rest, Puck. I'll take care of the rest," Emilia replied.

With a soft shimmer, Puck disappeared into her hair.

Meanwhile, Kaeya's blade sang through the air, clashing against Elsa's dagger. She barely evaded a downward slash, twisting unnaturally to counter with a lunge toward his ribs.

Kaeya sidestepped, countering with a powerful arc.

Elsa blocked—but the sheer force sent her skidding back. She crouched low, her expression unreadable.

Then, slowly, she grinned.

"You really are strong," she murmured. "This is getting exciting. I can't wait to see those bowels of yours."

Kaeya didn't respond. His grip tightened on his sword.

'Training was one thing, but fighting someone like her is completely different.'

Subaru watched the battle unfold, muttering to himself, "If this turns into a battle of attrition, we should have a chance to win."

Rom nodded. "Yeah, the young lad's got skill." He then glanced at Subaru. "Though normally, if you bring someone this strong, you'd just take the item by force. Why were you trying to buy it instead?"

Subaru scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Well, that's not really my way of doing things."

'Plus, I didn't even know he was this strong!'

Elsa, meanwhile, was dodging a relentless barrage of ice spikes. She moved swiftly, dashing along the loot house walls, barely avoiding Kaeya's attacks. The confined space worked to her advantage—Kaeya couldn't unleash high-level spells without risking the whole building.

But Kaeya narrowed his eyes.

'Got her.'

A thin layer of ice had formed around Elsa's foot, locking her in place.

"Oh no, it seems I'm caught," she mused, her eerie grin still on her beautiful face.

Kaeya wasn't going to give her another chance to escape.

He raised his hand.

"Ul Huma."

A massive ice spear, as thick as five Subarus stacked together, shot toward Elsa at terrifying speed.

The moment before impact—

With a swift motion, she severed her own leg.

Even so, the spear struck, tearing through the lower half of her body.

.

.

Rom gripped his club tightly. "Did they get 'er!?"

"Don't trigger that flag, old man!" Subaru shouted back.

But contrary to their expectations, Elsa was still standing. The ice spear had struck, yet instead of piercing through, her cloak had vanished, seemingly absorbing the attack.

"One should always be prepared," she said with a smile.

Then, in a blur, she dashed toward Subaru, the closest target.

Rom saw his chance and lunged forward, swinging his massive club. "Here I come!"

Elsa sidestepped at the last moment, laughing. "Ah, but isn't it a bit boorish to cut in on a dance?"

Rom pressed the attack, his swings powerful enough to shatter the wooden floor beneath them. Each time, Elsa avoided the blows by a hair's breadth, weaving through his attacks with unnatural grace.

"If you wanna dance, I'll show ye the best dancin' you've ever seen!"

Elsa leaped back to create space, but Rom closed in before she could react.

"Here we go! Round an' round!"

His next swing smashed through the remnants of Kaeya's ice spear, sending shards flying across the room.

Elsa twisted in midair and landed lightly on the outstretched club.

"Eh? What in the—"

"You're so strong, I was able to do this!"

Her dagger flashed toward Rom's neck—

"Not gonna happen!"

Felt's dagger flew through the air, intercepting the attack at the last second. The strike veered off course, but not entirely—Elsa's blade sliced deep into Rom's shoulder instead.

"Old man Rom!" Felt screamed.

Rom staggered back, clutching his wound as Elsa landed gracefully.

"You bad girl..." She smiled. "You have neither the resolve nor the strength—"

Before she could finish, Kaeya vanished from her sight.

Her instincts screamed. She leaped backward, dagger raised defensively.

Kaeya reappeared beside her in a blur of motion, his sword flashing—

A moment later, Elsa's severed arm flew through the air, landing with a soft thud.

She took a step back, staring at the stump where her arm had been. Her wound should have started closing.

But it wasn't.

Her frown deepened. "Strange... It should have already started healing."