The Dragonborn, Paimon, and Aether agreed to split up to lessen the time needed to clear the dungeon. Paimon and Aether went to the Northern temple, where Kaeya sat there waiting for him. The Dragonborn headed to the 3rd temple located where Lisa was waiting.
There she sat reading a book that she had brought from the library, as she waited for someone to arrive.
As she read the last page of the book that she currently is holding, she glanced to the front to see a muscular young man approach her as he is seen having some of the flowers he picked up randomly.
"Ahh, you have arrived, Erlund. Did you come here to help me? My, you're so sweet. You brought flowers for me as well." Lisa said as she noticed the flowers he picked are various, with different colors. She then reached her hand out to Erlund, hoping those flowers will be given to her.
"I found them across the fields there while I was on my way here. So this is another one of those Four Winds' temples, yes?" Erlund asked as he held a variety of flowers in his hands, placing them in his pouch. These can be useful for experimenting with a bit of the food and potions he might make.
"E-eh~? Those are for me, right?" Lisa, slowly took out of context on why he placed the flowers in his pouch instead of handing it out to the Librarian.
"I will need these for some of the potions that I can create if necessary. It might help me increase my Magicka." The Dragonborn said.
Slightly annoyed by his answer, Lisa placed her hand down.
"Very well, but you don't seem to be the type of person to be making potions," Lisa tilted her head with her arms crossed under her chest.
"Well, if I can't heal myself with restoration, I would need some ingredients to heal it externally." The Nord explained.
"Hmm... I have not seen anyone have a thing for potions except for the alchemists. W-wait, restoration? Magicka? You mean magic, right?" She remembered.
The Dragonborn nodded.
"By the way, my cutie Aether isn't with you. Did he forget something?" Lisa wondered why Erlund was with her right now when the Traveler should be with him.
"We agreed that we should split up, so he went to Kaeya, and I'll meet up with you," Erlund replied.
"My, my... So it's just the two of us, then?" Lisa giggled as she walked to the entrance of the temple.
The Dragonborn gulped, hoping that this woman would not eat him any second when they were inside the ruin. Though he may be the Dragonborn, he is not that friendly with women due to the harsh treatment the environment of Skyrim did to him. The last time a woman seduced Erlund was when she brought him to an isolated room with no one within the vicinity. Trying to take advantage of the situation, she showed her fangs in a dim room, catching the Dragonborn off-guard. He barely managed to get bitten and ended up pushing her off to the wall and took a candle laid on top of a horn, and used it as a weapon to stab her. That vampire scarred the Dragonborn for the remaining days if a woman were to seduce him again.
"I... I see," The Dragonborn said as he proceeded to open the entrance of the ruin.
"After you, sweetie?" Lisa smiled as both, Erlund and her entered the third ruin.
Discovering the ruin, the Dragonborn discovered the ruin to have a different atmosphere than the previous ruin.
The environment seems darker and still has the same floating debris as the previous one. However, the difference is that this floating debris appears to be moving in some pattern.
Lisa looked forward and felt some sort of energy in the ruin as she points towards a huge ruin in front.
"Hmm... I knew there's strong elemental energy within these ruins." Lisa said as she looked far into another area across the teal-colored fog.
The two finished certain puzzles and had been ambushed by various monsters ranging from hilichurls to slimes.
Lisa used her magic ability to support Erlund as the Dragonborn rushed forward to take out the pyro and electro slimes that gathered together.
Knowing how seemingly annoying it is to take them out one by one, Lisa released an Electro Lantern to electrocute these slimes and hilichurls, creating a huge connection of bolts in the middle that takes out most of the slimes. The only remaining left is the electro slimes that are immune to the lantern itself.
Erlund swiftly takes them out one by one as he slices them like he cuts an electric pudding with an axe.
"Brilliant work. Let's continue forward." Lisa said as they proceeded upon the next stages of the ruins.
After a few more stages, they come across floating platforms that seem to move in a particular pattern. They waited for the platforms to arrive and stood on it as they move forward to the next moving platform as if they were standing on a sidewalk.
"By the way, Lisa. That necklace that's hanging on your neck. Is that some sort of family gem?" Erlund asked, noticing the necklace Lisa had.
"Oh, this? Are you seriously asking such a ridiculous question? It's a Vision, sweetie." Lisa pointed out.
"Vision?" Erlund tilted his head.
"It helps the person to draw an elemental power from it. In other words, it's like a 'magical lightning rod'," She winked.
Erlund raised his eyebrow, trying to find anything that resembles a tool similar to a Vision or this 'magical lightning rod.'
"So, it's like some sort of gem that draws out more of your magical power, I see. Something like a staff? The students in Winterhold would be interested in having those for research." Erlund clarified.
"What? No, they are gems that the gods gifted upon mortals, and those who have the ambition may have the right to wield a Vision. You seriously do not know what a Vision is," Lisa doubted, wondering if the Dragonborn really may not be someone with common sense or just messing with her.
Students in Winterhold? Is it some sort of magic school? Is that place somewhere in Teyvat? Lisa thought in her head.
"Oh... Hahahaha, forgive my ignorance, Lisa." The Dragonborn tried to laugh, covering the fact that he had no knowledge of this Vision at all.
"You must be an oversized hilichurl, or just a small lawachurl. I doubt that you're both since you at least have some knowledge of... 'magic,'"
As they arrived at the next stage, they saw a cyan-colored stone wrapped by the winds.
Erlund, knowing what he's supposed to do, immediately breaks the stone, taking off a portion of the dragon's power.
"Now that we're done, I guess it's time to head home?" Erlund asked, only to see Lisa doing a thinking pose as she contemplated whatever that's going on in her head.
"Is there something in your mind, Lisa?" He asked.
"Dragon of the East, Lion of the South, Wolf of the North, Falcon of the West..." She mumbled.
"Uh... What?"
"These are the four winds of Mondstadt, Erlund. They are affiliated with the Anemo Archon, Barbatos." She explained.
"What's an Archon? I keep hearing that from across the city of Mondstadt." The Nord tilted his head.
"The Anemo Archon is one of the Seven gods that preside over the seven nations of Teyvat. Barbatos is affiliated with Mondstadt, while the others are from other countries."
"So, these four winds have something to do with that dragon?" He asked.
"Yes... This Dragon of the East. Its real name is Dvalin."
"Hmmm... Dvalin. Sounds like a Nordic name." Erlund thought.
"Most people in Mondstadt seem to forget this 'Stormterror' business has something to do with why Dvalin has been using three of the four ruins."
"As much as I do not know about this 'Stormterror' business, it's still a dragon business to me. I still have no idea why this dragon only uses three of the four ruins in the first place. Maybe it's because the ruins have been consuming itself?" The Nord scratches his head, having no entire idea of what these riddles will do to help him. So he made his last-ditch to guess.
"Exactly. You must have been doing your research." Lisa said.
The Dragonborn had question marks above his head after guessing it correctly. So he had to go for the flow anyway.
"And... Why has it been like this?" The Nord asked.
"It's hatred, I believe," Lisa said.
"Hmmm... Hatred." Erlund got a general idea now, remembering when he would have to find answers on why dragons were returning in Skyrim when Alduin was still roaming on the lands. He still had a bit of hatred towards them.
"Hatred for Mondstadt." She said.
New question marks pop on Erlund's head, not entirely comprehending why a dragon hates the city, not mortals, or humans and mer that serve them. Why a city?
"Why in Oblivion would a damn dragon hate a city? Aren't dragons supposed to wreak havoc and destroy man and mer? They are arrogant, and it is in their nature to be the one that thinks they rule. Though I have some exceptions with some." Erlund, trying to apply his logic and knowledge he had in Tamriel.
"W-w-what in the Seven are you saying? That does not make any sense at all. Dvalin would not be destroying a city that it is supposed to protect." Lisa, utterly confused by what she had heard from Erlund.
"Bahh... A dragon's business is my business as well. I'll help your people of Mondstadt to 'take care of this dragon." Erlund said, concluding that this dragon should be eliminated as soon as possible.
"Um... No. You don't get the picture, Erlund. Dvalin has been Barbatos' close friend for two thousand years. He is also long-worshipped by the people of Mondstadt and sworn himself to protect them at all cost. The fact that he suddenly attacked a city he sworn to protect is bizarre." She explained.
"Maybe that dragon may have a better master, or something has ordered him to attack the city. Perhaps he broke an oath with this Barbatos or must have been a dragon that has become a wanderer that lives on his own. " He answered.
"Whether you said holds true or not, we should not let that dragon attack the city." She said.
"Hmm... Fine, let's head home for now. I need some mead and a place to stay for a while."
The two headed back to Mondstadt.
The Dragonborn, remembering all the times a dragon had come to attack a village, watched the whole place in blazes by the breath of the dragon. The painful memories that he kept behind his head flow back unto him.
Meanwhile
Aether and Kaeya had finished clearing the ruin where the power of Dvalin has been eliminated. The two had separated their ways as Kaeya headed first while Aether and Paimon were left behind to take a walk for a bit before heading back to Mondstadt.
As they walked along the roads across the ruins, the sky has turned bright and blue again as the teal-colored clouds backed off from the city.
"Now that I think about it, Aether traveled through many worlds before he has reached Teyvat, yet, this strange fellow, Erlund, also said that he came from afar. Paimon has never heard those places he's been talking about. You think he came from another world as well?" Paimon asked Erlund as she floats beside Aether.
"Hmm... It seems likely, though. The way he describes things in this world, how he crafted his weapons, and his way of speaking. They do sound stranger than the people here." Aether thought as he walked on the road.
"Paimon has never heard a shout that loud before. Paimon can't even scream without breaking her vocal cords."
"Yes... But maybe if you think about it, he might have some leads about my sister." Aether said as he placed his hand on his chin.
"Oh, right. When we see him, how about we give him a weird name? Like, Shouting Barbarian. If we get back to Mondstadt, maybe you can go and ask him directly." Paimon said as she points her finger up as she thought of a great idea.
"Well, let's go then. Oh, before that, we need to show these to the Knights of Favonius. This might be our lead to the dragon." The two went back to Mondstadt as intended.
The Dragonborn returned back to the City of Freedom as he took out a bit of the Sticky Honey Roast he saved.
Happily munching the food, he remembered the bits of notes that Lisa gave to him before he left. Opening the book, he tried to read the notes given to him.
Still, there is no point on why Lisa seems to be concerned if he tried to 'take care of this dragon.
As he walked towards the front of what seemed to be an inn, a masked woman dressed in dark purple sleeves and Jean are seen chatting.
The Nord went behind both of them and eavesdropped for a bit.
"Yet, here you are saying you want to "put an end" to one of the Four Winds of Mondstadt?" Jean, agitated by the masked woman, crazy claims.
"It's not as crazy as you think, Jean. Fine. That's enough negotiation for today. At this stage... It's simply an amicable exchange of constructive opinions, no? I'll be sure to make... thorough... notes." The masked woman said as she left.
Put an end? I'm supposed to do that. Yet, why does Jean seem to object to this idea? What's the point of keeping a rogue dragon that might attack this city again? The Dragonborn thought, wondering why they seemed not to get to understand this idea.
"Oh... Aether. You're back." Jean said as the Traveler arrived.
"The aftermath of Stormterror has finally been settled for now. However, the delegations have become a pressing matter, and it is too large to be ignored."
"Delegation? From where? Inazuma city, or Liyue?" Paimon asked.
"From Snezhnaya," Jean said as she continued to explain the Fatuis of Snezhnaya.
"I don't think killing the Stormterror is the best course of action. The Cryo God's Fatui has always coveted the Anemo God's power. I don't believe they have Mondstadt's power at best."
"Oh, um... Speaking of power, I have something to show." Aether said as he seemed to be really wanting to bring out something.
"Hmm... We shouldn't be discussing important matters in the open. Let's head back to the headquarters." Jean said as the three-headed back to the headquarters.
The Dragonborn, after eavesdropping, followed behind the three and held a Mondstadt hashbrown in his hand, eating it as he walked upstairs together with the three as they headed towards the headquarters.
Jean, checking her surroundings as they went upstairs, noticed the Dragonborn walking behind them, wondering if he really did not notice them or he was acting.
"Oh... Erlund. You're back as well. You should join us at the headquarters. Aether has something that he needs to show, so you should come with us." She said.
"Hmm... Oh, I see. Well, let's keep going then." Erlund said as they headed to Jean's office.
As they arrived in Jean's office, Aether showed what seemed to be some type of gem in the form of a tear.
The Dragonborn, wondering what this giant tear-shaped gem is, tries to hold it with his hand as if he holds it like an ordinary stone.
"Amazing... It looks like a tear made of blood." The Dragonborn said as he held the floating tear-shaped gem.
"This crystal gem seems to have impurities, but upon further investigation... A-ah~!" Lisa yelped in pain as she tried to touch the gem.
"I-it hurts when I tried to touch it..." Lisa said as she rubbed her hand to relieve the pain the gem inflicted on her.
She suddenly noticed that the gem immediately reacted to those without Visions, as both the Dragonborn and Aether seem not to have felt any reaction.
"I-I see... It doesn't react to those without Visions. Both Aether and Erlund seem not to have any reaction with this gem. Kaeya claimed that Aether can use elemental abilities like us, as well as Erlund. Though, they didn't seem to be in pain when holding it." Lisa looked at both the Dragonborn and the Traveler.
"W-well, it is better for the gem to be in the hands of yours since it will cause a lot more pain... Both literally and metaphorically," Lisa explained.
"I'll keep it, then," Aether said as he kept the gem.
"...Fascinating indeed. Aether, Erlund. Do you know anything that makes both of you special?" She asked as she looked Aether in the eye.
Aether shook his head, not entirely knowing what he was capable of.
Jean then looked at the Dragonborn as he currently reads a map and a book he had just taken from the shelf.
"Hmm? O-oh, well, they call me Dovahkiin or Dragonborn in my homeland. I am adept with magic, and I can handle both frontal assault and as an assassin..." He said.
"Dragonborn? So... You are born as a Dragon?" Paimon asked.
"No... I am just a mortal with a soul of a Dragon." The Dragonborn tried to elaborate.
"So you can talk to Dragons?"
"At some point, yes." He said, keeping the fact he can absorb the knowledge and the soul of a dragon to take out.
"Well, aside from that, I hold the power of Thu'um. I can gain the power to shout which helps me in some ways."
"Oh? So that's what you did when we were in the ruins. You shouted and dashed forward. Paimon needs to bring earplugs if Paimon joins you." Paimon said as she recalled the time where they thought Erlund almost died.
"Speaking of ruins, that wings you guys have. I may need that. It might come in handy for me." Erlund remembered how extremely useful that all of them used those.
"W-well, we actually can provide you a Wind Glider as well. You may ask Amber after this. But before that, the Knights of Favonius would request for the three of you to hold the title of Honorary Knights of Favonius for helping the matter of this Stormterror business," Jean requested both of them to hold this title.
"Honorary Knight of Favonius?" Paimon asked.
Aether and Paimon, both shocked for accepting such a grand title upon them while the Dragonborn seemed unfazed as he had too many titles named upon him back in Skyrim.
The Dragonborn, Dovahkiin, Thane of Whiterun, Thane of Falkreath, Nightingale, Companion, Thieves' Guild's member, but he threw all these titles away for they don't mean anything to him at all. All he wanted was to have fun and adventure with the lands of Skyrim.
"Erlund. You don't seem quite shocked for earning such a prestigious title." Jean noticed the Dragonborn just standing there with no strong emotion as if he knew exactly what is going on.
"Oh.. umm... I would gladly accept this title then, Acting Grand Master of Favonius." Erlund returned to his senses after spacing out for a bit.
"Y-yes... We ask for your continued assistance in finding answers. Stormterror's rage... Strange crystals... Mondstadt's peace is hanging off balance. May the wind open your eyes to the truth. We'll meet back here if you find anything." She dismissed the rest as the three left and separated their own ways.
As the three left, the only remaining ones in the office are Jean and Lisa as they continued doing their tasks.
"Jean, those two cuties may be off the hook for now, but something tells me that both of them are not telling the truth. That boy might not be entirely telling of what happened. While that handsome man seems to be a bit too mysterious on the other hand."
"I've heard that too. Erlund seems to compare too many things with places I've never heard of. I have never seen anyone have an ability similar to him. Yes, they both use elemental abilities, but both of them don't have Vision. Yet, they seem to be too different from each other." Jean seemingly tried to recall the bits of information she heard from them.
"No need to stress with all the information. Time will tell when they will have to tell the entire thing. Let's leave it at that for now and focus on Mondstadt's safety from Stormterror," Lisa placed her hand on Jean's shoulder as she smiled, cheering up for Jean as she seemed a bit too stressed.
As Erlund left the headquarters, he noticed the same girl with a red ribbon approach him as she waved.
"Erlund! I mean, Honorary Knight!" The girl in red approached the Dragonborn as she waved for a bit.
"Hey there... Uhh... Amber, was it?" Erlund waved back.
"The Acting Grand Master has informed me to provide you this as a gift. Although I'm a bit too embarrassed to say this but... Thank you for saving me back in the ruins. It was because of my carelessness that your life would be put to risk." She said as she handed him a gift with both of her hands on the gift while looking away.
"There's no need to be hard on yourself, Amber. I have to make sure the whole party is alive as well. Besides, you seem a bit too young to be venturing out." Erlund said as he received the gift handed to him.
"Y-young? I'm the Outrider of Favonius, and any challenges I have encountered, I will surpass all of it., you and that outlander. And besides... you don't seem to be old yourself. What are you trying to imply?" Amber said as she awkwardly struck a pose in front of Erlund.
"That's... Nevermind. Just trying to make something out of what happened earlier." Erlund trying to make a comeback but realized he regressed as he arrived to this world so he tightened his lips.
"Anyways, it's getting dark. You need something to eat before I head out. Just like my homeland, nobody wants to sleep without a belly filled with mead and meat", the Nord tried to recall the words a guard said to him before he left Whiterun at night.
"I'll treat you some, but in exchange, you have to come with me outside Mondstadt. I'm going to show you the ropes of Wind Glider, and that we head back, alright?" She placed her hand on herself as if she tries to introduce herself as an instructor
"Alright then." Erlund accompanied Amber as the two bought a few of the food in the store then headed out of Mondstadt to find a cliff to try on the Wind Glider.
"So you have to spread out your wings just like a Phoenix, then glide across mid-air," Amber explained to the Dragonborn the basics of using the glider.
"I-I think I got it," Erlund said as he tried to glide with the new tool given to him.
"Amazing. You got the hang of it already on your first day. You're a fast learner." She clapped as she saw how the Dragonborn had done exceptionally well with the glider he had just received not long ago.
"Alright, Erlund. I have a challenge for you. How about a race? Reach the other side of the cliff as fast as you can, and I'll treat you a Sweet Madame later when we head back to Mondstadt." Amber requested a challenge to the Dragonborn, knowing fully well that she could outrun others with her astounding agility and speed.
"Deal." Erlund accepted the challenge as the two glided to the other cliff and flew.
Realizing what the wind glider can do, Erlund can use his boost with a Thu'um that he always uses when he runs away.
As he noticed that Amber had been ahead of him this whole time, he had no choice but to use the shout.
"Wuld!"
He boosted himself a bit, but it is already enough to gain enough speed to catch up with Amber.
Waiting for a few seconds for his shout to cooldown, he patiently waited until they reached the other cliff.
Amber quickly noticed the Dragonborn catching up on her increased her speed to ensure that she would secure the win.
With her mastery of the Wind Glider, she always made sure that she was always ahead among everyone, thus, making her the best Wind Glider user in Mondstadt.
As the two had reached the other side of the cliff, Amber looked behind only to see Erlund catching up on her faster than the start, even though she had already been ahead of him the whole time.
She catches enough momentum to speed through the other side of the cliff, but another shout has been heard all of the sudden. It is that same shout she heard from him when they were on the ruins.
"Wuld... Nah Kest!"
The Dragonborn rapidly accelerated at an incredible speed for a short time and reached the other cliff. With a shock on her face, she had never expected that he had used his powers to gain an advantage.
"Hey! That's cheating?" Amber said as she reached the other side of the cliff after Erlund landed.
"Sorry, I still have not gotten the hang of it. But I won, though... Are you still keeping that promise?" He asked.
"F-fine!" Amber was thoroughly shocked that the best Wind Glider of Mondstadt had lost to two outlanders, counting that she raced with Aether before they had destroyed Stormterror's power stones.
As the two had headed back to the cliff, they had encountered a sitting mechanical humanoid.
"What is that thing?" Erlund asked as he pointed to the machine sitting on the side of the field surrounded by broken pillars.
"That's a Ruin Guard. Don't get near them, though... They might attack you." Amber said as she pulled the Dragonborn away from the ruin guard.
"Interesting... I can handle this if that may become the outcome." Erlund approached the stationary mechanical guard, taking an interest in it.
"It does look like those Dwarven Centurions in those caves I've been." He remembered fighting those that tried to invade the spaces of the Dwarven ruins.
Suddenly, a spark of light appeared on the head of the machine, piquing the interest of Erlund.
"O-oh? It's lighting up!" He said as he approached it further.
"No! Don't get any closer," Amber said as she pulled the Dragonborn back, but the ruin guard rose as it detected anomalies that invaded its space.
"I'll handle this matter.." Erlund pulled out his axe as the mechanical device walked forward with its scuffed legs similarly way different to a Dwarven Centurion.
"It doesn't use steam as its power, I see?" He said as he analyzed the way the machine seemed to be moving.
However, the ruined guard planted its arms to the ground, twisted its body, revealing what was actually on its back.
Projectiles released that seem to be small homing missiles targeting on Erlund. Amber was on Erlund's way, but both barely dodged the missiles by an inch as the rockets exploded behind them.
The Dragonborn then rushed forward to try to retaliate against the rampaging machine. Dodging the swings the machine has made, he went up behind the mechanical automaton and slashed behind it only to inflict no damage whatsoever.
Amber pulled out her bow and shot arrows on the Ruin Guard to create a distraction as the Dragonborn happily challenged the automaton by trying to inflict damage as much as he could.
Suddenly, as he continued dodging the continuous attack, he was at a distance where the machine changed its tactics and planted its arms again. As the Dragonborn looked away for a few seconds and locked his eyes back on the machine, the Ruin Guard shot out the projectile missiles towards the Nord.
Without any time to react, the Dragonborn had no choice but to take as much damage. Suddenly, he closed his eyes as he accepts the damage he will take won't be as painful as he thought, but a scream was heard in front of him.
"Erlund! Nooo!" Amber blocked the missiles in front of the Dragonborn as she tried to protect the man who tried to save her.
A few rockets have blown up on her, but the damage is still the damage is still severe enough to throw her in a significant distance.
The Dragonborn suddenly witnessed such an unforeseen event in front of him as the girl he tried to protect, took the rockets for him.
"Amber!" Dragonborn, dumbfounded as he looked at the Outrider unconscious, rushed towards her to check on her, leaving the giant robot be as it slowly approached him.
"Why!? Why in the divines did you protect me? You stupid girl!" He shouted as he tried to wake the girl up through any means, such as slapping her.
Though feeling a bit shell-shocked by the explosions that she took, Amber looked at Erlund even though she was in her weakened state.
"Erlund... You're alright." She smiled as she slowly closed her eyes and fell unconscious in the arms of Erlund.
"You dumb girl! This can't be happening!" He shouted only to hear faint breathing, revealing that she was still alive. Realizing this, he carefully placed her down and rushed back in action as the Ruin Guards were already closing into the direction of the Dragonborn.
"D-damn you! You Oblivion-damned Centurion! I hope you rot under the feces of Falmers you piece of junk!" Filled with rage, the Nord tries to create a huge distraction to make sure that the giant machine won't be anywhere near Amber.
It didn't help at all as it still continued to target the unconscious Outrider. He rushed in front of the robot and had no choice but to push it.
"FUS... RO DAH!"
The machine was shoved back by the incredible force of the shout the Dragonborn emitted as it fell on its back ten meters from its original direction.
The Dragonborn then charges with his axe, as he held it up high and with his sheer strength, he chopped the arms off the Ruin Guard with all his strength.
"Damn you! You bloody, skeever feces-eating, rotten piece of junk!" He rapidly pummeled the Ruin Guard to the point that its internal components have been exposed. He pulled out whatever components it has with his bare hands, completely shutting down the Ruin Guard.
The machine no longer functions as the Nord finally stops bashing the piece of metal, panting afterwards.
He looked back at the unconscious Outrider to check if there are any other threats that may come to attack her.
Though unfamiliar with the lands, the Dragonborn opened up the map given to him to check where they are now, revealing that they are still far from the city. Luckily, they are close to the location where the Dragonborn used to camp before he arrived Mondstadt.
Gently carrying Amber to a safe location before he traveled, he patched her up with some of the spare cloths he had in his pouch before heading to his previous camp close to Dadaupa Gorge.
The scent of cooked pork lingers around the air, and a cold, wet cloth is felt on my forehead. Strange... There are some familiar smells, but I can't seem to put my finger on them.
The sound of fire crackling and a slight warmth felt in front of me.
She opened her eyes as she seemed to not be in a familiar place, though the area seemed to be rocky and filled with bushes and trees. The girl tried to stand up for a bit only to feel pain on her legs.
She looked below her legs, noticing a few bandages wrapped on her leg and on her arm. Unable to move due to the pain and injuries she had. She got confused and tried to remember the events before she got in to this situation.
"You're finally awake, Amber." A familiar voice is heard as she tried to look who was talking to her.
"E-Erlund?" Amber called out the Dragonborn, confirming if it was really him who called her.
"Here, drink this." Erlund gave Amber a wooden bowl that seemed to be filled with some type of liquid mixture.
"W-what's this?" She asked, wondering what type of strange mixture seemed to be blended on this warm bowl.
"It's a crude potion I made. It will heal you up for a bit. Don't mind if it tastes bitter. Chug it like you are drinking a bottle of mead with a Daedra." Erlund instructed the injured Outrider.
Hesitating to sip it, she tried her best not to spill the drink, knowing that whatever this man had made may be able to soothe the pain she had gotten.
The girl slightly gagged as the drink had quite a stale aftertaste.
Within a few seconds, the pain had slightly been relieved as if it is slowly flowing out of her body. Over time, the pain starts to go away, only to be exchanged with fatigue that came afterwards.
"Do you feel alright now?" Erlund asked Amber while handing out a blanket to her.
"Y-yes... I feel alright now." Amber replied as she received the blanket.
"Now. On a serious note, why did you rush forward first on that centurion-looking machine?" He crossed his arms as he waited for Amber's response.
"I... I was protecting you from danger. It's my job as well to protect those who are in my company, and it seems that you are still injured," She responded with a disappointed look on her face as she held the blanket given to him as she looked at the bruises found on the hands of Erlund.
The Dragonborn hid his hands for a bit as he drank a bit of his own potion, slightly healing the wounds for a while.
"Look here, Amber. You do not seem to understand that protecting your company does not mean to protect only others but also yourself. I had too many occasions where this happened, and you seemed to be doing the same thing. The adventurers I met in my travels lost a few protecting their other friends, but as soon as they went to their home, not a single soul had a smile on their face. They have lost someone they hold dear. Even the one that they protected felt the most guilt." Erlund explained.
"I-I just want to show everyone that I'm the best representative as an Outrider in the Knights of Favonius," She shook her head as she held the bowl tight.
"I can prove to my grandfather that Outriders are not obsolete. B-but after that race, and the outlander as well, I seem to be too slow to catch up." She holds her tears back.
"That as well, in the Four Winds Temple. I could not even protect the one who I was supposed to accompany. You took all the damage all because I did not see that hilichurl. You would have died as well because I did not hand you the Wind Glider. S-so, I felt responsible now that maybe you wouldn't be in that situation if all I did was to just give you that as a gift earlier." Amber's tears drop on the empty bowl as she explains the guilt she felt.
"I think I'm just too weak to be an Outrider, and maybe all these things I've done for Mondstadt are worthless. I just... can't seem to understand why I can't beat both of you. I mean... you're amazing that you can take on a dragon while I stood there worrying about Aether. You even saved some of the citizens of Mondstadt. I think I'm not fit to be what my grandpa aspires to be." She loses her confidence and motivation, which is really quite strange from the first time Erlund saw her, who seemed to be the most energetic one to all the Knights of Favonius. She continued to wipe her tears with the blanket the Dragonborn gave.
"Amber..." Erlund, finally understanding a tad bit on why she seemed to be unusually down.
"You stupid red girl. You don't have to weigh all of those problems because of that. It takes more than that for me to be crying like I spilled my goat milk." He tried to cheer up Amber a bit as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Besides, you are really concerned about everyone's health so you protected them, 'even though I can take the hit' (in a whispered tone). I would have handled it well but you did great. The Knights of Favonius are really grateful that you protected the city, as well as being what your grandpa really want you to be," Erlund gave a few words that can help Amber cheer up.
"Thanks, Erlund. I-I feel much better now..." She wiped the last tears and blew her nose on the blanket, leaving some snot as well.
"H-hey, I just washed that... You can't just dirty it with your snot." Erlund, slightly irritated by the amount of snot she had covered on the blanket.
"Ahahaha... Well, I think we can head back now, I feel perfectly fine now. Oh, and where are we by the way?" Amber finally came back to her senses as she looked around, wondering where are they.
"Oh, I camped here for a few months before I went to Mondstadt. Nothing much but some leather and some survival tools." He said.
"Ooohhh... So cool. How are you able to survive in the wild with these. These are primitive. Oh? Isn't that the clothes you wore when you arrived in Mondstadt? I recognize that strange patterns."
"Y-yeah... It's a bit too primitive for even a Nord like me. Anyway, it's getting late. Jean might be worried that you've gone missing. Oh, and are your wounds fine?" He asked.
"Strange... It doesn't hurt much at all." She tried to jump a bit to get the feel of her legs, and the wounds seemed to heal a bit too fast.
"How are you able to create such a potion that heals this fast?"
"I had to survive with all the ingredients here, so I experimented a bit on each, and I find that they seem to be a bit too effective on you." Realizing how a bit too jumpy she is for an injured girl.
"Well... What are we standing here for? Let's go! Oh, and I'll race you there." She said as she ran in the direction of where they were heading.
"Wait up, you rabbit!" Erlund catches up on Amber as they go back to Mondstadt.