Chapter Six: A Duel to Remember
"Amber…Amber…wake up."
The young Outrider groaned as she was gently shaken by Lastimosa. She rubbed her eyes, turning her head slightly to see the Pilot with his helmet on. "Huh…?" She groggily answered. "W-what's going on?"
"We're getting you out of here." He answered. "I've just talked to a few people up on the top and they're willing to take you along."
Amber gave a sleepy smile. "O-oh...that's great!" She rubbed her eyes once more before stepping out of her makeshift bed. She slightly flinched at the realization that she's the only person left in the tent. "W-Where did everyone go?"
"Everyone got transferred out just after you fell asleep." Tai answered, standing close to her. "Now, come on. The dropship will be leaving soon." He walked to the entrance of the tent, waiting for the girl. Amber paused for a moment, looking at the empty tent around her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was going to leave this world. She didn't know what to expect, only that she will be far away from here. Far away from the IMC.
"Amber?" The accented voice of Tai brought her out of her thoughts. "S-Sorry." She bashfully apologized. "Let's go." She joined Tai as they both exited the tent:
Only for a twenty-foot-tall giant to stand in front of her. Amber jumped at the sudden appearance of the giant and squeaked. "Ah! What's that?!" She cried out.
He chuckled, amused at the reaction of the girl. "That's my Titan, BT-7274. He's friendly, don't worry." The Pilot looked at his Titan. "Everything good back there?"
"Most of the supplies have already been transported back to the MCS Nyx. We are the only functionable combatants left in this sector." BT answered in a deep and calming voice, like a father comforting a son. Something that Amber found serene, which was a bit odd for a massive war machine with a giant weapon. BT's hatch opened for the Pilot to enter, as Tai hopped in. Amber could see puffs of fire from his waist as he leapt into the cockpit, the hatch closing once he was inside.
"Wait, what about me?" The Outrider asks, confused. "I'm not going to walk all the way there, am I?" BT got down on one knee and offered a hand to her. Tai's voice came from the Titan. "Don't worry, we'll carry you over to the dropship and get out of here. Say hello to Amber, BT."
BT's voice returned as he greeted the young girl. "Hello, Amber."
Amber giggled. "Hi BT." She greeted, before looking down at the Titan's hand. It could definitely fit someone her size. She took a step up and sat down on his hand. "I think we're good now?"
"Affirmative. I recommend you brace yourself." BT answered before he began to jog. Amber held on to his fingers as they moved, with the robot shaking the earth with each step. She gave an exhilarated whoop; never had she experienced something like this. It was like riding a horse, except if the horse was a giant metal robot that can talk. It wasn't long before they arrived at their dropship. Compared to what Pilots usually ride in, this dropship was massive. Two big doors opened from the side to let things enter. It looked to be a big cargo ship; though from the height alone, it looked to be designed for Titans like BT in mind.
Once they got in, BT let Amber get down from his hand as the doors closed. Thankfully, there were small windows in the door for them to look out from. Lastimosa hopped out of his Titan to stand by Amber's side.
"What's going to happen?" The girl turned to Tai.
"Well, we're going to be going up to the planet's atmosphere and jump to its orbit to catch our main ride." He explained, hoping she'd understand. Unfortunately, a Teyvatian wouldn't even know what's happening beyond their world's skies, nor do they know how to go beyond their skies. The only thing that left her lips was a small "what?" before they suddenly took off. Amber, not used to being in flying vehicles, stumbled as the dropship began to climb higher and higher. Tai caught her and steadied her back on her feet. "W-Woah!" She looked out the window, seeing the small burnt village she was in go smaller and smaller. It felt familiar, but this feeling was multiplied by a million. She had never gone this high before. "W-We're so high up!" She exclaimed, a mix of fascination and nervousness in her voice.
Tai chuckled. "It gets even higher, hang on." BT took this time to grab to the handle bars on the roof of the very spacious cabin, while the Pilot held handlebars by the door. Amber, not wanting to stumble again, grabbed into Tai's arm like a shy child clinging to her father. This got a smile out of him and patted her head.
The dropship began to pick up speed, zooming through the atmosphere to gain enough energy to sling out into orbit. Amber gripped on his arm tighter. As she has never gone this high up before, neither has she gone this fast. One might say even dragons can't compare to these masters of the sky. Then the ship slowed down, and Amber loosened her grip. Realizing what she did, her face turned red in embarrassment as she moved away, rubbing the toes of her boot against the floor. "S-sorry." For some reason, her red headband drooped like sad bunny ears.
"No, no. It's okay." Tai chuckled. "I've seen this before. I have a daughter around your age. She was like this when she first went into orbit." He sighed. "Look out the window, you're in for a treat."
Amber nodded, glancing at the direction of the window. The amazement that she felt within her can't possibly be described by words alone.
Stars. By the thousands. No, millions. Billions even! This was nothing like the night sky where you could only see what the sky provided. This was something else. She looked to the left, stars. The right? More stars. Then she looked downward and gasped softly. It was the planet's surface, now like a painting in a great black canvas. Amber's eyes grew wider. This is what the world looks like from up high? She had never felt so small before...
Tai put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a lot to take in, but don't think on it too much. Just enjoy the view." Amber, still recovering from the mini-existential crisis, nodded as she continued to stare. She couldn't quite get used to outer space just yet...
The ride to the main ship was rather uneventful, but to Amber the stars were all that she needed. She was amazed to see that there were other planets close to Fhranth as well. So, there are alternate worlds out there too? She was a bit overwhelmed, but she didn't think too much of it. Once she was bored of looking at the planets, she went back to Lastimosa and BT, who were currently playing chess.
"Hey Amber." Tai greeted. "How was the view?"
"It was...amazing. I've never seen so much stuff in one place." Amber answered, taking a seat between the Titan and its Pilot. "Do you mind?" She asked.
"Sure." Tai answered, before going back to the game. BT said something about an "E-4" before Tai moved a piece for him. Then the Pilot laughed. "AW! You got me, BT." He spoke.
"Tallying score. BT-7274 – 2, Pilot Lastimosa – 1." The Titan stated. "Would you like to try again?"
He shrugged. "Why not." They reset the pieces and began to play again. Amber watched with interest. This game looked awfully familiar, but she couldn't quite place down the name. It was called chess according to BT, but there was another name that Amber can't seem to remember...
[…]
"Tallying score. BT-7274 – 7, Lastimosa – 4. Would you like to try again?"
Amber yawned. The games have been going on for what seemed like hours. Tai had outsmarted the Titan at times, but BT was able to adapt and won the last few rounds. It was a bit exciting at first, but it had gotten boring.
This time the Pilot shook his head. "I think that's good for now." He began packing away the chessboard. "Besides, we're already here." He nods over to the window, which Amber walks over curiously. If space has amazed her already, she was going through another amazement moment once more.
The dropship was closing in on a much bigger ship. If this dropship felt like a small house, this mothership was an entire castle. It was oddly shaped with curves at the front and with a bright orange color. On the port side of the ship, Amber could see bold black letters spell out.
'MCS NYX'
She gave a small gasp of wonder as they got closer, revealing it to be far bigger than she anticipated. Soon, they were engulfed by the gargantuan machine, landing on one of its zones. The interior of the ship was just as massive, with many different areas for Titans to be dismantled and repaired. Many individuals ran back and forth - bringing over supplies, spare parts, and ammunition.
The doors of the transport ship opened and BT stepped out. Tai got up as well, with Amber keeping up. As they got off the dropship bay area of the interior, Amber looked around the ship and was mesmerized. She could see some soldiers laughing, some were checking parts of the ship; and she could see soldiers doing push-ups, with their drill instructor yelling at them.
"Lastimosa!" A sharp voice cut through the air, getting the attention of Tai. He and Amber turned around to see a tall woman with blonde hair tied into a long ponytail. She wore an eyepatch over her right eye and wore an olive-green uniform. For some reason, her entire right side was covered with burns and scars that made Amber inwardly wince. She could not help be intimidated by this woman, but Tai didn't seem to be bothered by her.
"Rosalyne!" He greeted amicably. Seeing her irritated scowl, his grin tamed to a small smile. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
"That's Captain Kruzchka to you, Pilot." She answered, bringing out her clipboard and writing down something on it. "What took you so long down there? Your orders were to escort the refugees, not to mingle with them."
The Pilot chuckled before patting Amber's shoulder. "Ah, that...I brought along a friend, Amber. She didn't want to be brought along with the refugees." Amber offered a hand. "Nice to meet you, Captain Kruzchka."
The captain widened her eyes in surprise the moment she laid eyes on her before her face quickly returned into her scowl. "Interesting..." She accepted the hand. "Welcome aboard, Miss Amber." Their hands shook and they made eye contact. For some reason, Captain Kruzchka gave off this feeling of danger and Amber found it...off.
After they shook hands, the captain turned towards the Pilot. "I will be seeing you in my office for a report. For now, get refreshed and get BT a maintenance check. Dismissed."
Tai gave a salute. "Yes, ma'am." He nodded towards one of the Titan hangars. "Come on, BT." He and BT headed off towards the hangar, leaving Amber with Captain Kruzchka. She reached out to him, a worried look on her face. But Tai simply gave a thumbs up and told her. "I'll get back to you, don't worry!"
"As for you..." The captain narrowed her eyes at her. Amber suddenly got defensive and took a step back. "You are not even supposed to be here. In fact, you should have been relocated with the other refugees." Amber looked disheartened at that, but the captain continued. "But...I have known Tai long enough to know that I can trust him. And...there's something in you that looks familiar..."
Amber could feel her gaze bearing on her and felt uncomfortable. "A-And that is...?" She asked.
Rosalyne looked at her for a little longer before shaking her head. "Never mind. I thought I saw something." She nodded towards Lastimosa. "Run along." Amber can only give a nod as she walked towards Tai. She heard the captain mutter something, but she didn't seem to quite hear it. She arrives just in time for Tai to leave BT's hangar. The mechanics gave him a thumbs up just as Tai turned around to face Amber. "Oh, you're done?"
"Uh...she just...kind of looked at me strangely." Amber responded, rubbing her arm. "It was a bit uncomfortable..."
Tai sighed. "Don't worry about that. It's just the way she is. Being captain and all that." He chuckled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Since you'll be here for the time being, I might as well show you a place where you can eat. You hungry?"
Amber was about to respond that she was not hungry when her stomach grumbled. "Uh...yes please." She answered bashfully. The Pilot gave a smile as they left the Titan hangars, bringing Amber along to the ship's mess hall. The young girl noticed soldiers saluted as Lastimosa passed them, some even gave warm greetings as they walked past. It was not long before they reached the mess hall.
The mess hall was located just close to the main hangar bay, easily accessible to the crew and rifleman alike. Currently it was barely occupied, with only a handful of soldiers and crew members eating at the tables. The soldiers eating gave their acknowledgements to him as the two went to the mess hall's counter where they would get their food.
"Captain Lastimosa, sir!" One of the kitchen soldiers, a brown-haired young man with a moustache, saluted with a grin. "We just finished serving the boys and girls dinner."
Tai grinned back. "I hope you lads have some to spare?" Another kitchen soldier, a woman with blue streaks in her raven black hair, answered as he brought a tray of fried chicken to the counter. "Yes sir!"
Amber's mouth watered at the sight of the chicken. She didn't realize she was that hungry (though to be fair, she only ate soup the entire day). Tai noticed this and nodded to the kitchen soldiers. "Alright, I'll be having a bit more than usual, I brought along a kid with me." He patted Amber's shoulder.
"Hey, I'm not a kid." She protested, pouting at the Pilot. The kitchen soldiers looked at their newcomer. Though oddly dressed, she looked beaten. In fact, there were still specks of blood on her outfit.
"Yikes, she looks like she went through hell." The mustached soldier commented as he put chicken and what looks to be a golden yellow sludge with brown sauce on top of it. Amber ogled at the sight – she was really hungry.
Tai nodded, looking at the girl staring at the food. "We found her buried under all the rubble. Damn miracle she survived orbital bombardment."
The mustached soldier nodded. "Damn, imagine that." He handed them their plates now with food. "Here's your food, sir." Getting their trays, the two sat down at one of the more isolated tables in the mess hall. Tai took off his helmet before he put his hands together for a moment of silence. After that, he began eating.
"Dig in." He said to Amber. She looked at the food and didn't think twice as she took a chicken leg in her hands and took a bite. Her eyes glowed and her lips curled into a smile as she chewed the fowl in her mouth. "It's so gooood~" She exclaimed, taking another bite of the chicken. The Pilot simply smiled at the adorable scene in front of him.
While they went on eating, Amber noticed a soldier passing by them and saluting to Tai. She asked him. "Are you famous around here?"
He raised an eyebrow at the question. "What do you mean?"
Amber continued. "I've been seeing a lot of the soldiers around here saluting to you and giving you smiles. Are you famous?"
"Oh, that." Tai chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I'm just one of the Pilots of the task force here."
"Pilots?" Amber tilted her head in confusion. "What's that?"
"Well..." Tai began. "Let's just say they're a very special kind of soldier..."
Angel's Share, Mondstadt
18:45
Amber rolled her shoulders, walking back to Mondstadt after helping Albedo with carrying the crates of IMC weapons to his house in the city's residential district. Surprisingly, he even had a house, considering that Albedo spends most of his time in Dragonspine. But since the mountain is currently being occupied by a force far more dangerous than the typical monster of Teyvat, the alchemists had to relocate their workplace to Windrise instead.
Currently the Pilot was just on her way towards Angel's Share to have her drinking session when she sees Eula sitting down on one of the outside tables, cross-legged and looking irritated and pretty. "Hello, Lastimosa." She greeted with a look so cold Amber froze in her tracks. Metaphorically, of course – but Amber swore she could've felt the temperature drop.
"Eula! Hey!" She greeted awkwardly, crossing her arms. "You, uh, want to drink too?"
Funnily enough, she was just sipping a cold drink. "I'm good, thank you." She placed down the empty glass before standing up. "I do believe you'll be fine tonight without a drink; don't you agree?" She approached her with a stride and a hand on her hip, one Amber found intimidating (and alluring).
"I...yeah?" She answered, trying to sneak past her. "I mean it's not like I'm going to get drunk again, right?" Before she could even bolt for the tavern; she was pulled back by the hand by Eula, twirling the Pilot around until she was suddenly in a tango position with her. Thank God her helmet covered her face because it was tomato red. Eula had a smirk on her face as she let go and tugged at the collar of her bomber jacket, dragging her away from Angel's Share. "Come on, I know a place where you can spend time instead of the tavern."
Amber made noises of protest, like a cat being picked up against its will. That didn't stop her from teasing as she smiled and shot back. "Oh, dragging me to your room for that duel, huh?"
Eula's flustered face told her it worked. "Will you STOP THAT?!"
[…]
"Okay...why did you drag me here...?" Amber looked around, confused.
They were outside the castle walls, overlooking the north side where they could see Cider Lake glowing bright from the reflection of the moon above them. It gave quite a view of the lake and the sky. Eula took a seat by the edge of the cliff and gave a sigh of relaxation. "You have mentioned you wanted to remember your old life here. This is where we can start."
The Pilot took off her helmet, not needing it since it was a more discreet part of the island. She sat down next to the knight, placing the helmet to her right. "Okay, is this place important?" She let her legs dangle off the side of the cliff.
"Well...it's a spot you drag me to whenever we were off-duty." Eula answered, gazing out to the water. "You told me this was one of many spots of Mondstadt that was quiet, a place where you could take a rest and make your Baron Bunny dolls."
"Baron Bunny...dolls?" Amber raised an eyebrow. "I used to make dolls?"
Eula nodded. "They looked like smaller versions of you with bunny ears. Almost all of them can explode."
Amber's face contorted from confusion to excitement. "I made bunny doll grenades?" Her eyes lit up at the thought. A plush toy squeaking before it blew up into a ball of fire and shrapnel.
"Er, if you put it that way, yeah." Eula nodded, bemused at her enthusiasm of the explosives. Yet she found it endearing – a part of that lively Outrider still lives in her.
"Okay, that's kinda cool. But you said this is one of many spots I used to keep to myself. What makes this one special from the rest?" Amber asked, leaning a bit closer. The knight's face slowly turned red. "Ah, that...well..."
Amber's lips morphed to a mischievous grin. "What, did we kiss here or something?"
Eula's face turned redder from both embarrassment and frustration. "What?! No! We didn't kiss or anything!" She clicked her tongue. "What is with you and teasing me?"
"It's funny. And I like seeing your adorable face get all flustered." She answered, her grin growing wider. The knight gave an angry huff as she stood up from her spot. "I regret bringing you here." She turned her heel and began to leave.
"Hey, woah, woah! Don't leave! I was just kidding!" Amber shot up from her spot, holding her laughter as she caught up with her. "You haven't told me much yet!" Eula spun around so quickly she might have snapped her neck.
"I've had it with your teasing already! Like I'm going to talk to you if you're going to continue doing that!" She yelled.
Amber sighed. "Alright, alright. I admit I've gone too far already. I'm sorry." She raised her hands in surrender. "I promise I won't tease you if it means you helping me run through my old life."
Eula pouts, crossing her arms. "And I hope you keep this end of the bargain?" For some reason, her pout made Amber's chest feel like a Firestar went off inside of it. The Pilot gave a smile. "Yeah, sure. No teasing. Cross my heart." She made an X over her chest.
The knight relaxed her arms and took a sigh. "Alright then." She gazed off to the lake again. "I've said before you always bring me to this spot on off-duty, but we..." Eula took a deep breath. "We used to dance here."
Amber was about to say a joke before she made the smart decision to not say it. "You dance? Is that how you did the..." She twirled her finger around pointing downward before pointing at herself. "The thing, earlier?"
"It's a tradition that still holds dear to me." Eula nodded. "Well, the only tradition of my family that I actually enjoy."
The Pilot snapped her fingers. "Right, your noble family. I'm guessing they were pompous assholes?" The knight only gave a nod of response before deciding on switching the subject. "What's with the teasing anyway?"
"Still on that?" She raised an eyebrow. Eula gave a soft glare, before Amber shrugged. "I'll bite, I don't really know how I got the teasing, but I know it started when I started hanging out with my squad. Guess it rubbed off me when they were the ones teasing me."
"I see..." Eula drawled. "That explains things. They must be a rowdy bunch."
"Hell yeah, they were..." Amber chuckled. "Anyway, about that dance, what's it called?"
"The Dance of Sacrifice." Eula answered, standing up and striking a pose that resembled old-Earth flamenco. "It helps with my blade work and it calms me." The odd pose made Amber smile, imaginary guitars playing in her head.
"Ooh~, that sounds like fun." Amber grinned. She tried to mimic the pose, only to look like a drunk flamingo, which made Eula chuckle. "I'm not much a dancer anyway."
"How odd. I recall you did exceptional during our one-to-one dance classes." Eula raised her eyebrow. Amber shrugged. "Guess it didn't click to me as well."
"Perhaps a little refresher would help?" The knight offered her hand. "I've seen you do it before, I wonder if you could do it again."
She shook her head. "Uh, I appreciate it but I said that I'm no-"
Now Playing: Testimony 1 – Ace Combat Zero OST
Suddenly a guitar being strummed began to play, filling the once quiet night with soft music. Amber glanced behind her to see her helmet on, playing the soundtrack. She grits her teeth, sighing. 'Dammit, BB.' It turns out she wasn't the only one surprised as Eula looked at the helmet too with a raised eyebrow.
The Pilot gave a sigh, before giving a soft smile and taking her hand. "Fine. Takes two to tango, right?"
Now Playing: Libertango (40 Fingers Version)
The two began to circle around each other as the score begins to play, the guitars strummed into a slow tempo. Amber was not prepared for Eula's exotic moves, as her feet moving gracefully and swiftly to match with the music. She could outplay a basketball player or even a boxer with that skill. And her hips...oh my.
In that trance, she forgot she was supposed to dance along with her so she was struggling to keep up with her movements. Eula gave a smirk. "Are you staring? It's not a dance if it's just myself, you know~"
'Did she just tease me?' Amber's thoughts ran amuck, as she suddenly remembered. "Right!" She said, before realizing she didn't know where to start. Steady tempo, graceful movement...Amber decided to use something that was taught to her on Harmony. She answered with her own footwork, albeit slower but matching the music. Hands moved in a graceful manner, resembling cariñosa rather than flamenco. Despite this they were able to make it work.
As the song hit the one-minute mark, the two closed the distance as suddenly both of their hands met and their bodies close, their faces mere inches away from each other. Both of their cheeks flushed red, but this closeness didn't stop them as they began to move together. Amber didn't remember much, other than Eula's hands moving across her figure and Amber's hands doing the same. She swore she must've grabbed her butt by accident that made Eula jump a bit.
Their dance became slower as the song slowed, but still intimately close. Amber suddenly felt lost under those multicolored irises of Eula, like staring at a galaxy. Was she always this pretty? Their lips were so close, as if one nudge could have them meet...
Once the they separated (thank God, Amber couldn't handle the romantic tension anymore) and fast guitars began to play. They clapped to the beat with Eula giving an approving smile. "Well done, Amber. You clearly still know how to dance."
"I was taught by the best, aren't I?" She shoots her a smile. As the guitars began to strum and the first chords are repeated, they meet once more as they danced in the moonlight.
At one point, close to the end, Amber decided to lift Eula up by her waist. The knight stretched out her arms as they slowly spun. When the song reached its end, they ended their dance with their faces close once again. In that moment, Amber felt like closing the distance and leaned forward...
Eula pulled away from her, halting her advance with a finger to her lips. "No. Nope. Nu-uh." She gave a nervous chuckle, her cheeks flushing red. "L-let's not."
The Pilot nodded. "Agreed." She suddenly chuckled, before bursting into laughter; Eula joining in on her laughing. Amber turned towards her and flashed a smile. "I had fun."
"As did I." Eula nodded, smiling back at her. Now that they were back to their more settled state, she spoke. "There is something else that I want to ask you... About the Frontier."
"Sure." Amber put her helmet on her lap, playing with the bunny ear antennae. Eula went on to ask her question.
"Were you the only person of our world in the Frontier?" The question made Amber pause what she was doing. There was a moment of silence with her looking down on the lake, and Eula was worried for a moment she touched a sensitive subject. Amber took out something from her pocket, revealing to be a necklace. The pendant itself is a bullet, although much larger compared to the pistol round that Amber uses. "I wasn't the only one." Amber finally answered. "This pendant was made by Papasha – my grandfather."
"Grandfather?" Eula widened her eyes at the mention of her former mentor. "I-I thought he just disappeared from Mondstadt. What was he doing in the Frontier?"
Amber gave a shrug. "Nobody knows where he came from, not even himself..." She paused before she looked at Eula. "You knew Papasha?"
"Well, not with that name, no. But I knew your grandfather." The knight answered. "He was the one that took me under his care when I was...not well like in Mondstadt, in fact he raised you along with me."
She whistled. "Damn...guess caring for children was his specialty." Amber gave a laugh, however it felt dimmer than usual.
"What happened to him? Is he alright?" Eula asked, curious and a little concerned. Another moment of silence. This time it really felt like she hit Amber's nerve. Her fist clenched around the pendant.
"Dead. Sniper shot his chest." The Pilot answered grimly. Eula's eyes dilated with shock. "He was helping some prisoners escape the IMC, and some bastard took him out just as they left the gates. I took out the fucker, but it was already too late. He bled out on our escape vehicle."
The silence that followed was deathly quiet, with Eula processing the tragedy. Her grandfather, who took Eula under his wing when Mondstadt didn't accept her, the same man who mentored her to be strong and survive... gone. Killed in a war that Amber described to be brutal enough to make Mondstadt's rebellion look like a mere scuffle. "How long has it been?" The knight asked her.
Amber gave a sad sigh. "It's been haunting me for three fucking years." She reached for her pocket for a sip of whiskey or brandy, only to realize she didn't have a flask to begin with. "I just wished I could've done something."
"I'm...sorry to hear that." Eula muttered, looking down at the lake. "I didn't know."
The Pilot stood up from her spot. "It's not your fault. What is done is done." She stretched her limbs, getting ready to leave. "Thanks for bringing me here, Popsicle. I appreciate the dance and the uh, jog down memory lane." She put the pendant back to her pocket. "I'll be off, I need some time alone."
"Wait, before you go." Eula stood up and approached Amber. She took out something from her pocket and pulled out an old medallion with a dull red gem. A Pyro Vision. "This was yours. You are back in Mondstadt now, I might as well give it back to you."
Amber looked at the Vision in her hand, before taking it from her hand. "Thanks. I'll be sure to use it...somehow?" She gave a smile before she put on her helmet and left, leaving Eula to her thoughts.
Now that Eula was finally alone, she promptly covered her face and yelled. A lot of emotions rang through her mind, but none were as prominent as the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. She had not only danced with her old crush after three whole months of her disappearance, but they nearly kissed. Eula took in a deep breath, staring at the moonlight reflecting on the lake. She had thought her infatuation with Amber had died when she disappeared, but what of it now that Amber was back? Should she even try again with her new attitude? She wasn't the same bubbly Outrider as before - constantly teasing her and bolder than before.
But one thing that stayed was her smile. That...fucking smile. Eula held in the urge to squeal like a schoolgirl. Amber's profanities was starting to rub off on her.
Perhaps one day she'll tell her how she really feels.
[...]
The Pilot held the bullet pendant in her hands while it was in her jacket pocket. There were a few other details she didn't mention to her during her grandfather's death, but frankly she didn't want to, not yet. Another memory she did not want to relive. She passed by Angel's Share, looking at the tavern for a moment. Will it really help if she just drank her problems away like before? Or will it just push her back down to the same depressed drunkard she was the days after Broadsword?
Amber decided against it, and went home for the night.
Windrise, Mondstadt
9:30 – The Next Day
"Last firearm: ar-two-oh-one assault rifle. Okay, Amber. Fire when ready."
Albedo noted as he stood at the firing range in front of him. Earlier this morning, he had some help from the remaining researchers that were still willing to work even after the Dragonspine fiasco, setting up a makeshift firing range to test out the numerous weapons he had discovered in that crash site.
He sighed, looking at the mountain off in the distance. As much as he wanted to return there for his experiments, it was ill advisable to do tests while there was a rogue criminal on the loose. So, he had to settle with Windrise. Open space and slightly breezy for ventilation, it was good enough for a temporary testing area.
Next to the alchemist is his assistant Sucrose, who looked much better than yesterday. She had told him that she felt better, though he doubted what she saw on the mountain wouldn't affect her. And next to Sucrose stood Eula. Eula was here for some reason, perhaps she joined for Amber's sake.
And then there was the Outrider herself, Amber. Or to be more accurate, Pilot Amber. Albedo found Amber alone to be worth looking into. There was so much about her that needed to be discovered. But for now, weapons first. He looked at this clipboard, looking at the list of IMC weapons they have tested.
They had strange names like Devotion, Flatline, and Spitfire. But others were akin to serial numbers like R-97 and EVA-8. This time it was the R-201 assault rifle, which according to Amber is the parent configuration of the R-97 submachine gun. Albedo shook his head to himself, quite the terminology.
The Pilot loaded the magazine into the magwell, pulling back the cocking lever of the rifle.
"Rifle loaded." She flicked a lever on the side of the weapon. "Safety's off." She aimed down her sights, taking a deep breath. As Albedo set the requirements, semi-auto on the dummy in knight armor and full auto on a regular dummy. It was to test armor penetration and fire rate.
Amber took a deep breath before nodding at the crowd, prompting them to cover their ears. She pulled the trigger three times, three clangs answered back telling her she hit the mark. Then she aimed at the unarmored dummy that already took a beating from the Flatline (since the dummy the Spitfire, Devotion and EVA-8 used on was annihilated), switched to full auto and emptied the magazine. The air was filled with the sound of multiple fireworks going off in very rapid succession and the smell of fire. Once the magazine was empty, she let it drop down from the rifle and put her trigger finger away. "Test complete."
Albedo nodded. "Let's check the results." The Pilot put away the assault rifle and joined the rest as they went to inspect the armor.
Amber whistled, pointing at the holes. "Definitely going to wreck someone's day."
Sucrose took a good look at it, scribbling notes. "Interesting. Despite its smaller size, it can penetrate body armor effectively." The Pilot nodded.
"Physics. Smaller target with a large force can surprisingly hit hard." She hypothesized before returning the weapons back to the crate that she was able to recover from Dragonspine. It was a miracle there were plenty of pistol magazines lying around as she was able to restock her P2016 to five magazines.
"I believe that's all of the weapons accounted for?" Sucrose asked, which Albedo nodded in response.
The Chief Alchemist put his clipboard aside. "Indeed. However, we are still not yet done with our tester." He was about to talk to the Pilot when one of the researchers approached him. While Amber didn't want anyone in Mondstadt to recognize her, as she used to be a familiar face, the researchers who worked under Albedo swore secrecy out of respect.
"Mister Albedo, we just finished the course." He said. The alchemist nodded, putting his clipboard under his arm. "Miss Amber, could you be so kind to follow us? We have something prepared for you."
Amber turned away from Sucrose and gave a thumbs up, bringing along the helmet. "Sure thing. Where to?"
"You'll see...Just in the Thousand Winds Temple." Was all Albedo said in reply.
[…]
The Pilot definitely saw what he meant. She didn't expect it to be this big.
It was a whole obstacle course with a maze and an arena connected to it. All made with sturdy wood. From what Amber saw, it looked to be a high intensity training course – with rope swings and climbing walls, complete with swinging arms and iron bars that could definitely knock someone off. There was even a part where one had to roll up a log, or at least that's what Amber thought. At the end is a steep ramp around 10 feet tall or 3 meters.
The maze was connected to the course as a segment. It was surprisingly modern, with tight corridors and corners simulating hallways. There were dummies in the maze, maybe for fighters with swords to combat? Either way, similar to a CQC training maze the Militia uses to train Militia soldiers and Pilots.
The arena, though separate from the obstacle course altogether, had to be the most appealing out of all of them, with a large circle enclosed by a wooden wall perimeter. Amber estimated the diameter of the fighting area to be about 10 meters or 32 feet. Nothing special; it reminded the Pilot of the old martial arts shows she'd watch with Kay and Tai.
"Damn." She whistled. "Looks like a training regime back home."
Albedo nodded. "It's an advanced training course I helped make for the Knights of Favonius. So far, no tests have been given until now." Sucrose and Eula stood by the pillars to watch. Surprisingly Amber realized two other knights were watching – Kaeya and Jean.
"Oh, hey guys." She waved at them. "I did say I'm going to demonstrate, right?"
"Indeed, you did, and I'm curious to see what you can do." Jean answered.
Kaeya nodded. "As will I. Today should be interesting."
Amber smirked. "Alright! So, I have to test out this training course?" Albedo nodded. "Yes, but you have to finish everything in a time limit."
She put her fists together with confidence. "Psh, I've done harder courses. What's the time I have to beat?"
"One minute and 45 seconds, that's the fastest done by Eula." Albedo answered. "But I need you to do it without using your gear. So that we can see what your body can do." The Pilot didn't show anything, but under the helmet she was grinning. A challenge!
"I'll beat it half the time." She boasted, before pointing at the Reconnaissance Captain. "Just you wait, Ice Queen." Eula simply rolled her eyes. Amber went to unbuckle some belts and placed her jump kit and grapple hook down. Kaeya held in the urge to laugh, but his smirk gave it away.
"Alright then." Albedo nodded, taking out a pocket watch. He pointed at the red X marked on the ground. "Please start here."
The Pilot walked over to the marked spot, stretching her limbs. Then she took a runner's stance, ready for the signal. Albedo looked at the stopwatch before he nodded. "Go!"
Amber took off as fast as the wind, running at full speed. The first segment was a rolling log perpendicular to her. She sped through it and keeping her balance like an expert. Next segment was the rope swing. It was done quickly, as she didn't lose speed as she swung from rope to rope. For the segment with the swinging arms and iron bars, she practically dived through each swinging arm. It was all impressive, and just like that the first part of the obstacle course was finished.
"Next course!" Albedo called out, as Amber entered the maze, picking up a few daggers instead of getting one. They watched from above as Amber weaved through the corridors, throwing the daggers at the dummies as they popped up from cover. She was out by the exit in a heartbeat. Another course done in a flash.
"Next!" Amber had to carry some kind of log towards the end of the segment. She went for the biggest one there and lifted it, bringing it over to the end. That weighed over 250 pounds!
"Last segment!" She went straight for the 10-foot-tall sloping ramp with the finish line at the top.
They watched as the Red Devil Baroness took off and ran up the near vertical ramp and clutched for the edge. Amber pulled herself up before stepping on the red X. Albedo stopped his pocket watch and shouted. "Time!"
The Pilot approached Albedo, her breathing a bit heavy after pushing herself. "So, what's my time." She could've sworn his eyes were wide, but they were quickly hidden.
"Incredible. 44 seconds. That's a record breaker." He said aloud. All three knights had their eyes wide open. That was extremely fast. Amber stretched her limbs. "Man, I could've gone faster."
Albedo turned to his assistant. "Sucrose, how's the report?" The young girl had a brightness in her eyes that would've rivaled the sun.
"Amazing! Her dexterity, reaction time and agility far exceed any average person by a wide margin! Her muscular strength could rival even Noelle's! And the height where she could jump is-" Before Sucrose could finish her excited ramble, Albedo put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sucrose, calm down." The bio-alchemist jumped, before turning red with embarrassment. "O-Oh, s-sorry. I-I-It's just that...I've never seen such performance before. On a biological standpoint, this is a particularly important breakthrough." She stopped herself, taking a breath. "Her performance shows that she has capabilities far better than any of the Knights. She's...something else, Mister Albedo."
"Interesting..." The alchemist put a finger on his chin, looking at Amber. Perhaps she's something similar to him in a way? It was definite that she was superior than the average human being. "Well, that would certainly make the next part of the testing...different from what I'm expecting."
"Next part?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Combat trials." Sucrose answered. That got the interest of the Pilot. She immediately walked towards the arena. "Cool. So, who am I gonna fight?"
"Me." Kaeya answered, entering the arena. He approached one of the weapon racks at the side and picked up a wooden sword. "I volunteered to be your first opponent. After all, I'm excited to see what you can do."
Amber hummed, nodding her head. She looked at him up and down – Kaeya looks to be an expert swordsman. She looked over to Albedo. "Why not I fight two?"
The knights widened their eyes. Albedo himself had his eyebrows raised. "Two on one? Isn't it a bit unfair for you?"
The Pilot shook her head. "You never expect things to go fair out in the field. Besides, I could probably wipe the floor with all of you." She taunted. To her surprise, it was the Acting Grand Master that joined in the arena.
"Well, I suppose a little spar couldn't hurt." She took up another wooden sword and stood beside Kaeya.
Amber gave a smirk as she went to the nearest weapon bench to reach for a weapon. For a moment, they would see that she was reaching for a bow – the choice of weapon for Outriders
So, their surprise is expected when Amber brought out two wooden swords, twirling them in her hands. "Alright then." She took a pose with her right foot forward and holding her two swords like knives. She had a small grin on her face.
"The rules are simple. No severe injury, no Visions. If you back out of the arena, disqualified. You may fight as you see fit. Whoever is left standing wins." Albedo states.
"Sounds good for me." Kaeya took his stance. Jean gives a nod to Albedo, who raises his hand to signal the start. Amber turns to the helmet sitting by the edge. "Let's get some tunes."
Albedo brought down his hand. "Begin!"
Now Playing: I'm the One – Jeff & Casey Lee Williams
As the harsh guitars began to play, Jean turns to her teammate. "Kaeya, we take advantage of our numbers. She won't be able to hold out to both of us-"
"Look out!" Kaeya calls out. Jean barely has time to turn when Amber suddenly strikes, blocking her overhead attack. Jean flinches at her manic grin. "Hello~!" Amber greets casually.
She grunts as she pushes the Pilot off, and tries to follow up with a swing of her own. Amber sidesteps and blocks Kaeya attack behind her. She gives a smug chuckle as she twirls around and swings her sword at Kaeya. The Cryo swordsman parries her blow and tries to retaliate with two swings of her sword.
However, he didn't expect Amber to trip over Jean with her foot and pushes her towards Kaeya's counterattack, making him accidentally smack Jean in the face. The Lion of Mondstadt stumbles, before she is temporarily knocked out of commission by a hard knock on the noggin by the pummel of Amber's wooden sword.
Meanwhile back at the audience, Eula gasps with perturbation and anger. "Well, that's unchivalrous! Using another fighter as a shield is inhumane."
Albedo nods. "While it is unfair, I don't expect anyone to play fair in combat. It would appear Amber adapted to that."
Sucrose watches in silence, amazed at Amber's movement of her body.
"Terribly sorry!" Kaeya apologizes, just as Amber rushes in to attack. She swings her swords wildly, going for every opening that the Cavalry Captain leaves every time he parries. Her strikes with swift and powerful, slowly wearing him down.
'How the hell is she so fast?' Kaeya thinks, as he desperately blocks the whirlwind of strikes. 'There has to be a gap somewhere.'
He finds a gap in her barrage and smiles. Bingo. He blocks her strikes and goes for a stab. Amber predictably blocks with both of her swords, which is just what he needs. He headbutts her square in the face, making her loosen her trap on his sword and pulls away, sweeping her feet. The Pilot falls to the ground, groaning slightly.
He points the tip at her. "I had fun with this dance, but now it's time you yield." He speaks, a smirk on his face.
"Like hell I'm going to that." She spits out red, apparently her lip cut open after Kaeya's headbutt. "I didn't hear no bell, bitch." Amber grinned as she suddenly slaps the sword away and uses her lower body to kick Kaeya's abdomen, pushing him away. She rolls backward, now on her knees as she picks up her two wooden swords.
Kaeya coughs, taking in whatever air he could. Amber hit him hard, and he didn't expect her to use unconventional tactics. He was about to prepare himself to attack when Jean jogs up next to him. "Welcome back, Master Jean. I hope I didn't hit too hard?" He jests.
The Acting Grand Master gives a huff, touching her bruised cheek. She winced at the pain. "It's fine. I didn't expect Amber to be this good of a fighter." Kaeya only gave a nod in response. They had to switch tactics, Amber was too slippery and hard hitting for conventional swordplay.
Amber looks at her two swords before throwing them down, stretching her arms out. "I'm all for it!" She grins. The Knights nod to each other and begin their attack. They charge at the same time, ready to swing their swords. Unaware of the trap laid by Amber.
The Pilot moves her body to dodge Jean's swing and grabs Kaeya's wrist with her hand. She twists it hard, the awkward angle making the swordsman drop his weapon. Amber pulls Kaeya forward, his arm still in the awkward angle, just in time for the Pilot to parry the sword strike with her foot.
Amber takes advantage of Jean's bewilderment to swing her foot right back...straight into Kaeya's family jewels. The pain was felt by all men within a three-mile radius. Even Albedo cringed at the vulgar display. The swordsman crumbles to the ground, before he is finally knocked out with a right hook by Amber.
Jean steels herself as Amber turns towards her with a mean look in her eyes. "Well, well. Guess it's just you and me." She smiles as she takes a stance.
Jean grips her sword tightly. "Do your worst." She responds.
"That's all I needed to hear." Amber gives a sinister laugh as she charges forward. Jean readies her stance, waiting for her to be in reach. Once the Pilot reached that point, she swung. The hit was true and it got a pained cry out of the her. But Amber didn't stop, instead tackling Jean to the ground. While she was dazed, Amber used this window to re-orientate the knight into position. Jean gasped in pain as she suddenly felt her neck getting squeezed. She looked up to see Amber trapped her in some kind of leglock. To Amber, she put Jean in a triangle hold – with her legs wrapped around her neck.
Albedo widened his eyebrows in surprise. To use her body to incapacitate someone is a move he didn't know existed. Eula and Sucrose blushed. The position they were in looked a bit awkward on their perspective and gave off the wrong impression.
"What are you doing?!" Eula exclaimed, embarrassed to see Amber and her superior in such a suggestive position.
Amber put pressure on her legs. "It's not what it looks like!" She defends as Jean chokes, attempting to pry Amber's thighs apart for air. However, her legs are too strong. She wheezes for air. The Pilot looks at Jean's increasingly blue face. "Tap out. You'll suffer less." The lock was slowly starting to take a toll on her. Jean gave in and tapped out.
The song ends as Amber loosened her grip and stands up, letting Jean gasp in air. Albedo nods. "That's all I need to see. Amber wins by submission."
Jean clutches her chest. She had never seen moves like that at all. Her neck ached and her lungs felt like they were about to collapse in on itself. Amber was something else...she couldn't help but feel worried about her. A hand suddenly appeared by her face, prompting Jean to look up to its owner.
"No hard feelings?" Amber asked, offering her hand with a concern look on her face. Jean paused for a moment before taking up her hand. The Pilot brought the Acting Grand Master back up to her feet. Jean sighed. "No hard feelings." She touched her bruised cheek gingerly. "You hit hard."
"Part of the Pilot's training." She answered. A groan came from their left, alerting the two women of Kaeya's presence. Amber winced as she brought him up as well. "I am...so sorry for your future children."
"Ow. I think I might need a break after this." Kaeya answered with a chuckle. "By Barbatos, you hit like a Ruin Guard." He limped to the exit of the arena, being helped by Jean.
Amber approached Albedo. "Is that all the help you need?" The alchemist looked over his notes at the clipboard and nodded. "I appreciate your assistance, Miss Amber. You're...an interesting individual. More so than my previous helper."
"Cool, cool." The Pilot nodded. "Now I have a few things that I need help with."
Albedo looked up from his clipboard. "But of course, what is it?"
Amber showed her old Pyro Vision. "I think you're familiar with this type of thing?"
A/N: I'M ALIVE
I didn't expect this to take this long, but then again, my life has been quite busy as of late. School work, extra-curricular stuff and even stuff at home, all with the classic blend of writer's block. Things that I have expected that would eat up time.
I am aware of the current situations right now, and it sucks that a lot of people are affected by it. I can only hope that they are safe and well.
With the serious stuff out of the way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I'm not that good in writing dancing, or even fights. Is the inclusion of music immersion breaking or not? Lemme know down in the reviews/comments
As for some of you are probably asking, where Tsar segment? I was thinking I could try alternating chapters between Tsar and Amber before they finally face each other at the end of this story arc (Surprise! I have story arcs.)
So yeah, that's it from me. Constructive criticism is welcome, don't spread hate. I love you guys for taking time to read it.
- L3NCL0T