"You didn't have to pull so hard…Ah! I mean, sorry!"
'Finally! What took the-Gah! What happened to Ren?!' He had certainly seen better days, just what happened between him and this Eula girl, and why was Fischl glaring at him?
"What happened to you?!" Thanks for voicing my exact thoughts, Paimon.
"Ugh…Please don't yell right now…" Yep. He looks almost half dead, and he probably is too. "Let's just go eat, 'kay?"
"Are you sure?" I finally voice, to which he finally straightens his posture and fixes most of his disheveledness in response.
"I'm good to go, I did offer to buy everyone lunch, that includes you too, Eula." The bored look in his eyes finally returned.
"Ah. Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude…"
"You don't need to worry so much, I mean we're all friends here, right?" Amber encourages her, as she pushes her towards a table at…Good Hunter?
"Ah, Okay…" We simply follow suit as we all sit at an empty table, all except Ren, who hadn't taken his seat yet.
Good Hunter, Mondstadt
Pov Change - Ren
"Three Sticky Honey Roasts, Two Steaks, Four Sunset Berry Teas, a Coffee, a Water, and the Ingredients you ordered, is that correct?"
"Yes, how much will it be, Miss Sara?" I take out the heavy coin pouch filled to the brim with Mora.
"That'll be 5270 Mora, and that's Sara to you. I'm still in my early twenties, got that?"
"Oh, um okay…" I didn't really mean anything by it, handing over the Mora, I get to making Fischl's food first. Using the small kitchen area provided by Good Hunter for public use, I start the cooking process.
Well…I won't really be cooking Fischl's meal, but it will take expert cutting skills. I'm no rookie in the kitchen, in fact, I'd like to think I'm a good chef. I mean, I have been cooking for myself for years now.
Finally, one of Fischl's favorites, the Cold Cut Platter is done. All that's left is my meal, a simple bacon, eggs, and toast breakfast. I was feeling a little homesick, and I missed breakfast this morning, so why not?
My plate is done in a little less than ten minutes, and by then everything has been served. "Here you go, one Cold Cut Platter for the Prinzessin Der Verurteilung." She just accepts the plate, muttering something under her breath. I'm unsure as to what she said, but I'll just assume it was a simple 'thanks'.
I just quietly eat as they talk amongst themselves, only ever getting in on their conversation when asked something. My adventuring partner however? Unusually quiet, very unlike her. Something I'll bring up later when it's just us…for now? I continue to enj-
ROOOOAAARR!!!
'Damn it. I can't even eat in peace.' Feeling the wind pick up to an abnormal state, the shadow which flies overhead all over Mondstadt is soon revealed to be...
"It's Stormterror!" Why yes, random Mondstadtian, it's a dragon looking to kill us all, known as 'Stormterror'.
"Oh no. Stormterror. Whatever shall we do? If only the Anemo Archon was here." I say in a monotonous tone. '3. 2. 1…'
"Did you hit your head or something?! We need to go!" Amber pulls me out of my seat as a tornado approaches us from God knows where.
'What the hell?! Where is Barbatos!? Why the hell isn't he here?!'
"KYAAH!/WOAAH!" Hearing two distinct voices, one of which I'm very familiar with, I turn to see both Fischl and Lumine be picked up and thrown by the tornado.
Lumine is able to pull out her glider in time as she rises in the air. Fischl rises as well, but soon starts to descend a few seconds after. 'Why isn't she deploying her glider?!' Her body just continues to limply fall, it would only take a couple more seconds before she'd touch the ground.
"Tch." Running straight towards the tornado, my body is lifted off the ground with little resistance.
"REN!" I hear the two knights yell out my name, not that I paid it any mind. Flung out of the tornado, I am thankfully thrown out at a lower altitude than Fischl.
FWOOSH!
Keeping her unconscious body in eye, I pull my glider once I'm closest to her. 'A human body falling at that speed onto another human? Better not to think about it too hard, Teyvat has its own "laws", after a-Oh Crap!'
Catching Fischl, I feel my body start to plunge straight down with her. "DAMN IT!"
My windglider doesn't help in the slightest as I crash into a rooftop. "AAARGHH-ACK!!!" Only for my body to bounce off and fall again, straight to the ground.
I may not have heard anything break, but I can definitely see and feel something broken. No, a lot of things are broken. Breathing has become a harder task than usual as I feel my consciousness start to fade.
'Ow…Even…thoughts are hard…to muster.' My vision starts to blur and the ringing in my ears won't go away. The pains are still there too.
I see a green blur start to approach me, not that I could do much about it or tell if they were foe or friend. "...a heroic streak…Cathedral…Hold on to…-er."
I'm unable to hear more as I fall into the dream world. '...At least…I saved…Fischl.'
???
Maybe one day, you and I can have a drink.
Yes. I'd like that, Barb. When we meet again as friends, not enemies.
Cathedral
'What…happened!?' Waking with a start, I find myself in a room I have been in before. Twice. 'The…Cathedral..? So, I'm not dead? Phew…' Unlike my first visit, I am not in constant pain this time. Sore? A little, but nothing, with a little bit of rest and keeping my body active I'll be back to tip-top shape.
Getting out of bed, I nearly stumble on my first steps, but ultimately walk just fine after a few more. Standing next to one of the windows, I see the depressing state of the entirety of Mondstadt.
The buildings looked half abandoned, and those were the good ones. The not so good ones were either completely destroyed or were almost there. 'This…is a lot worse than I thought.' Letting out a sigh, I sit back down onto the bed.
'The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, is a no show…and my only other choice is traveling to Liyue for a possible chance meeting with Morax.' I let out another sigh, this one longer than the first. 'Mondstadt's in a state of emergency, and I seriously doubt I am needed. Yeah…No, it's pretty obvious what my next course of act-.'
"Ren?" Turning to the door, I see my adventuring partner there. A shocked look that soon turns to relief, as she rushes me. "You're awake!"
"Omph!" Taken aback by Fischl's uncharacteristic actions, I allow her to hug me. 'This is weird…I never expected to be in this position with her.'
"Thank goodness…You're okay." She wipes away at some tears that weren't there before. 'Okay…This is REALLY weird.'
"Mein Fräulein…Perhaps you should be more mindful of your actions."
"Ah!" She quickly turns away, but I can still see her arms wiping away at her face. "Ahem!" She turns back, more composed than before, but the tear stains are still there. "I am…delighted to see you in good health, my otherworldly companion! The Prinzessin Der Verurteilung cares deeply for all of her subjects, so…so, that is why I acted as such!"
Nice save, Oz! "Um…Right."
"How are you feeling, Ren?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking Oz." Standing up, I finally notice Fischl's stare.
"Then, perhaps you could dress yourself?" Oh, I'm in my underwear.
The Adventurer's Guild is an absolute life saver. My previous clothes were completely shredded from…Well, everything that happened. "I just wish they were more fashionable, like, did they have to choose vomit green?" I was provided with the Adventurer's Guild uniform. 'At least I'm dressed now.'
"I too, find them hard on the eyes, which is why I discarded mine on receiving it." I can't imagine a Fischl wearing something like this everyday.
"If I'm not wrong, you used it to fuel a fire, Mein Fräulein." That's excessive.
"Putting aside how you burned our work uniform, I'm decent now." Fischl turns back, her eyes trailing all over me. "That bad, huh?"
"Surprisingly? No, you look…good." Why the pause though?
"Yeah, well…Don't expect me to wear this for long. Come on, let's get going." Opening the door to the room, I find myself face to face with a certain pale nun. "Ah."
"Himura. I see that you've finally awoken." Her eyes are not really telling me much as to what she may be thinking.
"Sister Rosaria. Yes, I woke up roughly 20 minutes ago, give or take."
"Good. The Cathedral can barely afford to take on more charity cases, especially after the Holy Lyre was just stolen."
'I don't know anything about any Lyre, but aren't you technically a charity case?' Smirking at the thought, I just let out a quiet breath. "Right. Sorry for taking up your time. I'll be going now."
Walking past her, I feel her stare on the back of my head. 'Could you be any more obvious? Does she really suspect me? Of all people? Seriously?'
"Oh! Please be sure to send my thanks to Sister Barbara, I'd probably be dead if it weren't for her." Waving, I leave the Cathedral with a silent Fischl in tow.
'Ugh. Stairs. Again.'
"I find it quite curious as to Sister Rosaria's insistence in keeping an eye on you." That makes two of us. "...You don't think she...?!"
"Imma have to stop you, before you say something absolutely ridiculous." Why would she..? No, that's a ridiculous train of thought that I'm not going down. "I'm sure she's just curious about something…"
"One must always be open to the possibilities. Unlikely as they may-"
"Look over there! It's Fischl! …and is that? It's Ren!" I know that squeaky, childish voice.
Turning to our left, we see Lumine, Paimon, Mister Diluc, a female knight? And a bard, one I know very well, unfortunately.
"This is a weird assortment of characters…Can I ask why you're all together?"
"This is why I said to be discreet." The unnamed knight lady says, as she holds her temples in annoyance.
"Hehehe…Whoopsie. Paimon forgot."
"So?"
"We're on our way to get the Holy Lyre back from the Fatui, so that we can save Dvalin." The bard answers, as he smiles at me, as if he…No, not important right now.
"...Okay. Good luck and all that, bye."
"Eh?! You're not going to help?!" Silly child…Wait, haven't I done this before?
"That's right. I'm a non combatant visionless adventurer, not a fighter. What use would I be to you?"
"Then, what is that on your belt?" The bard asks, pointing at the belt on my outfit.
'Huh? What the hell is he…'
Right there, attached to my belt was…A Anemo Vision, glowing brightly as the sun reflected upon it.
'Right…
…How the Fuck!?"
To Be Continued…
Canon Omake
One and a Half Months Before The Present.
Roof of The Knights of Favonius HQ, Mondstadt
Ren Pov
"So why give me this?" I ask the Outrider, who is currently fitting the glider onto my back.
"As an adventurer, you'll need to cross large distance from high altitudes a lot. And, well because…I owe you for paying for my lunch…Hehe…"
"You really didn't need to. I was fine with just a simple thanks."
"Just stand still, 'kay? I'm almost done."
'I really should have just declined.' Standing still, I feel her continue to adjust the thing on my back.
"And, done! See? It didn't take too long. Now go get 'em, tiger!" Huh?
"I must be hearing you wrong, Amber. Because I'm pretty sure you just told me to use the glider without any prior experience."
"You bet I did! Don't forget to flex your back muscles exactly how I taught you, they should appear if you do." She says as she pushes me closer to the edge.
"Wait, I'm not rea-"
"Now, fly!"
"Oh, CRAA-p." I'm able to deploy my glider in time.
FWOOSH!
'I did it? Im flying!' Feeling the wind carry me around, I do as Amber instructed and use my arms and body weight to steer myself.
Flying over the Goth Hotel at an insane speed, I feel a giddy feeling in my heart. "WOOHOO!"
My excitement is short lived as I see myself get closer and closer to the ground. "Oh No!" Trying my hardest to slow down, to no avail, I spot the fountain in the plaza.
My only chance at a non painful landing is so close and yet, so far. "ACK!" Landing into a wall instead, I find myself in a great deal of pain. "Ow…"
FWOOMP!
The sound of a wind glider furling back into place reaches my ears. "Oh, you don't look too good. At least I remember what I forgot to teach you."
'You don't say!'
End Omake
A little bit of what happened between ch 1 and 2 in the omake. I plan on making more, like how he met Fischl, and possibly Bennet. (He'll show up, probably, if he isnt unlucky) Or, his interactions with Eula and Amber, or Lisa (Who will play a big part later on.)
Excalibur comes in when it comes in. Patience, please.
Powers? He just got them, lol. No. Venti did not give him a vision. I know the Archons can't do that. Then…how did he get that? He's not from this world...so, how?
Makoto? Hm…Was that Makoto? She certainly didn't act like it. Maybe Mc mistook her for Makoto? Ei was identical to Makoto, and was always doing things from the shadows. So whose to say who that really was? I won't tell. ;)
Mc's quirk will be revealed in due time.
MHA Arc will happen…Eventually.
If I had to define Mc's appearance. He's the tall male model, with messy white hair and blue eyes. And, just like anime fashion, he is physically attractive, so just imagine the rest yourself. He is currently wearing the Adventurer's Guild uniform. (Ugh) His outfit will change in due time. So, yeah. He looks old enough to drink.
Buh-Bye.