Author note:
Since update 4.2 didn't change much to Mondstadt itself, I changed Fic describtion to reflect that.
Plus, I add my own stuff and lore from now on. Just wanted to make the story more interesting.
Other than that, here we continue.
"One, two, three... Yep, one more and I'm kicked." I said to myself as I recounted the warnings on my glider license. Another revokation was almost ready by now and all of that happeen in a mere week after I got it back. "Wonder if I manage my duties while without ac-"
"That's what sobering punch does." Oddly casual tone said from behind me, as if it tried to taunt me.
"Huh?" I gasped, turning around to see a fairly tall person with blue eyes, short black hair and fairly comfy, but distant from local attire.
"Ey, ey. What with the glare of yours now? Wanna make me glide away in shock?"
"... What? No!" I protested, leaning a bit backwards and moving my hands to the front out of confusion. "It's not like that."
"Just messing with you." Stranger chuckled lightly, giving a sense of cheerfulness. "Either way, who are you?"
"Amber, Knight of Favonius and Outrider." I presented myself. "And you are?"
"Sans, weird puns guy." He responded, rising his arms sideways.
"Really? Tell me one." I asked intrigued.
"What's the favourites day of Mondstadt?"
"..."
"Monday."
"... Ah, hah." I stuttered for a moment, feeling an urge to laugh even though it wasn't even that funny.
"How to calm down Slimes?" Sans spoke again with closed eyes.
"...?" I rised an eyebrow with anticipation just as realisation struck me.
"Smile."
"You're not from here, are you?" I asked, curious as to how someone I never met knew so much about the place.
"Nope, remember the meteor falling out of the sky?" He asked in return.
"Yes, I wanted to investigate it but Eula talked me down and went on her own..." I explained looking right and spotting Eula's head somewhere in the crowd. "Why do you ask?"
"I was the meteor."
"How were you not hurt?!" I almost jumped in shock, looking all over his front in search of some hidden injury.
"Ground here is preety soft I guess." Sans akwardly scratched the back of his head. "I mean, if not that then I lost a lot of toughness on the rear while falling down."
"... I'm not going to inspect that part of your body." I stated after slowly realising what the 'rear' was.
"I hope so. If you messed with my funny bone, you'd cackle with laughter." Sans responded, giving me a wink.
"I don't think I caught what you mean..." I said to him, a bit confused with his stream of words.
"Wepl, hold to the topic next time." Sans shrugged it off. "Either way, have free time?"
"Nobody at headquaters wants to give me assignment last I checked..." I sighed, looking up at his intrigued yet charming face. "I'm available."
"Then I need to ask you something." He asked me, to which I silently nodded for him to continue. "You said you wanted to go investigate with Eula, but she made you stay behind."
"Yes, she is responsible for scouting operations across Mondstadt. And very good at that." I responded, propably spilling some operation secrets to random stranger.
"And you are who? Her assistant? Fangirl?-"
"No, no, no! Outriders are separate unit." I frantically waved my hands to make him stop. "The thing is, I am the only Outrider left."
"And all duties you had once nowadays are split between others, leaving you in operational limbo?" Sans asked, looking down on the ground as I turned to answer him. "Sheesh, no wonder your mood is so... Out-standing."
"Stop with the puns!" I cried out loud, slapping my forehead with open hand as he just winked at me.
"Alright, I had my fun." Sans shaked his head, not even bothered with it. "Now, don't you want to have some yourself?"
"I have it already, why would I need to need more?" I asked him in return, not getting what he meant.
"I mean. You seem to wanna be out there, helping people, saving city n'all." He continued with a weird, free and expressive accent. "You can be happy with friends, sure. But is it what you really want?"
"..."
"Whoops , my bad. I tend to shove a lot to take at such ocassions." Sans blinked with goofy expression, propably noticing something on me as I was made speechless.
He casually just walked up to me and ran my mind over with philosophical speech. It sure was amazing, but he applied it on me, so...
"Well, outside of ocassions glider courses I don't have much to do, so..."
"I mean, what does Outrider even do?" Sans asked me with eyes wondering beyond, if not behind, me.
"Outruders are scouts that primarly use. gliders and bows. They were all trained by mu Grandfather back when he was present in Mondstadt." I explained to him in basic terms.
"Were, huh?" Sans asked, his face changing from attentive to dubious. "What happened?"
"He disappeared without a trace soon after I was promoted to a Knight- Ack?"
Just as I ended the sentence, I noticed much to my scare his eyes turn fully tar black. As if Abyss Order open two portals inside of them.
"Oh... I see..."
"And the tone went different, so heavy and full of authority... Not a shout, yet forcing your whole body and senses to focus and hear what he says to you. In other words, menacing.
"Shame that he left you at what should be your personal happiest moment." He continued, while I realised I braced myself for impact, as if I thought he'd punch me first. "I assume he didn't teach you leadership skills?"
"N-No." I stuttered as I regained my composure to look straight at him. "After he left, Outriders became undisciplined, quickly going to act on their own accord and gain rather than Mondstadt's. Not even a year passed and everyone expect me either joined other companies within The Knights or left to, somewhere... Just as many were even arrested."
"Dang, and you still decided to stay?" Sans asked me, as if he didn't believe me. Not out of distrust, but rather... Amazement?
"Of course! I want to become the best Outrider there ever was and make my Grandpa proud!"
"Huh, even after he just left you, you still keep going as he told you rather than act as he eventually did..." He commented, looking at me for a moment before closing his eyes to propably think it over.
"..." I didn't say a word, silently starring forward at him as I felt something at my back.
Maybe Eula's angry stare, maybe Klee trying to turn me into a bomb again...
Or maybe...
Maybe...
... Stress?
"... I admire you."
"Huh?" I gasped, not expectong him to suddenly sound fond for no reason I knew of.
"You were shoved into situation you didn't want, losing someone close to you. Then many of your fellow Outriders, many of who maybe were your pals, maybe even... Friends, also abandon you, going on their own way rather than stay and help you with changes."
"It's not that deep. I have a lot of friends all around even since I was a child." I tried to stop him as I felt he was going at me personally.
"Losing a friend always hurts." Sans countered me, momentarly depening his voice. "I mean, if you don't miss a friend, how much of a friend he was, or you are to him?"
"... A bad one?"
"For as much as I know how to judge a personality, I am not into morality." He shrugged it off again, as if he didn't want me to take it seriously. "Answer for such question is up to you. I mean, I won't grab you by the hand and lead you in a way I seem fit. What I do is make others realise it, my old home taught me heavly about cost of inaction after all..."
"You also lost someone close to you?" I asked him, expexting the worst.
"Yep, but don't worry about it." Sans said with calming tone. "There's no way of returning there. I fell from the sky after all..."
"Oh, and now yo have nowhere to go?"
"Mmm... Yup. Was hoping I could stay here. But to do that, I kinda need a job."
"There are some boards around the city and countryside with various tasks for individuals to uptake. If you want to just work, you'll surely find something out there." I advised him as The Knight should.
"Then again, I kinda like you and feel bad about the lonely unit..." He talked me down, instead taking a small step closer. "How about I join you?"
Ok, what.
"You mean..." I said, taking my time with processing what he meant. "You want to... Join The Outriders?"
"Why not? I may be lazy but I sure can fight." Sans continued. "Say, why don't we run to the headquaters and get me apply?"
"Sure! Follow my-!"
"Hold it right-!"
Pfffffttttt*
Wow. Eula was literally behind me, ready to grip me down with authority and Sans just casually jumped in and gave her a whoopee cushion handshake. Just who is this guy?
"Okay, I'm hold-ing you right now. So?" Sans asked with disrespectful grin.
"..." Eula's face went bloody red. She didn't like that. "You two will go with me to Headmaster now. No objections.
"Leave my folk alone, LAWRENCE!" One shout came from somewhere around my side as apparently now people on the street and from behind windows decided to take intrest in what was happening.
"Yeah! He's a nice guy! Just the type your papa hates!"
"Shame, on, you!"
"Ey, ey, no need for commotion over common." Sans spoke up, weirdly enough having no shouted response as he left Eula's hand and looked around. "I can deal with it no problem. So calm down, sit the heck down, and let me handle it. I won't let ya' down. O-K?"
"... O-k?"
"Cool, see ya' next time." Sans shrugged after squeaky response as he casually went past Eula. "Now get a move you two. I'm sure you want to know more."
"..." Eula didn't respond as she sent me a tense glare and turned around, after which we slowly followed him on the way back to the headquaters.
For as much as I had a lot of questions, I knew this wasn't time to ask them. Eula was angry, people were angry and Sans, for as talkative and funny he was, didn't seem to want prolonge it anymore.
This was about to be a tough day...
"It would appear we didn't explore all topics last time we met." Jean spoke, as she went past the welcomes to the three visitors she had.
"Can't disagree." Sans nodded, before looking around the free space that seemed as an indoors sparring ground. "Then again, you let me free early."
"Yes I did. Didn't expect you to return so soon though."
"Meh, it was coming after me sooner or later." Sans continued, in a meantime giving Eula a teasing wink. "Anyways, I see you want something from me."
"Yes, we do." Eula spoke up, fairly calm outside of visible irritation on her tense forehead. "Grand Master, if you please..."
"Of course." Jean spoke back. "You see, given how much contact our Knights and you had with eachother so far, I thought it would be fair to see if you are elegible to join us."
"Because of single conversation, few bones and an intervention?" Sans asked, almost in disbelief.
"Yes." Eula responded.
"Huh, that cackles my funny bone." He laughed them off with a smile. "Guess there'll be a duel to see if I'm any good?"
"Quite so." Jean spoke, placing a hand on her chin. "And Eula will be your opponent."
"..."
"... Sure."
"We begin now?" Eula asked, already giving a pouty smirk from a side.
"Meh, why not." Sans shrugged his arms.
"Amber, on count of three." Jean said, sitting down in the stand as the four of them took their places across the arena.
"Of course!" She confirmed, taking a stand at the edge of arena while Eula prepared her claymore and Sans... Threw a fist-sized bone up and down.
"Be serious" please!" Eula protested.
"I am totally serious right now." Sans kinda ignored her, looking aside at Amber. "I am ready."
"Eula?"
"Ready." She responded while putting the blade right before her neck at wide angle. As if to parry a strike.
"Alright then..." Amber nodded, lowering her hands down to the knees. "One, two... Three!"
"Hyah!" Eula watsed no time, dashing forward fast enough to create a breeze following her as she swinged widely from her right at the comedian.
"Wow." Sans said, sitting down as the edge went right across his head. "You sure missed me."
But she didn't react this time, instead using momentum to make a pirouette in place and strike again in the same way.
"You don't like change?" Sans asked, casually observing the sword coming lower towards him. "Guess I'll..." He added, suddenly rolling forward just under her arm and standing up behind her. "... Won't change either." He ended, jumping into the air as Eula made another 180 turn to hit target behind her.
"Don't try to just run away here! Vengeance will be mine!" Eula shouted, running after him again with sword set straight for a jab.
"Nah." Sans refused, stepping aside to dodge. "I'm no-!" He tried to continue, but stopped as he ducked under another slash. "Rude." He commented shortly, jumping away to the right and gaining some distance.
"Could you please not threat duel like a game of tag?" Eula asked, taking a combat pose as her blade rested down on the left shoulder.
"Not really." Sans responded. "I'm not gonna just stand here and wait for your big knife to connect."
"Haaaaa!" Eula shouted, running forward with her claymore to the left.
"On nuts." Sans sighed, moving his hand with short bone inside for a block. "After all, in a game of tag..." He continued as Eula suddenly jumped into the air and spin her sword above her head like a rotor blade.
"You're IT."
"He?" Eula gasped, landing down on where Sans just used to be.
"Wow." Comedian said, from behind her. "Second time you tried it."
"Not third!" She boasted back, making a sharp turn around and sending what seemed to be a trail of ice from the tip of the sword.
"Oh, ice?" Sans asked, not phase as he observed from the edge of the arena as the attack narrowly missed him. "You're not very cool with the moves of yours."
"Well, you sure know how to avoid the attack." Eula commented, looking over him while preparing her blade in front of herself at sharp angle. "But how long can you keep it up?"
"Longer than you." Sans smiled. "After all, your attacks seem to fall short of me."
"Alright, guess I have to go beyond 'friendly spare'." Eula said with dissatisfaction as she proceeded forward in a manner that said 'I want to talk'."
"Oh, you're approaching me?" Sans asked amused, spreading his arms widely and turning his body slightly to the left. "Instead of swinging around, you're coming right to me?"
"I can't cut you down you without getting closer." Eula responded, spinning her claymore in right hand.
"Ho, ho! Then come as close as you like." Sans teased her, putting his hands into pockets and looking aside at confused Amber and intrigued Jean. "Yup, Blonde Lady already knows something more than these two."
"Get closer."
"... I'm literally right in front of you." Eula said in response, looking at his unintrested face.
"Too far if you ask me." Sans responded, on instinct wiggling his body backward before the swords' tip went throu him. "That's why." He added, casually walking under Eula's right arm and then behind her.
"You are really irritating." Eula snarled, making two rapid turn to hit him again, but to no avail as all she cut was the air. "You know that?"
"Not really." Sans said from opposite end of the arena, taking out what seemed to be a sturdy paper tube.
"Wait..." Eula stopped, noticing something off. "How can you move so fast?"
"I just can, what there is to explain?"
"You went all across the arena in mere second. What Vision are you even using?" Eula asked, looking over at his hips in search for something.
"Well, maybe try putting your vision at the opponent." Sans commented, before taking a sip from the bottle. "Paying attention does wonders."
"Putting your Vision? Hmph." Eula smirked, preparing her claymore for another swing. "Thanks for the idea."
"Erm..." Sans almost stuttered, seeing her make a full turn around with the edge of the blade at the floor creating a trail of ice after it. "Bones." He shortly commented as the wave if ice suddenly rushed at him like a sideways tidal wave.
"You know what I said." Eula said with confident smile, seeing her attack push over the edge of arena. "Mark my words, vengeance will be mine!"
"ERERERER." Loud, cackling slaughter from behind made her stop. "That's funny."
"What?!" Amber exclaimed, seeing Sans casually finishing his drink right behind her.
"Also, try marking your target first." He continued, ducking under instinct slash at his neck. "Hah, you sure miss my presence."
"Shut." Eula said shortly, ja bing her claymore into the ground and making a small glacier at a corner of the arena.
"Nah, better open." Sans retored, grabbing his small bone back and throwing it low, right under her legs.
"... You really are gonna disarm yourself before me?" Eula asked him, looking down at the small bone, barely exceeding the thumb ones in lenght.
"Not really." Sans responded. "But look back at me."
"Huh?..." She groaned, annoyed to the limit with his talking. But as her eyes set forward, she saw something she didn't expect.
Hundred of long, pale white bones all around Sans. Pointed at her like spears.
"What did I say about marking and opening?" Comedian asked with rethorical smile. "This bone is my mark." He added, suddenly closing his right fist as the small bone under her turn blue and flew up and extended to go throu both of her feet.
"Now what?" Eula asked, leaning slightly forward a sif she wanted to move. "This bone will not stop-!"
"Touche." Sans said, seeing her trip down and fell on the floor with painful grin. "Blue means stop. Shame on me for not telling you earlier."
"I'm taking offence to that." Eula commented, moving her hands and grabbing back the claymore to stand back up.
"Orange means go." Sans added, as the same small bone turn orange and went right across her spine back into his open left hand.
"... That... Really hurt."
"Heheh, finally stopped you." Sans sighed, moving the palm of his left hand across the forehead. "I began to tire out with all of that dodging..."
"... What did you made just now?!" Amber asked, shouting from her standing position at the arena edge.
"... Bones." Sans said simply, as of he wasn't aware.
"Eula, are you alright?" Jean asked, standing up from her seat and making her way down to the arena.
"I'm fine, I'm fineee..." Blue-haired Knight groaned, using her claymore as a crutch to stand back up. "I can still fight."
"But I don't." Sans added with goomy face as his bones disappeared at a flick of the fingers. "Grand Master?"
"I've seen enough. I'm satisfied." Jean confirmed, walking past tame Amber towards the two. "Sans, your performance today showed me that you'll indeed be a value for all people of Mondstadt. As such, I would like to grant you a Knight pass at the time it is possible. Would you agree?"
"Hmm..." Sans wondered, placing a finger on his chin. "I do have a question first."
"And that would be?" Jean asked, while his eyes went away towards Amber, who tried to attend Eula 'fixing' her own back via pushing a fist against it.
"Knights can decide what section can they join?" He asked, looking back at her.
"They are called Companies, but in general most sections are reserved for Knights and other workers with specific skills for efficiency." Jean explained, somewhat satisfied on the outside. "Why do you ask?"
"I figured I'd fit with Outriders.-"
"He?"
"Oh?" Jean nodded with intrest while Amber almost trip backwards. "Are you sure?"
"Yup. One people in a unit isn't exacly enough from what I know." Sans explained, taking notice of Eulas' sturn expression. "Is it agreeable?"
"Hmm, well..." Jean poundered, before turning around to face Amber. "As the only Outrider currently in service, you are technically a Captain of the Outrider Company. Even though it's more of a irregular group..."
"So, now I am the one to decide?" Amber asked, by now with regained composure.
"That's right." Jean confirmed with patient smile.
"Heh, heheh..." Amber chuckled lightly, making Sans rise an eyebrow. "I'd gladly let you in. Didn't though I have such a day."
"There's always time for a first." Sans winked.
"..."
"... Sooo... What now?"
"I'll arrange for a passing ceremony dated at tomorrow." Jean answered. "Before that, you can enjoy the free time and learn the city a little. Though you always can come back and help us as our unofficial member."
"Duly noted, Grand Master."
"Now then, I am confident we can proceed to other matters at hand." She added, turning around and walking up to weirdly distant, in fact already leaving, Eula for a private word or two.
"Sooo..." Sans said, turning his tead to face Amber. "Have anything else to do?"
"Well, I do have my own duties to attend to..." She scratched the back of her head. "I show you the place next time, sorry."
"Eeh, don't sweat it." Comedian said, calming her down. "After all, I have my own stuff to do."
"Glad to know you're alright with it." Amber smiled politely. "Now however I need to go back to the dorm and prepare something. See you next time!"
"See you too." Sans smiled, turning around and heading for a second exit while Amber went after Jean and Eula who also began to depart from arena.
"Oh well, guess I can hope for the best in here. Amber seems very nice." I thought as I sat down under a large tree and took out my makeshift ketchup bottle from undeneath the jacket. The training fight made me slightly tired and my laziness still had to be upheld. "Hmph, who am I kidding. I just got to experience something... Else. And now I want more."
But where could one find more to do? With fellow humans and their whereabouts of course.
Especially when you shouldn't.
"Oy! Excuse me!" Rather heavy shout made me look up at the strongly tanned skin of a man with even blone beard across the face and similarly short hair, saddled on top of a brown horse in what seemed to be a oversized chainmail.
"Yeah?" I asked, tilting my head slightly and noticing an arrow jobbed into his back.
"Have the side-eyed messenger from southeast arrive here?" He asked me.
"Nope." I responded, clueless as to what he meant. "Why do you ask?"
"Thank Heavens and their Lords, I need you to give this letter to Mondstadts' King." Stranger continued, quickly giving me a strongly sealed with a green clay seal letter into hand. "But waste no time, as my Khan and kin have no time to spare!"
And just like that, he grabbed the reins, turned around and dashed away into the forest path before me.
"... Huh. That's new." I thought, still confused. "Mondstadt has no King, for all I know. Maybe Jean will tell me it later. As for now, though..." I turned my attention to the letter, looking over its' seal with a symbol of crossed arrows going downward. "Meh, propably some funky weirdo. Won't hurt to check the insides." I decided as I quickly used the narrow tip of a ketchup bottle to pop the seal open and take the letter out.
"Now then..." I said to myself, unfolding the letter from a compacted rectangle into a single, corrugated card. "Let's see what he's up to...
Henceforth says Huzarib The Second, son of Laa'b, grandson of Gushluk, Khan of Iramati Tribe. Believer of endless range, whose arrows block The Sun and condemn my enemies to eternall darkness!
May peace be upon you, your loyal servants, your herd of humans and your domain! I call to you as equal within equals, asking for your reason and friendship between us, our servants, our herds and our domains! May no squabble or blood be deceitfully disposed between us!
But to achieve our righteous dare, we must come valiant against the distrust, that seeds the doubt with gold and persuades one with lies.
Thus, I call for your help against Liyue, land of Contracts that bounds ones' soul to licking the feet of their tracherous overlords! And if you deem compassion to us as dangerous for you and what you feel is important, then at least don't commence at Liyue plead or order! They are not worth your grace to be present.
So ends Huzarib The Second, trusting in your judgement and mercy.
"... Wow." Sans said to himself. "You can believe this, Eula?"
"You're not going to even question me standing right behind you?" She asked back, visibly insulted.
"I dunno, you're very distrusting of me so anything goes." He shrugged his arms with carefree attitude. "Now then, maybe we should talk to Jean about this?"
"I'm going to do it alone." Eula responded, turning around in her heel.
"But I have the letter.~"
"Ugh, fine. But no tricks!"
"I swear on future Knights' honor."