"Everyone, thank you for your timely arrival." Jean said, as she, present within Mondstadt available Captains of Favonius and Kadiq arrived into her office for a meeting. "I think we all know why we are here, so let me move on to the next burning issue. What should we do?"

"Public campaign about dangers of drugs combined with crackdown on spreading." Kaeya suggested first, crossing his arms by the window.

"Valid point, but it may not be enough on its own." Jean responded, returning her attention to a wider group. "Next?"

"Sending an investigation team into the Lawrence Clan to resolve the situation." Albedo suggested.

"Bold assumption they let us." Woman with golden brown hair named Hertha responded from behind him. "They see us as usurpers, remember?"

"Fair." Kaeya nodded in acknowledgement.

"In that case we have to assume the second worst." Kadiq took his turn to speak. "Lawrence Clan actively seeks vengeance and thinks they are above consequence."

"And the first worst?" Hertha asked him.

"They actively prepare grounds for invasion."

"You really think they have enough Mora for this?" Jean asked him.

"Degradation of fortune is never equal." Kadiq responded. "Besides, they could also take debts and throw some promises of partaking in grabbing the conquered land and people. Nothing they wouldn't do, really."

"By Vanessa and Barbatos…" Jean almost lamented, dropping her hands onto the desk. "Is Mondstadt really about to be invaded?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kadiq asked. "You're lucky they don't pretend to be your friends just to stan you in the back."

"... Just how messed up Aegpan and Revenland are?" Kaeya asked out of topic. "You sound like such two-faced behavior is a daily occurrence."

"One poisoning of heir a season is minimum." Kadiq responded with stone glare. "Period."

"It seems we have to assume Lawrence Clan heads for forceful confrontation." Albedo commented, returning the conversation to the topic at hand. "Shame."

"But inaction when Mondstadt is in danger will bring shame on all of us." Hertha added. "Acting Grand Master, your orders."

"Our skeleton crew won't be enough." Jean said outright.

"You mean Sans?" Kaeya asked jokingly.

"No, all of us who didn't go on the Grand Masters Varka expedition." Jean responded with a sweaty face, finally raising it from above the desk to look over Captains.

"Hakh is already collecting Iramati warriors, just in case." Kadiq added. "If need arises, we'll be here to fight by your side."

"Thank you." Jean said in a hurry, before taking a pause to collect thoughts. "... My plan is: We stay put in a defensive position and wait for Lawrence Clan to move. In the meantime, we must eliminate the new drug from Mondstadt."

"Agreed." Kaeya nodded."

"Sounds good." Kadiq followed."

"Good idea." Hartha nodded.

"Preferable." Albedo agreed.

"With that being said, I have to write proper decrees." Jean said. "As for you, please return to your duties and proceed with actions as my edicts come into effect."

"Yes, Acting Grand Master!"


"Thank you again!"

"Just helping around." Sans responded, as he placed the last log of wood and went ahead to reunite with Amber and Noelle. "Well, the first action made together is done. What are your opinions?"

"I had a good time." Noelle commented first.

"It sure is easier when we do things together." Amber responded. "Now, do we look for more people to help or make a quick break?"

"Grab them!"

"That's your answer." Sans responded, quickly flicking his fingers and teleporting away.

"Outriders, let's move!" Amber shouted, quickly leaping up and into her glider while Noelle ran down up the hill towards the noise.

"Puaaa!" Weird, bit fat and very short blue being without face screamed, being yeeted upward with deep blue outline as bones started to fly all around the place.

"Abyss Mages! Be cautious!" Amber shouted down to Noelle, before dropping down and starting arrow fire down around the place.

"I'm coming!" Nolee added, getting into the hill only to see Sand and Amber making a high-five around a luster of downed Abyss Mages and barely scratched wooden cart with a man hiding behind it.

"Oh, Outriders! Glad to see you here." Man said, slowly standing up from behind.

"Just doing our duty!" Amber stated proudly while Sans went back to Noelle.

"Hey, sorry to make you run for nothing." Sans said.

"Ehehe! It's nothing." Noelle responded cheerfully. "Glad to know you could handle it in two."

"I just make sure you are properly appreciated here." Sans shrugged his arms. "You never know if something goes wrong."

"Glad to know you care about me!" Noelle continued, probably not paying mind to hsi worry.

"Well, now we escort this citizen back to the City." Amber called the two, waving her hand. "Let's get moving!"

"On it." Sans smiled, waving his hand to Noelle as all three went after the just rescued man.


"Indeed, our grand party was a glorious performance. As expected." Sicco said, as he sat down in highly decorated gala armor along with several other old men. "But I beg to intrude with the results of my conspiratorial duty."

"Speak then, for we have interest in thee." Man at the end of the table said, posing his tall body above all others gathered in the meeting room, decorated with shining blue walls, endless chandeliers above illuminating the room with thousands of candles and portraits of the old, each showing differently 'Lord' as they were called.

"Of course, my Lord." Sicco bowed in his seat before retelling his events. "Our sacred Glacial Seal has been successfully revoked from the treacherous Eula, and she is currently lying helpless in the rebellion's camp they established in our mansion."

"Not grand, not lowly." Lord concluded, taking his golden chalice with winę and drinking some of the insides. "Defunct and unorganized peasants will not be capable of such basic tasks as war without Lawrence blood supporting their shaken ranks. Call in all of our clan, all their money, strength and influence. For mine is this decree to you: Righteous war against them, whom we know took all rightfully ours!"

"Viva Lord Lawrence! Vivat Lawrence Clan!" All gathered people along the table lines and Sicco cheered, grabbing their own silver chalices and taking even gulps of wine.

"Now come forth, come wide! For our justice is time!"

"As Lord Lawrence says, thou shalt act." Collected people responded as Lord stepped down from his apparently high chair and started walking away on his average-sized legs, which looked unfit for the short torso of his.

"Sicco, my loveliest son!" A call made him turn around, to witness a proud posture of a man with rich blonde hair and a barbute-style helmet tucked onto left hand by the side.

"Father." Sicco said without hesitation walking slowly up to the familiar face and kneeling down with a full bow. "How may I honor thy presence?"

"By ensuring our glorious clan gains what it deserves." His Father responded with a smirk. "But time of reckoning is nigh, let us go and fetch you your armor, sword and steed."

"As I shall."


"Revenland and Aegpan are two separate continents?" Sans asked, as he and Vanko sat at the Angel's Share, observing as another Slajlandian man played with Klee in a room.

"Yup, Revenland is where Slajland is, and Aegpan is where Iramati came from." Vanko explained. "I know, it's easy to confuse the two without visual reference like a map."

"Speaking of which, makes me wonder what will happen now that Lawrence Clan goes for a confrontation." Sans added, looking aside as if he heard something. Not that he was wrong.

"Eula was assassinated? Cool."

"Let's drink to that."

"Resentments are deeper than you may believe." Vanko said, seeing Sans' concern even though he was looking away from him. "Say, how about you go visit Eula again? She may hear such stuff below her window."

"Hmm, good idea." Sans nodded, looking back at him. "You guys can keep Klee tight?"

"Jean allowed us, so yes." Vanko responded. "And if things go wrong, you'll know it anyway."

"That's… Enough for me." Sans nodded, slowly walking away. "Have fun you two."

"We will, thanks!"


"Thank you for help, Outriders!" Random fisherman waved his hand, swimming away while Noelle was walking out of the water with the physics of a rising kaiju monster. That is, she just plowed through water on the way back to the beach.

"It was nothing!" She called back to him.

"Alright, now let's dry you up." Amber said to her from the beach, already having lit a bonfire with help of her vision.

"Thanks, Commander." Noelle thanked her, quickly getting ahead to the place and sitting down, taking off the armor chestplate first. "But I must reveal to you an embarrassing secret…"

"Really?" Amber asked her. "You can trust me with that, don't worry."

"Well, um, I…" Noelle slowed down, trying to find good words. "I… I don't actually wear a maid apron."

"..."

"It's all just white skirt and black shirt."

"... What's wrong about it?" Amber asked.

"Huh?" Noelle gulped.

"I mean, not every Knight has to go around with full armor." Amber continued. "Like look at me! Do I even have any metal plates on myself?"

"No, you don't." Noelle blushed, realizing just what out of pocket thing she said.

"And I don't mind it." Amber smiled. "Whatever suits you the best. After all, we are supposed to go out and do something good. Just like my Grandfather would want me to do."

"..." Noelle fell silent, staring down onto the pile burning branches encircled by rocks. "Makes me wonder…"

"Whatever you need to say." Amber encouraged her.

"... What do you think Eula would want us to do?" Noelle asked.

"... Hm, good question." Amber nodded, sitting down by the opposite end of fire, staring directly at Noelle. "Been a while since I last talked to her, but she would surely want us to do our duties well."

"What about her?" Noelle asked. "Shouldn't we go and comfort her too?"

"Not sure if she would want us to look at her in the state she's in." Amber responded, weirdly collected and grounded in the tone she spoke. "What we can do is trust Sans to handle it. He might be more mature than both of us and Eula isn't the person to react well towards things she usually smiled towards after yesterday."

"So we should trust Sans he can help her?" Noelle asked.

"And in return we have to help people without him most of the time." Amber concluded. "And as a leader of Outriders, I think that's the way we do things."

"Understood, Commander." Noelle smiled weakly, seeing the metaphorical bright light at the end of a tunnel.


"May I come in?"

"Fiiine…" Eula groaned, quickly having Sans sit down by her side on the same stool as last time. "How dare you think I can't stand half a day without you being by my side. Hmph, I'll take vengeance for this." She continued with a weirdly lazy tone, as if she was doing this to check a Mark on a to do list.

"Everything will have its time, don't worry about that." Sans responded, then seeing her right hand twitch back and forth around the respective shoulder. "You missed something?"

"My vision." Eula said, slowly turning his head towards him. "In a scuffle that night, I just… Lost my vision last night."

"..." Sans didn't respond, lowering his head as convenient shading made him look gray on the skin. "Not only that, is it?"

"Since my claymore freely comes and goes with the help of it… It also isn't around." Eula added. "And you know what they say about them?"

"... No, I don't." Sans shaked his head sideways.

"Vision represents someone's ambition. Such is a saying here and there." Eula continued. "And reality is, while you can willingly let go of it, the consequences of having it be taken from you by force, well…"

"... Makes you lose the will to live." Sans ended, feeling where this was going.

"... Ehhhh… I guess that's it for me." Eula looked away from Sans and through the window. "I tried to do the right thing, but every world is like a separate set of puzzles. Piece of one isn't meant for another, even if it accidently fits… Now let me lie in peace, I have no fun to offer you from teasing."

"..."

CLICK*

"... Hm?" Eula got interested, turning her head back to where Sans was and seeing he was no longer here. "... I really scared him off, hu-"

BOOOOOM!*

"... That must be Klee." Eula said to herself out loud. "Not that it mat-"

CLICK*

"Sup." Sans responded, sweating all over the place and having a black sphere with golden right around it lying in his arms, carried like a baby to sleep. "I-I… Huff…"

"Don't tell me…Uggghhh." Eula groaned as she saw him standing right next to her. "Give it to me, please."

"Uhhh… Sure." Sans agreed, handing it to her left hand, then seeing how it slowly ignited to a light-blue with three lower ends of six-armed snowflake on it. "Hmm… Is-Is the upper half meant to be blackened?"

"No." Eula responded. "Truth be told, there isn't much known about how exactly visions work."

"You did say… They're based on the ambition of the individual." Sans responded, sitting back on the stool. "My guess is… Your ambition might be faltering."

"Well, I must admit I am in doubt…" Eula nodded. "After all, a long time of doing the right thing didn't even work out. Friends I tried to make just moved on with their lives, and enemies didn't."

"Negative emotions last longer by default." Sans added in rationali manner.

"Only person that actually cares about me is an annoying comedian. And even he does so out of pity." Eula continued, her face slowly turning red. "Do you even know… How frustrating it is to be drugged, unable to stand up from bed, have things stolen from you and then treated like a little baby that needs special care?"

"... I don't."

"..."

"If you want to get anything off your chest and say it, I am here." Sans suggested.

"You want to be my confessor?" Eula asked him, having the edges of her eyes slowly turn boiling red.

"Only if you want to." Sans clarified his statement. "I won't go against your will."

"... Thank you." Eula said after a while of thinking. "But I still don't understand so much about you being here…"

"Why would I do this?" Sans asked.

"If you don't do this out of pity, and I don't believe that you would to such lenghts to not have your mistake repeated or something…" Eula explained. "Isn't your drive to prevent me from falling maniacal in nature?"

"Sure, it propably is." Sans nodded. "And while I am naturally lazy, I do know that if I want to change something, I must move."

"Huh, and the change you want to do?"

"Ensuring I won't wait for bad things to happen." Sans continued. "You remember what I told you about my old place, yes?"

"... A menace came and destroyed it?" Eula took a guess.

"And I just let him do it, hoping he'll change his opinion, got bored or just stopped altogether." Sans explained. "Needless to say, I was wrong."

"..."

"..."

"... I can pull throu this." Eula smiled weakly, earning Sans direct attention signified by risen in surprise eyebrows. "I have to."

"Just remember to not lose yourself." Sans responded.

"If my family goes and tries to raise their hands on Mondstadt, I'll be there to make them burn." Eula stated, clenching her fists. "And that will be one family tradition I will actually enjoy."

"And I'll be there to support you." Sans added.

"You will?" Eula asked him.

"... Yes."

"We may need something you hate to make it work." Eula pointed out. "I hate being forced to rely on others, but what about you?"

"... I hate promises." Sans stated.

"That works. No one likes to be an oathbreaker or indebted." Eula agreed. "So, do we promise to be for each other when a crisis comes?"

"I promise." Sans said with no hesitation. "What about you?"

"... I promise."

"... Thanks." Sans said after a moment of calming silence. "It means a lot to me."

"Glad to know." Eula smirked. "Now get out there and do some good while I'm absent."

"Sure thing."


"How many of our Knights are capable of going ahead onto eventual war up north?" Jean asked as she was going through another oddly same document.

"Twenty." Kaeya responded, standing on a side with Lisa right behind him. "Still more than I expected.

"This is not good…"

"Don't you worry about sending our Knights forward." Lisa tried to cheer her up. "After all, all we need to do is defend ourselves and so, we will have what we presumed to gain."

"Still, lands of Mondstadt further north are under Lawrence Clan influence. Who knows how much they will go with their insistence of our fall." Jean continued to worry. "On top of that, Mondstadt itself already has more people than Knights to protect them. Anyone less and we may crumble in foundations."

"So Iramati will have to fight our war for us." Kaeya concluded. "Who tells them?"

"I'll go."

"You sure you want to take this additional task on yourself?" Lisa asked her.

"I have to. You have your own duties to fulfill." Jean said quickly, proceeding to walk away from her desk and towards exit doors.

"Hmm…" Kaeya hummed, as he and Lisa followed their superior out of the office and stopped behind to close it while Jean went ahead. "You think she can keep up with such efforts?"

"Not completely sure." Lisa responded gently. "But I do know that we have a traveler from the sky around, two even. And that should be enough to fill in in case she brought herself to a breaking point."

"Right, The Traveler…" Kaeya continued. "I heard he'll be coming to Inazuma for some music festival soon."

"You think some of us should come there and check?"

"Well, I definitely plan to." Kaeya crossed his arms. "You know, checking what is happening overseas."

"Just remember to not get drunk on the way." Lisa added.

"I won't, Inazuma has less leniency for public embezzlement."


"Mhm, thank you for helping, good Sir!" Noelle said, cheerfully walking away from a group of Fatui Soldiers as she went back to Amber.

"What did they say?"

"Some people similar to Iramati calling themselves Sunutrians came and started chopping trees." Noelle reporter.

"Illegal lumber activity then, let's go!" Amber wasted no time, running ahead into the directly opposite way Fauti went, followed by Noelle soon after.

"Coming!" Noelle responded right after, following suit.

"Stormterror Lair isn't meant for such activities." Amber concluded, proceeding ahead without even waiting for Noelle. Not that she had to as fellow Outrider keep up the pace thbaka to pure strength of body and will.

crack, smack*

"That sounded like a fallen tree." Noelle commented catching up to Amber and crouching to her right as the two looked down onto slightly lowered terrain elevation.

"You remember why Khan wanted these trees?" One of the men asked, as a total of ten of them were doing various things. Standing, cutting or just looking over the single fallen wood log.

"Not really." Another one added, bringing some ropę for measurement. "Either ritual burning or to make arrows. I don't really care."

"Should we intervene?" Noelle asked. "It's rude to come without asking first."

"We'll try to talk sense first." Amber decided. "If they decline, we fight and arrest them."

"Understood, Commander." Noelle agreed, after which the two stood up from the bush and came forward down hill.

"Excuse you!"

"Huh?" One Stranger asked as they all dropped what they did and looked at a pair of coming Outriders. "Oh, sweet. I didn't hear that Khan gave us arousement bonus."

"And you heard right." Amber stated decisively. "For we are Outriders from Knights of Favonius, and your operations here are illegal." She added, pointing at the fallen tree.

"... You're done?" One warrior asked, taking out a wooden javelin from behind his back. "Cuz' we kinda stare for fun…"

"Any word on witness policy?" Other one asked.

"Enslave or kill." Next one stated, pulling out a bow and placing an arrow on the string.

"Last chance, please cease this hostility." Amber said, taking her own bow as Noelle stepped before her with own claymore, ready to block.

"Get a load of this brat, she said 'please' in an armed standoff." Intruder with the javelin almost laughed, suddenly having two next ones with spears come from behind him.

"Oh, so we are twelve then." Next one added, walking with two javelins in hands as they slowly began to attempt encirclement of the two girls.

"Stand your ground." Amber whispered, facing Noelle back-to-back and willingly letting them be trapped in. "We don't have to fight, just please-"

"There she begs again." One of the men with javelin said. "You Teyvatians are so soft, it makes killing you an act of mercy."

"We will have our fun then. Tighten!" Another one commanded as all twelve slowly made their way to the center, forcing Amber and Noelle to Press back against each other.

"Alright then, it's bunny time." Amber concluded reaching back for what was a derpy, short and wide plushie resembling herself. That is, she would reach for it if not for another rude interruption.

"Hold thyself!" A strong call came from above as all men turned their heads high and to where Outriders just came from, seeing a shining, silver-like armor stand up from the small terrain elevation, ending on top with an enclosed helmet decorated with actual silver and occasional lapis lazuli paint streaks. "For known and grandiose is our aversion to fine ladies taking thy blade, good Sires. Thee I shalt not pardon, for attack on preety of this world in concurrence of ye' mischief!"

"Oh, it's the Zirte Knight…" One of the intruders groaned.

"Of Zirte, thy mouth scrammer!" The man in armor shouted, pulling out a solid sword. "My blade hungers for blood of bandits, good Sire. Now let thee fall commence!"

"Be careful, he hardly cares about our lives!" One warrior called out as engagement began, seeing a grand total of twelve people backing out to keep their distance as the incoming knight pulled out an egg-shaped yellow shield with lapis lazuli chicken on the center facing left. Why would he do it? To deflect arrows and javelins of course, even if half of them missed altogether.

"Come forth, good Sires! You fight like ducks!" Knight provoked, still proceeding ahead at slow pace downhill and shrugging off all shots fired at him.

"Any weak points?" One warrior asked the other walking up to him in between shots.

"Negative. We have to encircle him, then find knee joints or shoot the visor." Second one responded.

Alright man! Surround and suppress!" First one called again, making whole dozens spread wide into a half-circle which then went ahead to close in on the opponent that just finished walking downhill.

"How frivolous." Knight commented, slightly looking around at ten degree angles and seeing himself surrounded at front. "You're scared of coming close, do ye?"

"Fire-!" One warrior commanded, but was cut mid-sentence as a series of explosions propelled most of his men all over the place. Be it forward, backwards or just up.

"Noelle! Cover me!" Amber shouted, quickly pulling out her bow and scoring a direct chest shot at the stunned man in charge as her subordinate leaped to cover her back, swinging her own claymore to deflect loosely spear to the side.

"Here I come!" Knight called joyously, rushing in with a short sword and cutting the knee of the spearman on the side, making him kneel down into 'would you marry me?' stance with face red from pain. "You safe, young lady?" He asked casually, moving his arm into the back and casually blocking an arrow going for his neck.

"I am, thank you." Noelle responded, quickly going to his right as he turned around to form a three-way group with back towards eachother. "... Was this all of them?" She asked after a while, looking around her place.

"Seems like my baron bunny did the job." Amber concluded.

"Thy bunnies shoot cannons?" Knight asked, acting surprised as he turned to face her.

"No, the mascot." Amber explained, also turning around and showing him the stuffed, derpy plushie of herself. "I use them when I need an explosion."

"I'm not approving of slandering noble titles by associating them with ranged weapons, but I suppose that's thy custom." Knight concluded. "But enough of tiring your throat. My name is Stas from Spretnek, Coat of arms Diamond Chicken."

"Glad to meet you. I am Noelle, Mai- Outrider for Knights of Favonius."

"And I am Amber, Outrider Commander and Noelle's superior." Both girls present herself.

"Honored to be acquainted. But may I beg for permission to inquire? I have a duty to uphold." Stas continued, sounding as gentle as in hurry.

"But of course. Ask what you need." Noelle agreed, effectively taking the conversation away from Amber as the latter was out of the depth with overly-formal words.

"I travel through all the sea from Zirte to seek our claimant King. Entitled by blood to rule our unworthily demoted Kingdom." Stas said, finally putting his sword down to the side and shield onto his back. "Have you heard the name… Matthias, by the fortune of God's ways?"

"I did, actually." Noelle stated. "He arrived in our city yesterday, seeing place to stay."

"Merried to hear the good word." Stas said, raising his arms for a moment as if he had split seconds of wanting to take off his helmet. "Any local custom I am obligated to perform before seeking the audience to my Lord?"

"Come with us to our headquarters, our Acting Grand Master will have to ask you a few basic questions and verify you." Noelle stated.

"Can be done. Let us proceed then."