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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are owned by MiHoyo.

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Chapter 5: Sampo Goes Brighella

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The odd job was indeed odd.

We departed after Beidou had told one of the sailors from her ship at a nearby bar that we would be out of sight for a few hours. The guy foolishly thought we were doing the naughty as 'healthy hot-blooded teens should', which prompted a slap from Dou Dou for his lewd-minded comment.

Still, it wasn't like the thought wasn't lost to the two of us as we left through Liyue's outward gates leading deeper in the region. "You know, I actually don't think we have ever talked about what you swing for. Ning Ning is a price, but you're telling me you don't-"

"I wouldn't mind a boyfriend too. Maybe one with your booty if that's what you are asking for," The pirate lady admitted and I held back a blush. "Still, it's too... early. And we are business partners first. And you told me of your intention of leaving eventually."

"True, true," I conceded to that, just not to the rest of the matter. "But you can't blame me for... you know. Thinking."

Beidou grumbled at my rebuttal. "Sampo, thinking and speaking are two different things from one another."

"Ugh, and here I thought we were having a good feeling. You know, to keep our hearts warm as we venture a very deadly journey into some tall peaks."

"You could joke a bit about something else," Dou Dou argued, knowing what I was doing but still upset on the topic. "Like, let's talk about your next stop. Inazuma or Mondstadt?"

"It's been years now and even I don't know about it," I admitted with a honest tone. "Mondstadt is windy and Inazuma is stuck in a civil war."

"You're making it seem as both are equally horrible for that," She pointed out and I remained quiet as she realized that was my point. "Seriously? Windy? You are an Anemo user."

"I am, yes, but that doesn't mean I want to get hurled into some wild winds," I remarked flatly. "Still, I am referring to other 'windy' things. Like the fact that part of their region is dominated by the spirit of a Wolf God of the past."

"...Is that like an adeptus or-"

"Nah, straight-up old god that just gave up on being alive but still lingers there as a... spirit," I tried to summarize, but even I was clueless on the natural concept of such bullshit. "Inazuma is a bit warry, their ruler has hardly applied new policies and... well, I have a feeling someone like me may end up on the wrong side of history if I go there right now."

"Why am I not that surprised?" Beidou huffed, shaking her head. "Still, you got Liyue as another home."

"Yep. Especially since Dou Dou promised to marry me if I settle down-"

"I have promised no such thing!" She snarled in shock. "At the very least, I will let you be little spoon."

"...The hell you mean 'little spoon', are you impliying that you want to wear the pants in that situation?!"

"Well, were you expecting me to be your cuddly clingy girlfriend?"

"Of course not," I admitted with a serious tone. "I would want you to be my muscular clingy girlfriend. It's different."

"Hence why you are little spoon-material so-"

"Why are you two talking about spoons?"

A feminine voice asked out of nowhere and we both jumped to the side, the opposite of where the voice came from. We both turned to see... a young woman with long straight black hair. And a very familiar pair of emotionless blue eyes. I could recognize this soulless glance everywhere.

Hello lil' Shenhe.

"Cuddling's pecking order. Little spoon is the little hugger, big spoon is the big hugger," I casually explained. "And hello to you too, little miss."

"Yeah, hi," Beidou greeted with a tenser look.

"Greetings to you both. My name is Shenhe and I am a student to the Adeptus Cloud Retainer. You have trespassed this land and I have to warn you to turn around and leave at once."

...

"I am afraid we have to go on with this walk, little miss. Not for greed but we are looking for some unique flowers of this area to save a friend of a friend," I explained with a utmost calm but worried look. After all, Shenhe had two moods if her bae Traveler was not interacting with her: chill or murder mode. "You see, she got poisoned really bad so we just need-"

"No."

"Look, it's just a flower. No one's going to make a fuss for some weed," Beidou argued, and yet Shenhe merely turned to look at her and-

"No."

I glanced at Beidou, and Dou Dou glanced back at me. Diplomacy has failed- and we weren't going back empty-handed.

I sighed. "Well, if that's the case, then I have to express this concern in an other way," I muttered, my smile forcefully dropping as I stared at Shenhe. "Lil' Miss, this is a matter of life and death, so forgive me if I say this... if you don't turn aside and let us pick the flower we are looking for, then we will be forced to take actions for the sake of common sense. Our common sense, by the way."

Instead of replying, Shenhe retrieved her spear and tried to bash me away. A cute attempt, but one that ultimately failed as I slapped the lance away and... again and again. Shenhe was moving fast, and I had almost forgotten that, despite my training, I was facing with someone that had been sharpened by an Adeptus. Not only that, but I wasn't using the weapon I was most accustomed to, a sword, and I was using my Sampo-expy tools, my daggers.

So, while I could keep up just fine, I couldn't retaliate. Not even as Beidou joined the brawling with her claymore. The clanging was loud as Shenhe was clearly accustomed to high-paced parrying and deflecting, with her spear shifting and trying to strike at us whenever it was possible. Even as Dou Dou used her Elemental Skill to counter the Cryo-user, we hardly got anywhere with the fight. It was a ugly stalemate, and one we were about to lose... until I had a brilliant idea.

Actually, read as 'terrible idea'.

"Dou Dou, I need breathing space," I muttered and she grumbled about it, but carefully shifting so that she could get Shenhe's focus as I turned behind Beidou and... rushed my daggers from her sides. Shenhe deflected both, but my Anemo juju had the blades pull a u-turn and try to stab her in the back.

To my surprise, Shenhe noticed this, pushing Beidou away to deflect the flying daggers but... something got cut in the process. It wasn't skin as no blood came out, but something red got torn by one of my daggers. It was part of her red strings. You know, those that hold her berserk mode under control.

"Oh," I had the chance to notice how fast her fist was coming towards my face before I got smacked right in my pretty lips and sent flying to the nearest wall of pure rock. Head first.

I... should have died there. I mean, that high-impact smooch with a mountain would have killed a lot of people but... something gooey covered my landing. A slime? Nah... it was dark-violet in color and came from within me as it poured from my mouth.

"That's... new."

Nah. It is not.

I scowled as I felt this giggly voice in my head was not my mind going psycho.

"Uh... hello?"

And goodnight! Nah, dude, you are not going crazy. Or maybe you already are cuckoo! Who knows anymore!

"...So?"

Oh right. I am the one that smiles a lot- I am the joy of my siblings! And the most chaotic-

"Aha. I am talking with the Elation." I felt like I should have felt more outraged. I mean, I was. I definitely wasn't expecting more references to Honkai Star Rail to come along, but it was here- Aha, the Aeon of Elation, was chatting with me, a Sampo-Expy.

...Dude, let me finish. It's rude interrupting but... I'll let you go since you are now a bit busy. And in such a cute planet at that. Pity that it is being shielded by a fake Aeon and... oh right, spoiler much. Now, let's get you up and running, you lil' chum! Here's a mask and- go forth my Emanator!

No explanation, no justification, only Aha being Aha and giving me one of his masks. Am I now a Masked Fool? I definitely felt like an idiot with the pure madness I just witnessed unfolding and- Oh right, Beidou was getting her ass kicked by Berserk Shenhe.

Putting on the mask felt like going Jim Carrey from The Mask. Not as insanely chaotic, but definitely felt a rush of pure adrenaline and 'almightiness' to it that made me chuckle a bit before I bolted after Shenhe.

Shenhe snarled at me as she noticed my arrival, readying her lance to stab at me but... gasping in shock as I phased around her attack and slapped a card against her face. Many would use a Classic Deck to employ the power of Elation, but I was feeling nostalgic and I used a card from the Sicilian Deck. In this case, a 'Five of Clubs'.

Shenhe's eyes widened as she saw Five large bluish clubs appear over her head and slam onto her once each. She stumbled a bit, but she recoiled as she tried to attack me again... only for her lance to get Card'd too, this time with a 'Six of Swords'. Six kinds of swords appeared and stopped her weapon, while I slapped two more Cards onto her face. An 'Eight of Cups' and an 'Eight of Coin', causing for Eight Cups filled with Mora to fall onto her and finally put her out of commission.

The pure and utter rush of power, the way I dominated Shenhe without using my full potential... man, wasn't that addictive? The only issue I could find was when I turned to look at Beidou and saw her tense up at my glancing. It took me just a moment to realize I was chuckling without wanting, my lips curled into the widest smile possible under the mask. I pulled the mask away from me ASAP, knowing that there was always a catch to this sort of power, and madness may be the effect I may get from it.

"...Are you alright?" Beidou asked, which was ironic considering that she was the one that got quite roughened up.

"Peachy," I muttered quietly, "And you look worse."

She scoffed and turned to Shenhe. "Is she dead?"

"Nope," I answered, crouching and nodding as I felt her pulse by the neck. "Still, it's not our job."

Beidou nodded and yet didn't speak any further as we got back on track to find the flower. A few minutes later, and we had done it. We picked three and then walked back to Liyue. Beidou didn't tell a single soul of what happened that day, but it was clear she had her questions - she was just waiting for the opportunity to ask them. Instead, we just made it back to Liyue to complete the job by delivering the flowers to Ning Ning and-

"Fine, fine. You asked for a smile. Here," She said, smiling widely at Beidou's nagging and-

Click Click!

Ningguang's smile fell the moment she realized I had my Kamera at ready and got a most precious gift out of it.

"W-What are you going with that?"

"A picture for Dou Dou's pleasure," I said confidently as the pirate girl smiled happily at the treasure she got from me, "And one to be mass-produced and sold as a charm of good luck."

...

"YOU BASTARD, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

Such is life for Sampo Koski, the boy who wanted to make cash through a very 'honest' and 'reputable' manner.

AN

Next time, Sampo trains his new ability, talks with Beidou and set sails... to the next Region!