𝐬𝐤𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 || 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

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We walked out of the forest with no trouble, and I was comfortable with dismissing my sword. We were going to take a short break when we heard footsteps in the grass approaching at a high speed. I looked around, in time to see someone jump off the ledge and land right in front of us. Her headband reminded me of rabbits, for some strange reason.

"Hey, you! Stop right there! May the Anemo God protect you, stranger! I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius. You don't look like citizens of Mondstadt. Explain yourselves!"

"We're not looking for trouble."

"That's what all the troublemakers say."

"No kidding."

"Hello, I'm Aether."

"Azure."

"...Don't sound like local names to me. And this... mascot, what's the deal with it?"

"We-"

"Emergency food."

"Hey! Azure! That's even worse than being a mascot!"

"So to sum it up, you're traveling partners, right? Well look, there's been a large dragon sighted around Mondstadt recently. Best you get inside the city as soon as possible. It's not far from here, I'll escort you there."

"Oh? Aren't you out here for some other reason?"

"I am. But not to worry, I can keep you both safe while doing that too. Besides... I'm still not sure if I can trust you three just yet!"

"Why so suspicious?"

"Why do I feel slightly insulted..."

"Oh, ahh... I'm sorry. Probably not something I should say as a knight. I give you my apologies, uh... strange yet... respectable travelers."

"That sounded so fake!"

"Paimon..."

"Do you have something against the type of language usage prescribed by the Knights of Favonius Handbook!?"

"Nope, nothing."

Amber shot a few anemo slimes that were floating behind us, probably just to show off. She missed one, but this time, a bow made of a really light colored wood with engravings on it appeared in my hand and I shot it down. Interesting... I didn't know I could use a bow. It shocked Amber to see me this efficient with a bow, even if it looked like I was inexperienced.

"Do you normally use a bow when fighting, Azure?"

"That was my first time. Why?

"Your posture was a bit off and you didn't quite pull the string back enough. I can help you with it when we get to the city, alright?"

"I see. That's fine."

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We continued walking in relative silence, and things got awkward quickly. I was braiding a section of my hair, undoing it, and repeating. Even that got old quickly. Fortunately, Amber told us to go after something with a rather strange mask. She called it a hilichurl. I ran after it with my sword in hand, but it was slightly faster than me. Fortunately, it led us to our camp. I climbed up one of the archery towers to take out the one up there. I yanked the bow out of its hands while it was still shocked by my arrival. With the opening, I swiftly kicked it in the chest, and it hit the ground below hard enough for it to not be a problem.

"Good one, Azure!"

"Wanna bet?"

I jumped down and stabbed the hilichurl nearest to me, yanking the blade out with equal force. The fact that this was just raw strength was pretty incredible as is. Celestia's power, hah. No way, not if this was how I'm faring. No visible elemental power anywhere. In fact, the fight ended really quickly with all three of us working together. I was getting a little better with a bow, but I was still making the same mistakes.

"Heh, nothing to it. Though I've gotta say, you surprised me a little with your moves there... Thanks for the backup. How'd it feel?"

"Those things are tougher than they look."

"That was difficult? I didn't even stress it!"

"Now that you mention it, how is it the hilichurls ended up here? These creatures don't seem like the type to set up camp so close to cities like this."

"Exactly. It's more normal for them to be much further out in the wilderness. But because the dragon — Stormterror — has been around a lot more recently, our orchards have been destroyed and the local market has been affected as well. When the storms hit, we usually end up with at least a few injuries, so the Knights of Favonius have been tied up doing the best they can to defend the area."

"So these annoying creatures have been getting closer and closer to the city?"

"Seems a bit strange to me... At least we helped out."

"Exactly. That said, clearing this camp helped make the area a little bit safer. Come with me! A responsible knight must make sure to see you to the city safely."

Amber led us down the path, no longer with any more jobs to do. The soft winds were refreshing as ever. I loved every second of it. As we crossed the bridge, pigeons took off, flying in all directions, much to the dismay of a child standing to the side of the main path. No one really paid any attention to the kid. Seemed normal if Amber wasn't saying anything about it. I could hear her laughing under her breath, though.