Fate/Genshin Impact

AWVW : PTS : Another Visitor

"Hmm....let's see who the other competitors are! Beidou said that they had to be renowned fighters. We should get an overview of our competition!"

The two walked towards a gruff-looking man with a mustache.

"Hello! Are you here to compete in The Crux Clash?"

The man turned towards them, smirking.

"You bet I am, have you put your names down yet?"

"Not yet. We wanted to take a look around first."

"Well then, I'd have a look at the entrance criteria if I were you. The Clash is a comprehensive test of fighting ability. Anyone who turns up for show over skill is gonna get their butt handed to them."

"Yeah, we heard a rule about that. So Paimon's wondering... are you a renowned fighter?"

"Hahaha, me? Only a former runner-up in the Chihu Rock Freestyle Combat Summit! Oh yeah..."

"Runner up...", Lumine repeated quietly, trying hard to mask the disbelief in her voice.

Paimon, on the other hand, didn't care to mask her doubt.

"Uh-huh... Also, that doesn't sound like the most official tournament out there..."

"What!?" The man's eyes widened. "You... Nonsense! Have you been living under a rock? It's been going on for years! There were plenty of competitors when I took part! Not to mention, I've helped the Millelith catch Treasure Hoarders before! There were two of them trying to escape — I soon sorted them out. They tried to sneak past me under the cover of darkness... Ha! They didn't know what hit 'em. I planted a left hook on the skinnier one's face and sent him flying. Then, the big guy pulled out a knife! I stood my ground, of course. A roundhouse kick sent the blade hurtling into a beam above us."

"Sounds, uh... impressive", Lumine offered. She had tuned out around half of his speech after she heard "two".

"Hahaha, I told you! Unarmed, outnumbered two to one, but I still got the upper hand! I'm not saying I came out completely unscathed of course, but the fact remains that I did manage to subdue both of them... AND hand them over to the Millelith. I received quite the commendation! Oh yeah..."

"Uh-huh... But for us, even four-"

"Thanks for letting us know", Lumine cut in quickly before dragging Paimon away.

"I'll see you in the arena. Tsk, but I don't plan on losing to a pair of children any time soon!"

After the two made some distance between themselves and the man, Paimon turned towards Rebound.

"Hey, what was that for!?"

"Be a little bit more aware, Paimon. Are you trying to rile him up? We're not trying to cause a scene here."

"Alright, alright."

The two then walked over to a young male who was stretching out his calves.

"Oh, hello. Are you here for The Crux Clash too? If so... seems I've found myself another new adversary."

"So you're also here for the tournament?"

"You better believe it. I...."

After finishing up the conversation, Lumine sighed. Another questionable participant, she thought, Maybe the two over there were more promising?

"Hi there, are you here for The Crux Clash too?"

The girl smiled.

"That's right. Nothing beats real-life combat for honing your skills. That's what our master taught us....."