Author's Note: I like writing this story even though it doesn't seem to be that successful so far. Anyway, I got to Inazuma. Act I - The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia.
I managed to unlock one of the side quests with multiple endings, my first target was Ningguang.
Aside from the main story, Genshin Impact has some pretty cool side quests for its characters.
But I doubt he can write the main story and the side stories in the same "book".
I think I should make a story/spin-off that focuses only on side missions.
What do you think about this idea?
XXX
Act I: The Outlander Who Caught the Wind
Episode 1: The Black Moon and the White Fairy (III)
Chapter 3: The Blue Dragon and the Red Rabbit
Plot: The Traveler and Paimon have a couple of interesting encounters until they reach Mondstadt, the City of Freedom.
The first meeting inside the forest with a boy dressed in green and a huge dragon, then a second meeting on the road with a girl dressed in red full of energy.
XXX
POV Narrator
The Traveler and Paimon continued walking towards Mondstadt, with each step forward the City of Freedom becoming larger and larger from their viewpoint.
Unfortunately, moments of tranquility are rather short for a Planeswalker, especially if that Planeswalker is Bruce.
The Traveler while crossing an open field full of grass, he stopped abruptly and looked up.
"Paimon doesn't see anything." Paimon said, looking in the same direction as Bruce, but seeing nothing.
"My eye and other senses are more developed than yours, Paimon. I sense that something relatively large is approaching, filled with Anemo Energy and Negative Energy." Bruce said, pointing his finger at a small colored dot in the sky that is approaching.
Soon, above the heads of the Traveler and Paimon, one of the largest beings in Teyvat flew.
Its entire body is colored in a shade of blue, with its main body being a lighter blue, while its claws and horns are colored a darker midnight blue.
The creature also emits light from several areas of its body, most notably its eyes which appear to have a blue flame effect and the scales on its wings which emit an aquamarine glow.
It has a total of six large wings on its body, three on each side, which allow it to fly. Behind those wings is its enormous tail, which resembles the feathers of a bird.
It has two horns on its head that resemble those of a goat, with a blue hue that gradually fades to black.
Its front beak is incredibly sharp and it has very sharp teeth, although in small numbers.
There are four sets of nails on each of its four claws, being very long and sharp with a tinge.
Finally, the creature has two sharp purple spikes on its back.
"Wow! What is that!?" Paimon exclaims, finally managing to see the flying beast.
"BB, you were right, there is something huge in the sky!" Paimon said, admitting that his traveling companion was right.
"Is that a dragon?" Bruce asks aloud, raising an eyebrow, having never seen such a race before today.
"It's heading into the heart of the forest. We must proceed with caution." Paimon said, not wanting to get close to a creature that can eat her whole in one bite.
"This world has dragons, good news for me." Bruce said as he began to walk in the direction the dragon went.
"Paimon is worried, because BB is walking towards the forest where there is a huge and scary dragon." Paimon said, floating behind her traveling companion.
"Actually, from my point of view, that dragon is below average size and quite cute. If it were a baby dragon I would take it with me as a pet." Bruce comments, speaking of the dragon as if it were a stray dog.
"Do you consider that winged beast small and cute!?" Paimon asks in a completely incredulous voice.
'Carmen, go ahead and scout ahead, I'll join you, but first I have to talk to Paimon.' Bruce said, communicating with Carmen through their mental connection.
The blue-eyed female Raven flies into the forest without hesitation, sharing her master's fearlessness.
"The Grand Duchy of Bahamut is a nation born and built upon the corpse of the First and Only Dragon Titan of Ysatnaf. The corpse of that Sacred Beast occupies an area of approximately 1960000 km².
Its dorsal fins have become the most impressive mountain range in Ysatnaf, boasting of hosting the highest mountain in the Ysatnaf world, Coroana, at 13,000 meters above sea level." Bruce said, imparting to Paimon his knowledge of his paternal grandmother's ancestral land.
"Paimon isn't good at math, but even she understands that they're a ridiculous size, practically a country unto themselves." Paimon said, having a hard time believing Bruce's words.
'Better not mention that the Dragon Titan Corpse is only the third largest dragon I've seen in my life.' Bruce thinks, having seen literally everything as a Planeswalker and hero of numerous worlds.
"Paimon has doubts, but he believes you, you think that dragon is "small" compared to the dragons of your house. But that flying beast is still a dragon that can eat Paimon in one bite. Why do you want to go looking for him?" Paimon asks, wanting to go to Mondstadt to have lunch and not become someone's lunch.
"I know my luck, sooner or later I'll end up meeting that dragon, better have this meeting now and get this weight off our shoulders." Bruce said, continuing to walk calmly towards the forest where a dragon is located.
"Paimon hopes you know what you're doing." The little fairy said, floating hesitantly behind Bruce.
"To me, dragons are like women, they either love me or hate me." Bruce said in a serious voice, as if it were a sentence that could describe a good part of his life.
The little fairy gives her traveling companion a strange look, not knowing how to interpret that sentence.
"Paimon hopes that the dragon you want to meet is friendly." The little fairy said, trying to be optimistic.
"If it's a friendly dragon, I'll ask him to give us a ride around and some advice, dragons live long lives and often know things that humans have forgotten." Bruce explains what he wants to do if he gets lucky.
"If it's a classic evil dragon that burns cities and kidnaps princesses, I'll cut off its head. A dead dragon might be more useful than a friendly prairie dragon." Bruce said, pulling his ceremonial dagger from his belt.
The Traveler's silver eye is reflected in the dagger's blade.
"Dragon heart and blood can be used for healing; dragon bones and scales are excellent raw materials for forging weapons and tools; dragon meat, if cooked properly, can be made into excellent hamburgers." Bruce said, adding the last part for the little fairy.
"Dragon burger?" Paimon mutters, placing a hand over his stomach, imagining for a moment what such an exotic dish would taste like.
"And with what's left I can make a nice surprise." Bruce said in a mysterious tone, looking at the ceremonial dagger as if it were the key to a kingdom of infinite possibilities.
"Paimon prefers the dragon to be friendly, but if the dragon is mean, no one will complain that it becomes hamburger meat." Said the little fairy, bribed by the promise of rare food.
XXX
After a quarter of an hour of walking with some breaks to exterminate some monsters that appeared on the road, the traveler and Paimon arrived in the heart of the forest.
"Huh? Look there!" Paimon said, finally finding where the dragon landed.
The blue dragon is lying on a small hill/rock in the center of a clearing, in front of him is a beautiful girl or an effeminate boy.
The Traveler covers Paimon's mouth and drags her down into the bushes with him.
"Be quiet, little fairy, I want to understand who the dragon's friend is and what they are talking about." Bruce whispers, before freeing Paimon's mouth.
"BB, your floating cube is outside the bush." Paimon whispers, raising a finger upward.
The Little Fairy is right, even though the two of them are kneeling in the bushes like raccoons, Bruce's Artifact is floating above the bushes.
The Planeswalker makes a gesture with his hand, causing the black cube to become invisible to the naked eye, then looks very carefully at the beast and its fine company.
The effeminate boy is rather short, has pale skin, aqua green eyes and short blue-black hair with short twin braids on the sides of his face that fade to aqua blue.
She wears a white ruffled top with a corset over her midriff, along with green shorts with gold embroidery, a matching green cape held together with a dark blue and gold bow.
He also wears white stockings with three golden diamond shapes along each leg and a beret-like hat with a Cecilia.
She wears her Anemo Vision on her left hip attached to a belt, with a wing ornament attached to the right of the vision, pompoms hang below the vision with feathers.
The Planeswalker's uncovered eye looks intently at the azure dragon, not only at its physical appearance, but also at its spiritual status.
'The poor beast has little time to live, I would say a few months, before his body and mind are consumed by the cursed poison within him. A painful, slow and undignified death. Killing him would be a mercy to him.' Bruce thinks, being able to understand the dragon's condition just by looking at him.
The Planeswalker's eye shifts to the effeminate boy.
'He is as cute as Astolfo, but more importantly, he is not a human. I sense a fairy origin with a faint suppressed divine aura, impossible for a normal person to notice. Luckily, in my life I have met and interacted with deities like Ereshkigal and Othinus.' Bruce thinks, remembering some good times with two blonde-haired divine women.
The first is a kind of lover.
The second is his second female friend in the entire multiverse, preceded by Luz Noceda, but before Mash Kyrielight.
"Don't be afraid. Everything is fine now, I'm back." Said the effeminate boy, trying to calm the flying beast.
'Cute and with a nice voice. I think today is my lucky day, I have discovered a way to weaken the seal imposed by that Unknown Goddess, finding a dragon that can become an asset to me.
Finally, I found a clue to find Barbatos. I doubt it's a coincidence that the cute boy with a suppressed divine aura resembles the Statue of the Archon of Anemo.' Bruce thinks, starting to believe he'll get a nice amount of luck to make up for his disastrous arrival in Teyvat.
The boy in green approaches the dragon while talking to him, wanting to pet his muzzle.
"Is he talking... to a dragon?" The little fairy whispers softly, moving closer to get a better look at the scene.
Paimon unwittingly touched his companion's shoulder, then as if by reflex or delayed effect the Planeswalker momentarily lost control of the power he had just regained.
Bruce's body released an aura of wind, not strong enough to hurt Paimon, but enough to strip the bush of its leaves, destroying their hiding place.
'Is this a sign from the universe telling me I'm wrong?' Bruce thinks, sure that the Cosmic Entities are having fun at his expense.
"Who's there!?" shouts the green-clad boy, spotting the traveler and Paimon.
'This is bad.' Paimon thinks, flying behind Bruce's back.
The dragon also turns his attention to the two troublemakers.
'This is bad, very bad.' thinks the little fairy, suddenly feeling much smaller than before.
Bruce got into a fighting stance, his walking stick in his left hand and his ceremonial dagger in his right hand.
Crimson flames appear from the ring on the right middle finger, the flames engulfing the entire hand, then rising up to the blade of the dagger.
"Beast if you wish to end your suffering face me here and now, you will have no greater honor than to die by my hand and serve me dead." Bruce declares in a cold, arrogant, threatening tone, holding the dagger towards the dragon.
'This is the worst possible scenario.' Paimon thinks, she is sure that things are about to end badly for her and her traveling companion.
The dragon for a moment seems ready to attack, but instead lets out a mighty roar and prepares to take flight.
When the dragon flaps its wings, it creates a huge movement of air.
The boy puts his arms in front of him to shield the face of the wind, seeing that there is nothing to be done, he vanishes using a unique power based on the Anemo.
Paimon clings to her traveling companion's long braid, she doesn't want to be blown away by the wind.
Bruce, he stands still as a statue, barely affected by the wind or the possible fury of the dragon, holding the dagger towards the flying beast.
The dragon does not attack, it simply flies away from the heart of the forest.
Bruce remains on guard, as if waiting for the dragon or the effeminate boy to return at the last moment to fight him.
Seconds pass and finally nothing has happened. Bruce puts out the mystical flames and lowers the dagger with an almost disappointed look.
'When I want to be on my own, I get attacked by an Unknown Goddess, when I want to fight, everyone goes off to do something else.' Bruce thinks, putting the ceremonial dagger back in its place.
"That was close! Paimon was almost wiped out!" The little fairy said in a relieved voice, having averted disaster by the dragon's whim.
"Luckily Paimon managed to grab your hair! Thank you." The little fairy said, ceasing to use Bruce's braid as her main anchor.
"Paimon, I'll pretend nothing happened this time, but next time you touch my hair for no reason, I'll reduce your portion of food." Bruce said in a serious voice, while stroking her sore braid.
Pain is not something that bothers Bruce, rather pain is an old friend that always welcomes him.
But there is good pain and unpleasant pain, having your hair pulled by Paimon is unpleasant pain.
"You're kidding, right?" asks the little fairy in a worried voice, more afraid of eating less than being eaten by the dragon.
"Paimon, if you weren't a little girl and I didn't like you, I would have punched your jaw out a long time ago." Bruce states in a frank tone.
"Anyone who touches me without permission gets a warning, then corporal punishment if they don't learn their lesson. Anyone who touches my hair gets a threat and a little pain." Bruce said in a serious voice, banging his staff against the ground.
"Paimon, you're lucky you've never received a warning or a beating." The little fairy said, happy to be an exception to the Traveler's rule about beating anyone who enters her personal space.
"Because you're a lovely little fairy. As I've gotten older I've become more lenient with children, though I have no problem disciplining a child who overdoes it." Bruce comments, having no problem disciplining youngsters himself.
"Paimon is special, she is lucky and cute!" Paimon exclaims with a tone full of joy and momentary arrogance.
"Don't let it get to your head, little fairy, because you're about to see my sternest side." Bruce said, slamming the knob of his walking stick into the palm of his left hand.
Paimon decides to calm down a bit and float to Bruce's chest level.
"What happened anyway? Paimon thought they were going to eat us." The little fairy said in a curious voice.
"We interrupted an attempt to perform: How to Train Your Dragon." Bruce said in a stoic tone, trying to make a joke.
Paimon gave his traveling companion a strange look, not knowing what he was referring to.
"It's a story about how a boy finds an injured dragon that can't fly anymore, the boy takes care of the dragon, they become best friends. Then, one day, the boy builds a prosthetic for the dragon, so it can fly again, they become inseparable friends and have a thousand adventures." Bruce explains the plot of How to Train Your Dragon to Paimon.
"Paimon is interested in the story of the boy and the dragon, next time Paimon has trouble sleeping, can you tell Paimon the story in detail?" The little fairy asks in a rare shy voice, wanting to know more about the tale of How to Train Your Dragon to Paimon.
"I will, but we have a crime scene to investigate now." Bruce said, pointing his staff in the direction of where the dragon sat.
"Oh? What is that?" Paimon asks, noticing something glowing where Bruce points his staff.
The Traveler and Paimon take less than thirteen steps to reach the large rock where the dragon once stood.
It was easy to spot a shiny red teardrop-shaped thing.
"Be careful! Paimon doesn't have a good feeling about this." The little fairy said, getting bad vibes from the tear-like red stone.
"Interesting, very interesting." Bruce said, as he pulled a white handkerchief with elaborate gold embroidery and a 4B in the corner from his coat pocket.
Using the handkerchief the Traveler takes the red object and holds it close to his face to get a better look at her.
"Paimon has never seen a stone like this before, so he can't figure out what it is. All Paimon knows is that it is dangerous. Better put it away for now." Paimon said, knowing nothing about this object, but considering it dangerous.
"You worry too much, little fairy. In my hand is a dragon tear crystallized because of the impurities present in its body. A precious object that deserves to be studied further." Bruce said, wrapping the red stone in the handkerchief, then puts it in the inside pocket of his coat.
"Okay, we did it! Now let's get out of here, before something else happens." Paimon said, not wanting to get involved in another strange event.
"If you want peace you should become another traveler's guide, we are only at the beginning of the madness." Bruce said, confident that "lively" days await him.
"Carmen, you got there before us, tell me what you saw in detail." Bruce said, while snapping his fingers, calling her to him.
The blue-eyed crow swoops down from the tree branches and lands on his master's shoulder.
"Cra Cra Cra." Carmen said in the language of the crows.
"Interesting, now I have the dragon's name, he's called Dvalin. Carmen, you did a good job. Now go into town and see if you can find anything." Bruce said, sending Carmen ahead to Mondstadt.
"Paimon has a couple of questions." The little fairy said, floating alongside Bruce.
"We still have a long way to go, tell me what you want to know." Bruce said, having nothing better to do at the moment than chat with Paimon.
"How do you understand what Carmen is saying? At most she makes three bird noises, but you seem to understand an entire speech. Other times you understand each other without speaking to each other." Paimon said, having witnessed this phenomenon almost every day for two months.
"There are several reasons, the main one is that I am Carmen's sorcerer, and she is my Familiar, we are united by a magical bond." Bruce said, speaking in the main world of their mutual understanding, not the mental connection or anything else.
"Second question, when you wanted to fight the dragon, how did you summon those flames on the dagger? You didn't touch the Pyro Archon Statue." Paimon said, having noticed the crimson fire covering his traveling companion's hand and weapon.
'Despite her childish appearance and carefree personality, Paimon has a good eye.' Bruce thinks with a barely visible smile as he appreciates seeing Paimon using her head and wanting to get information.
"You're adorable when you think with your head and not your stomach." Bruce said, affectionately stroking the Little Fairy's head, being careful not to touch her halo/crown.
"Paimon loves BB's affection, but she still has one unanswered question." Paimon said, while enjoying the caress as if she were some kind of dog or pet.
"The flames you saw are one of the few things that are completely mine, this ability has no connection to my blood or the will of a higher being.
It is an innate ability that occurs in two people in the world, once in 500 years, at best, at worst once in 1500 years or even 2000 years." Bruce said proudly and plays, invoking from the ring that bears crimson flames.
"Paimon feels no heat from these flames." Paimon said, being able to see the flames, but nothing else, as if they didn't really exist.
"These flames are not meant to destroy, but to create, their abilities are demonstrated when used in conjunction with a ceremonial dagger or in a forge. Wielding this power, makes me bear the title of Forgemaster, one of only two on Earth." Bruce said, dousing the flames from his ring.
'Forge everything here? I expected something more phenomenal coming from BB.' Paimon thinks slightly disappointed in her expectations.
'The full title is Devil Forgemaster, but many prefer to shorten it to Forgemaster. His specialty is forging the dead into weapons for their creator.' Bruce thinks, imagining in his mind striking the dragon in the heart with his ceremonial dagger and transforming it into a Creature of the Night to serve him.
The little fairy has no idea that her traveling companion is a thousand times more dangerous than that dragon.
During this chat 1/7 of Bruce's Command Seals slowly begin to recover, soon the Traveler's Party will be able to gain a new member.
XXX
A short time later, when the Traveler and Paimon were walking on a road that offers a nice view of Mondstadt.
"Paimon be careful, I sense someone approaching, connected to something with a low amount of divine aura and high concentration of fire-aligned magical energy." Bruce communicates, being able to sense such things from a considerable distance away.
"Hey you! Stop right now!" A female voice shouts, coming from behind them and approaching quickly.
'If this person is looking for trouble, I'll shoot him right in the face, then I'll make him my first Creature of the Night, a minon is always good.' Bruce thinks, ready for a possible conflict.
The girl makes a big leap, passing over the Traveler and Paimon, landing in their path.
Before the Traveler and Paimon appeared a girl of medium build with long dark brown hair, orange-gold eyes, and pale skin.
The girl wears a sweater-like outfit consisting of dark brown shorts, a red sweater with only the hood and sleeves, a white and brown shirt with the crest of the Knights of Favonius in gold on the front, red stockings, and white thigh-high boots embellished with gold linings and symbols.
The girl's accessories include a leather belt with two small pouches and her attached Pyro Vision, gloves, a small belt on her right thigh, and gold-framed glasses.
Her most distinctive feature is the headband with the large red bow that rests on her head, which resembles the shape of rabbit ears.
Additionally, his Vision has two red feathers attached underneath.
'A rabbit this is a good sign, rabbits have always brought me luck or led me to helpful people.' Bruce thinks, looking at the headband that resembles the ears of a Bunny Girl.
"May the God Anemo protect you, stranger!" The girl dressed in red greeted the two travelers in her own way.
"I am Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius." Amber said, introducing her name and position.
After the introductions Amber gives the Traveler and Paimon a suspicious look, having never seen these two around.
"You don't look like Mondstadt citizens. Explain yourselves!" Amber asks, getting straight to the point, without wasting time.
"We're not looking for trouble." Paimon responds quickly, not wanting to get into trouble with the local forces.
"That's what all troublemakers say," Amber said, still suspicious of the two individuals.
"But a normal person who is afraid of an unknown guard's abuse of power would say the same thing." Bruce said, taking a step forward.
"From our point of view, you are the suspicious one, the two of us were walking peacefully towards Mondstadt, wanting to have lunch and find lodging in a nice inn. Suddenly you run out like a storm and make accusations, isn't it normal for people to get agitated?" Bruce said in a calm tone, presenting Amber's actions under his point of view.
The girl in red blushes with shame, realizing that she has been a little too energetic and direct with potential visitors/tourists who want to see Mondstadt.
'She didn't know that BB is good at talking.' thinks the little fairy, seeing how her traveling companion is turning the chessboard upside down.
"Sorry, sometimes I'm too diligent in my duty. I'm Amber, can you tell me your name?" Amber asks, trying to sound less intimidating and more friendly.
"You can call me Traveler, I'm a consultant with no employer at the moment." Bruce replies, deciding to just give his last name and keep the discussion casual.
"That doesn't sound like a Real Name to me, but where do those clothes and accent come from?" Amber mutters, sure she's talking to a stranger.
"And this... mascot, what's so special about it?" Amber asks, turning her attention to the little fairy.
"We've only been traveling together for two months, but we've already become best friends!" The little fairy said, giving her opinion on how her relationship with Bruce is.
"My name is a treasure that I bestow upon a privileged few. My name is Traveler, because I am always traveling." Bruce explains the reason for his unusual nickname.
"Paimon, she is my guide on my journey across the world. We are... almost friends." Bruce said, trying to be more generous with his words towards Paimon.
The stranger Kuutsundere has grown fond of the little fairy, even if he doesn't want to tell the whole world.
"So, to sum up, you're traveling companions, right?" Amber asks, having heard enough.
"Well, look, a large dragon was recently spotted near Mondstadt. You'd better get into town as soon as possible." Amber said, wanting to give the Traveler and Paimon some helpful advice.
'This warning came too late, if Paimon had known about the dragon earlier, he would have taken BB straight to Liyue.' The little fairy thinks, wanting to know this information much earlier, but now it is too late to change the travel destination.
"It's not far from here, I'll take you there." Amber said, not wanting to leave the two travelers alone in a risky area.
"I doubt that an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius would be tasked with welcoming and escorting simple travelers with no ties to Mondstadt. Don't you have a task to perform?" Bruce asks, preferring not to have an escort limiting his movements.
"I am. But don't worry, I can keep you both safe while I do this too." The red-clad girl said, quite confident in her abilities.
"And then... I still don't know if I can trust you two." Amber said, still having a doubt or two about this strange pair of travelers.
"The Knights of Favonius apparently receive no lessons in manners or instruction in the art of investigation. You should never tell a suspect that he is a suspect, it encourages him to not make mistakes and be more careful, knowing that he is being watched." Said the Traveler, criticizing Amber's mistake in two different areas.
"Oh, ahh... I'm sorry. You're right, it's not something I should say or do as an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius." Amber said, her cheeks red with embarrassment, realizing she had made a couple of missteps.
"I apologize, er... strange but... respectable travelers." Amber said, having some trouble apologizing properly.
"It seems so fake!" Paimon said, not believing Amber's apology was sincere.
"But it's true, I am strange, eccentric, bizarre and abnormal, all names that have been given to me on merit." Bruce said having no problem with being called strange.
"You see, Traveler, he has nothing against the type of language use prescribed by the Knights of Favonius Manual." Amber said, appreciating that Bruce is on her side in this discussion.
"We want to reach Mondstadt before sunset, so let's go do your errand, so Paimon and I can see the city of Freedom with our own eyes." Bruce said, gesturing for Amber to lead the way.
XXX
As the Traveler, Paimon and Amber walk, Amber tries to chat with the two of them.
"So, strange travelers, what are you doing in Mondstadt?" Amber asks, clearly trying to understand their intentions.
"BB was separated from his sister during a very, very long journey. Paimon, she is his traveling companion, who helps him find his sister." The little fairy said, telling Bruce's story without asking his permission.
The Planeswalker says nothing, only shoots a sharp look at Paimon, who decides to float slightly further away from him.
"Oh, you're looking for your family." Amber said guiltily, feeling very bad about her suspicions.
The girl in red understands how Bruce feels, she too has lost a member of her family and to this day has never found her.
"I'm just looking for Adeline, she's my twin sister, the rest of my family I know where they are." Bruce said, sure that half of his family is on Earth and the other half on Ysatnaf.
"But, unlike my extended family, Adeline is the only person in the world who shares my blood 100% with me." Bruce said, providing some background.
A puzzled expression appeared on Paimon and Amber's faces.
"I know what you're about to ask. Adeline and I, we are twins, but we were separated at birth, adopted by different families on opposite sides of the country. By a twist of fate we met by chance when we were teenagers and discovered that we are not alone in the world." Bruce said, revealing some things about his past.
"Paimon didn't know this, it seems like something out of a book, twins who are separated only to meet when they grow up." Said the Little Fairy, wanting to know more about her traveling companion's past.
"I see, why do you want to find your twin sister, but you seem very far from home, what made you want to travel?" Amber asks, wanting to understand if the Traveler could be a threat to Mondstadt.
Bruce's stoic face turned grim.
"I needed a change of scenery, the further away the better." Bruce said cryptically.
"Something really bad must have happened if you won't even mention it." Paimon said in a worried voice, unable to decipher the meaning of the Traveler's words.
"I don't want to talk about why I left home," Bruce said, making that fact clear.
"How was your Journey, before you were separated from your sister?" Amber asks, wanting to change the subject of conversation.
"The trip was nice at first, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. Then it became a complete disaster.
I have been separated from my sister, I have been defeated, I have almost died and I often have two months to recover from my wounds.
Finally, the first person I meet, who is not Paimon, is a Bunny Girl with unfounded suspicions." The Traveler said in a cold tone, making it clear that he had not been part of a happy journey.
"You almost died!?" Amber exclaims in an alarmed voice, looking at the Traveler's staff less as an accessory than as a necessary tool for transportation.
"Do you need a doctor?" Amber asks, worried that the Traveler might have complications.
"Don't worry about me. I'm worse than a cockroach, I've been in worse situations and I've survived everything that's been thrown at me." Bruce said, having thick skin and extremely high survival skills.
"Paimon has been living with BB for two months and has seen her improve dramatically. Before, she could barely move, now she beats up slimes with ease." The little fairy said, trying to help her traveling companion.
"If you're sure you're okay, I believe you." Amber said, making a note to keep an eye on the Traveler just in case.
"My health is no concern to any of you. I will find Adeline even if I have to travel all over Teyvat and interrogate all Seven Archons." Bruce states with a cold tone, his eye showing a fierce look.
A sunny silence fell between Bruce, Paimon and Amber.
"Okay! Let me finish the other things first, and then I'll help you put up posters around town." Amber suddenly states, wanting to put an end to this dark moment she started.
"What exactly do you need to finish first?" Paimon asks, wanting to get rid of this gloomy atmosphere.
"It's simple. You'll understand soon enough." Amber replies, seeing the camp she must destroy to make the roads safer.
XXX
Soon a hilichurl appeared in front of the group of three.
A black-skinned humanoid creature with a thick yellowish mane, dressed in a strange white mask with simple decorations and tribal caveman clothes. Basically, a goblin that isn't green or that ugly.
"Ah! A hilichurl!" Paimon exclaims, disappearing from sight as he does when any kind of fight begins.
'One of the constants of the Multiverse, weak and primitive creatures typical of fantasy worlds. At least this world is not populated by horrible goblins, I do not support those green creatures.' Bruce thinks, as he grabs the hilt of his whip.
"Quick! Get it!" Amber declares, summoning a bow and quiver of arrows from her Vision.
Before Amber could draw her bow and shoot an arrow, Bruce darted forward.
It all ended in two simple moves, if Amber, had not been close and attentive she would have missed the entire... performance.
Bruce with a movement of his hand made the whip catch the hilichurl's ankle, pulling it forcefully made the monster fall and drag it towards the dark traveler.
The walking stick easily pierced the hilichurl's mask and head, killing him instantly.
'He wasn't kidding when he said he was fine now. The Traveler is fast, too fast for a normal person, and he can fight skillfully.' Amber thinks, impressed by the speed of the execution.
Without blinking, Bruce pulls his cane out of his skull, with one simple motion, causing blood to squirt from the handle of the cane.
Everything about him shows a professional behavior.
"I want an explanation Outrider of the Knights of Favonius." Bruce said, stopping in front of the red-clad girl.
"These monsters have been getting too close to the city lately. My job this time is to clear out their camp." Amber explains the nature of her assignment, seek and destroy.
"You could have said that from the start, nothing like a little exercise to get out the stored up stress." Bruce said, shifting his gaze towards the Hilichurl camp less than a hundred meters away.
"This will all be finished in less than a minute, then take us to Mondstadt, uninterrupted." Bruce said, before turning and sprinting forward toward the Hilichurl camp.
"Wait for me, you can't go alone!" Amber shouts, running after the Traveler.
XXX
Bruce hadn't lied, all the hilichurls in the camp were killed in less than a minute, almost all of them by the Planeswalker's staff and whip.
"I have to say you surprised me with your moves, you are very fast and I have not seen anyone use a whip like you do." Amber said, having seen some crazy moves performed with the whip.
"It's nothing special. Even a simple soldier can kill one of these monsters." Bruce said, as he puts the Mora, the coins of this world, into his pockets.
In some ways, hilichurls are like raccoons in that they love to collect things that shine.
Paimon is also floating around looking for valuables among the camp.
'I don't know if he's modest or if he considers killing eight hilichurls in thirty seconds a triviality.' Amber thinks, not having yet understood what kind of person the Traveler is.
"Thanks for the support, Traveler. How did you feel?" Amber asks politely, not seeing a scratch or a drop of sweat.
"Mostly bored. These hilichurls are a disappointment as come true, they are worthless." Bruce said, having a rather low opinion of these creatures.
"Come to think of it, how did the hilichurls end up here? These creatures don't seem suited to camp so close to a city like this." Paimon said, certain that the hilichurls should be somewhere less touched by civilization.
"Exactly. It's more normal for them to be much further out in the wild.
But since the dragon, Stormterror, has been around much more recently, our orchards have been destroyed and the local market has also suffered.
When storms come, we usually end up with at least a few casualties, so the Knights of Favonius have been busy doing their best to defend the area." Amber talks about how the dragon is making things worse for Mondstadt and its inhabitants.
"So these pesky creatures have been getting closer and closer to the city?" The little fairy states the obvious.
"Exactly. That being said, clearing this camp has helped make the area a little safer." Amber said, wanting to help her home.
"You're only treating the symptoms and not the disease itself. You should be dealing with the dragon, then these parasites." Bruce comments, aiming for the source of all the problems.
"It's easy to say but hard to do, none of Favonius' Knights can fly or reach Stormterror's lair. We're still trying to figure it out." Amber said, trying not to show that she has no idea how to deal with the dragon.
Fortunately, she is not the leader of the Knights of Favonius.
"Come with me! A responsible knight must make sure to escort you to the city safe and sound." Amber said, having to take the Traveler and Paimon to Mondstadt.
"I'm sure I've proven that I don't need your escort or protection. But your presence will make it easier to enter the city. Lead the way, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius." Bruce said, gesturing for Amber to lead the way.
The City of Freedom is about to receive some new visitors.
Continues ...
XXX
Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter, I was originally going to split it into two parts, but I made an effort so that in the next chapter we finally get to Mondstadt.
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Question of the day: Which of the Genshin Impact twins do you prefer? Aether or Lumine?
Personally I prefer Aether.