A gentle evening breeze swept through the room where four figures dined. Their food was warm and delicious, for some it was a familiar taste they had missed for a while now.
"You know, I was expecting you to become even better as a cook." The shameless Guuji slapped her full belly with contentment a few times.
"You just earned yourself a reprieve from receiving any more food from me." The young man couldn't help but chuckle at the audacity.
"Eh? No! It was just a silly comment, silly me!" Thud "Don't take away my precious food!" Saiguu hit her head against the table, palms together in a pleading gesture above it.
At the same time, Xianyun couldn't help but feel secondhand embarrassment at the old youkai's conduct, silently wishing to remind Alexander that this white-haired fool was an isolated case.
Yae sat leisurely, enjoying her food slowly while watching the spectacle unfold with an entertained expression and a sly grin.
Tsink
Alex himself chuckled at Saiguu's actions, for he knew she was just making light of the situation as she always did, while lighting himself a pipe with rare herbs. All a gift from his Teacher.
"Alright, alright, you old hag." He shooed away the embarrassing scene. "But you're right. I guess I've just been so busy with other things that I haven't taken the time to polish the skills that have gotten me this far."
"Pfffff, what's up with these suffocating old man-like words? You are still a little one, act like the brat you are."
Kitsune Saiguu had recovered from the display and was now speaking in a sage-like manner, but failing miserably for she had long lost all sense of decorum.
"Teacher should follow her own advice." Yae couldn't help but quip, earning herself a smack in the forehead from Saiguu's unbreakable smoking pipe sent her way.
As the kitsune duo got into a verbal battle, Alexander sprawled out on his side, supporting his head with one hand and smoking with the other. He closed his eyes and felt the comfort of the days that passed in the same room just a few years ago.
It hadn't been long, truly. But he felt like a completely different person nonetheless. He opened his eyes again and looked at Guuji and her protege who were tumbling on the floor in a scuffle.
Unlike him, these ageless beings didn't seem to change at all.
He took a glance at his own Teacher, seated beside him. She was glancing at the scuffle in a reproachful way, but kept silent, sipping her favourite tea that he had brewed just for her.
Alex couldn't help but try to imagine Xianyun in a similar scuffle with Ganyu, which would never happen, but looked too amusing in his mind so he chuckled, inadvertently drawing her attention.
Xianyun had felt his eyes settle on her visage some time ago, but she attempted to ignore his gaze which radiated the same warmth as the cup of tea she held in her slender fingers.
"This One cannot help but inquire if you find the situation funny." She tried to make conversation to hide away her thoughts.
"Those two?" He pointed his thumbs at Saiguu who was holding Yae in a choke hold, grinding her knuckles against her head and thoroughly messing up her hair. "Just an everyday occurrence."
Puff
He blew out a ring of smoke, "I just pictured Teacher in the same kind of scuffle with Ganyu." He once again chuckled as he imagined Ganyu biting Xianyun's hand in an attempt to escape a choke hold.
"Preposterous. This One would never conduct herself in such a shameless manner," she replied, fixing her glasses as she met Saiguu's feral expression.
Feral?
Unfortunately for Xianyun, Saiguu was feeling a bit mischievous this evening and her second demon child had just gifted her an otherworldly idea.
"Kyaaa" Xianyun let out a startled noise as Saiguu abandoned Yae to recover and pounced on Cloud Retainer, the wisest and most indignant of Liyue's Adepti.
Alexander caught the cup that flew from her hands, settling it gently on the table. His eyes never left the commotion, a scene he could have never imagined witnessing.
"Muhahahaha"
With the deranged laughter of the Guuji, one of the most important and vital individuals to Inazuma, Xianyun was being tickled into uncontrollable laughter that accompanied the maniacal symphony.
The Adeptus repeatedly tried to gather Anemo energy to blow the fox away, but Saiguu lightly shocked her with Electro, dissipating her efforts into meaningless desperation.
However, as amusing as it was to see this side of his dear teacher, Alexander's resolve melted at her pleading expression.
"To the rescue!" Alexander declared, launching himself forward to tackle Saiguu.
"Traitor!" The kitsune exclaimed.
Xianyun was sprawled out on the floor, tired and out of breath.
"Oh no you don't!" The other kitsune joined back the fray.
Although brave at first, Alexander quickly saw the hopelessness of the situation. Seeing the glint in the foxes' eyes, he shuddered at the thought of being tickled to death.
Skeddadle
He attempted to jump through the closest window.
Thud
Yae grabbed his ankles and slammed his body into the floor.
'Noooooooooooooooo' The premonition had come true!
"Hold him down my disciple!" Saiguu commanded, as she dashed to secure the win.
"Teacher, help!" Alexander struggled out of their grips and sprinted back toward Xianyun.
But the Lady of Mt. Aocang was in no mood and had no strength left to play. The shame. The humiliation of what had just transpired ensured she simply remained sprawled on the floor, staring at the ceiling with dead eyes.
Muffled screams
The shrine priestesses that would go by the building would helplessly shake their heads. But they couldn't help but think back on the past, when such events occurred on a daily basis.
.
.
.
"You have never been to Baal's court, yes?" Yae, in all her refined priestess glory, made her way through the intricate Shogunate estates.
Alexander, dressed in ornate, light clothes, followed closely behind, with Xianyun walking beside him in her usual grace.
"I have not, I only used to see the Shogun and her bodyguard on the days they made the pilgrimage to the Shrine." He answered while tousling back his hair in an attempt to appear more dignified.
Slap
"Stop touching, you are ruining it." Yae lightly swatted away his hand and fixed everything back.
"Bleh." Alex stuck out his tongue in retaliation, to which the kitsune just rolled her eyes.
"Don't be nervous, I am taking you to see her bodyguard, not the Raiden Shogun herself." She commented.
"That mysterious guy?" Alexander had guessed many years ago it was Ei, but he had maintained formality.
"It's a woman, but yes." Yae knew he would learn of her best friend's gender either way, so why not tell him now.
"Why did you dress me up then?"
"Why? For fun of course, little one."
Alexander deadpanned. Xianyun, however, quietly noted the change. It was the first time she'd seen him look so deliberately refined.
"Stop calling me 'little one'" He mocked, pitching his voice to match hers.
"But I am just stating a fact." She teased back.
"Okay. Whatever you say, grandma."
Yae looked back, her eyes narrowed. But then she glanced at Xianyun and she had an epiphany.
"Would that make your teacher a fossil then?"
"Ye- No!"
Alexander was sweating bullets at the slip of the tongue, 'God dammnit, Yae!' He cursed and swore he would get back at her.
"Don't listen to her nonsense Teacher, she just can't accept the fact that unlike most immortals, she looks her age."
Xianyun raised an eyebrow, secretly impressed by his suave retort.
"HUH?!" Yae, on the contrary, would say the exact opposite as she bit her nails and glanced at the crowds of officials going about their businesses around them.
'A pity there are too many witnesses.' She thought, as a tombstone design for Alexander was already forming in her head. 'No worries, I'll first dig a hole then kill him in there to save the effort.'
The young man was unaware of her dark fantasies while feeling triumph of getting her good, 'Hehehe'.
For the next couple of minutes Alexander talked with Xianyun, while Yae was secretly seething with her face betraying none of the thoughts of friendly revenge.
Finally they had reached a desolated part with nobody around. A huge training ground took up most of the free space here.
"Yae?" A figure stepped from the shade, clad in layered samurai armor. A half-mask depicting an oni obscured her face.
At the sound of her voice, Yae shifted into a small pink fox and leapt into the outstretched arms.
"This is Alexander if you might remember, this is his companion, an Adeptus of Liyue." she motioned her small paw towards the entourage.
"This One greets… the esteemed warrior. You can refer to me as Xianyun." She had felt the energy within the 'bodyguard', it was unmistakably a local deity equal to Baal.
"I greet the esteemed warrior. My name is Alexander." The young man decided to follow in his Teacher's steps during introduction.
"Greetings, Xianyun. I remember you, Alexander. You may call me Ei." The woman spoke, her voice measured.
"…"
Silence settled over them. Yae yawned, nestling deeper into Ei's arms. Alexander had no idea why he'd been summoned. Xianyun observed the courtyard with quiet detachment. Ei simply stood there, her eyes steady as she scratched behind Yae's ears.
"..."
It seemed that the young man was the only one feeling uncomfortable in the silence, so he decided to get to the point of the get-together.
"May I ask the wise, beautiful, and majestic Lady Yae why she brought us here?" His tone was laced with dry sarcasm, aimed squarely at her.
"This wise, beautiful, and majestic Lady knows a thick head such as yours would never deduce it alone, so she shall grace you with today's objective…" Yae yawned again, clearly savoring his impatience. "My friend requires sustenance. In return, she has agreed to offer training pointers."
The little fox spread its paws outward, as if projecting divine favour upon a helpless mortal.
Alex scratched his chin in thought. He had already accepted the proposition in his mind, even knowing that he would have to make some dango, he just wondered what kind of pointers he should request from Ei.
'Maybe a spar? No. A non-lethal duel?' He had sparred many times with Xianyun. The Adeptus would always come out on top, but he had never truly felt the gap between their existences. Having one of the most powerful beings to measure that top would prove extremely useful.
"I would need certain ingredients to make good dango." He finally said, earning a naively shocked expression from Ei.
"You know?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"I remember from before, Lady Shogun would always order them, but it was you who ate the dish." The young man nodded with a warm smile.
'Good mortal.' Ei was already writing his name into her good book.
"I already made sure that the ingredients are ready." Yae spoke up with confidence, happy with herself, after all she had made sure to buy plenty to get a full stomach as well.
The process did not take as long as the women thought it would. This was mostly due to the fact that even without the Adept and Expert perks, his Cooking Skill was a level 82, which dwarfed even the most talented Chefs of Inazuma, maybe even the whole of Teyvat.
Feeling that dango alone was not enough, Alex had also made some tea to compliment the sweets, knowing that both Yae and Xianyun enjoyed his brews.
'I wonder if I could make mead? Would the alcohol process fermentation inside my inventory?' As they were enjoying the desserts, his mind wandered while his companions discussed topics he had no idea about.
The sun warmed his face, as he lay in a comfortable posture, smoking his pipe with no hurry or sense of urgency. However, he was surprised to hear the ancient women display the mortal tendency to gossip.
Except Ei.
She was just in her own little head, eating yet another dango skewer. A small hill of bamboo sticks empty of their contents all around her.
"Can you make more?" At least she was straightforward, unlike Yae who would tease or beat around the bush or Xianyun who would avoid the topic unless pressed.
"Of course. But I'm out of ingredients." Alexander set his pipe aside and stood, stretching his shoulders. "How about we pass the time with a friendly duel while your attendants fetch the rest?"
"A duel." Ei rolled the word over her tongue.
Alexander could swear he saw a flicker of flames burn in her eyes at the mention of the word, "Yes. I've considered what kind of guidance a warrior like you could offer. I think the most useful lesson would be to feel the difference in combat firsthand."
"You will be hurt." Her tone was even, but carried a quiet warning, understanding the fickle mortal nature akin to flame that could be snuffed out by accident.
"As long as I don't die, then that's okay." Alex felt he needed to set some boundaries lest this airhead misunderstood the intentions to battle. He put away his pipe and stood up to stretch.
Shuffle
Ei got up with practiced ease, a gorgeous tachi appearing in her right hand in a flash of purple lightning.
'She isn't going to use her Naginata?' Alexander was interested to see the change, in the game Raiden Ei had a scripted set of moves and an assigned weapon, but here she would be a fluid veteran of combat. A true Warrior-God.
Yae and Xianyun also raised themselves and the group began moving further inside the training grounds.
Stomp, stomp
Unlike Alexander's anomalous silent steps, the others made noise as they positioned themselves in the middle. Yae and Xianyun a bit further away as spectators.
"Why do you wish to duel?" Ei asked as she raised the tachi's end towards Alexander.
"I want to see the true gap between a mortal and an immortal." He answered.
He was not arrogant, or expectant. He didn't carry any delusions about winning against this Shadow-Shogun.
Alex truly wanted to see the apex of this world, how big is the chasm between his place and his expectations? How long would it take to reach her level?
"Then witness the power of Thunder."
Alexander nodded as his figure changed into the semblance of a heavily-armoured knight wielding his shield and the trusty lucerne hammer.
Cackle
Although the armour made it hard for him to see and track fast movements, he believed that against such a heavy hitting opponent it would be best to wear additional protection lest he becomes disabled. And to shield against her Electro, he added the Lightning element as well.
All this time, Ei simply stood there, her tachi raised but never moving.
Alexander pushed off the earth beneath his cladded feet as he closed the distance in three strides, the hammer angling for an overhead diagonal bash. His shield tucked close on the left side, protecting from early retaliation or parry.
A telegraphed move that his opponent didn't shy away from evading. Ei danced through the flurry of strikes that erupted from his opening attack. None connected.
Sizzle
Swoosh
Thud
The young man retreated a few steps back, his breathing was still even. However in his left hand, the shield he had so painstakingly crafted was ruined by a clean cut.
'Huh.'
That was a bit unexpected, he had thought the alloy would allow for a few strikes before being ruined. He looked at her tachi.
His enhanced, by witcher sense, eyes caught the thin layer of lightning that coated the weapon, it reminded him of the way Asuma from Naruto used his hand-daggers and the wind nature.
He unequipped both of the items in his hands, in their turn, a large and intricately crafted long sword the same length as his height, appeared.
Fwoosh
Taking a lesson from the opponent, he attempted to coat the weapon with a sharp wind, alas he couldn't get the thickness right. So instead he made the wind go free and expand the weapon's reach even further.
Once again he attempted to close the distance. He lunged, feinting high, driving low. Witcher sense tracked the shifts in her shoulders, the subtle tension in her forearms as she changed posture to parry his strikes.
Tink
She parried the high feint with a flick of her wrist, then stepped inside his low strike. He attempted to evade, but her speed was monstrous.
Crush
Her elbow caught the chest plate. Not hard. Just precise. But even with so little effort it completely caved in, making the breath leave him.
Before he could recover or think of something else, her free hand caught his leading wrist, twisted, and crashed him into the ground, in a swiping move over her head.
Cough, cough
'Holy fuck' He thought as the restoration magecraft worked overtime.
He rolled away as quickly as he could after the impact, trying to use the momentum to get back on his feet. But her speed made it unreal to even try to relent.
Thud
He was sent flying once again. While in the air, he changed his armour into light and comfortable clothes that wouldn't limit his movement and vision. Since he couldn't protect himself properly from her strikes, then there was no need for armour at all.
String strain
In his hands, a beautiful bow of Inazuman craftsmanship was strained to the limit.
Skiiid
He landed on his feet in a lowered stance, transitioning onto one knee as he came into a complete stop.
Swoosh
An arrow was released from between his fingers. Its tip raging with an inferno of blaze supported by wind.
However, even catching Ei in an exposed position, as she chased him, it made no difference.
Tink
She simply knocked the arrow aside at staggering speeds.
Swoosh
The tip of her tachi cut off some strands of his hair, as he pulled his head back.
THUD
He cast a basic earth spell, making several dirt pillars shoot from right under her, seeking to destabilise and, if lucky, knock her back.
Seeing that she was forced to push off one of them into the air, Alexander once again knocked back another arrow, this time imbued with lightning and wind.
Swoosh
Sizzle
Ei's tachi carved a horizontal arc. A crescent of electro energy detached from the blade, racing toward him. Xianyun's hands tensed, Anemo gathering at her fingertips, but Alexander threw himself backward, clearing the slash by inches.
Swoosh
A spear, but instead of a tip it had a short-sword blade with a guard. It was long enough to be in striking distance.
Tink
But once again, she parried it effortlessly.
With a grit of his teeth, he committed to a full combination: overhead chop, lateral sweep, thrust, kick to disengage, reposition.
Ei met each movement with less than a foot of displacement. She parried the chop, sidestepped the sweep, caught the thrust on the crossguard of her tachi, and let his kick pass through empty air. On his retreat, she flicked her blade. The tip cut through the cloth and bit into his flesh.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each tap carried enough force to dent even steel, yet Alexander continued his defence and attempts at offense. But he was too inexperienced and busy to notice how she was controlling the distance, rhythm, and breath.
He was breathing harder now. Using [Restoration] was burning mana to keep pace and he was feeling the strain on his body and stamina. Nonetheless he bit back even more.
Crack
Ei's kick connected with his face, dislocating his jaw but he ignored the pain, his eyes attempting to follow her blitz of strikes but failing miserably.
Thud
Crack
He would be quick enough to block a powerful hook, but the force would break his hands.
Thud
Crack
The beating he was receiving was more like a dance from Ei, whose rhythm could not be broken and the symphony climaxed when she grabbed his hair and slammed her knee into his face, breaking his nose.
At the same time Alexander, through the pain and the bloody haze, saw an opportunity in her broken form, as his left hand reached for her neck a dagger appeared inside it in a cutting motion.
CRACKLE
BOOM
He heard a thunder clap and the next thing he knew, he had his body imprinted upon the courtyard walls.
Thud
He dropped to his knees, heaving. His priority was to heal his arms so that he could wield the bow again.
Ei acknowledged his resolve, feeling him worthy enough to see at least the slightest semblance of her true power, not simple weapon mastery.
Bow string tension
The adrenaline in his body and the clear focus of his goal rushed to his head, as his heart beat so loudly it was ringing in his ears.
But just as he was about to release the arrow–
One step.
The tachi became a blur of violet. A thrust. It stopped a hair's breadth from his throat, but aiming off centre. He hadn't seen the draw. He hadn't felt the wind. He hadn't seen her coming.
It was just there. Just as she was, towering over his kneeling position with a judgemental gaze.
Fwooooooooosh
The force behind the strike arrived after the blade had stopped. His hair fluttered and he felt the urgent need to turn around. Behind him, the walls had been split clean open, as well as the ground on the other side.
He then looked towards the sky. It was clear. No rain. No thunder. No lightning.
'Damn. That probably wasn't even 10 percent of her power…' He felt sour at the realisation. He had thought he was much stronger than that.
"Not bad for a mortal. You are unconventional." Ei stated as she sheathed her tachi.
"This One believes you should retire for the day."
Alexander glanced at the duo that had arrived closer. Xianyun looked to be feeling both pride and worry, while Yae seemed calm, but her heart betrayed the shock she had experienced.
"You are right, Teacher…" Alexander saw none of it, as he got up, his head hung low in disappointment and he began walking off. Even forgetting about making the dango as per his promise.
Ei had wanted to remind him of that, but Yae stopped her just in time and whispered 'Another time.' and proceeded to study the damage caused to the courtyard.
Xianyun stood beside them in contemplation when she felt a pair of violet eyes settle on the group. She flicked her head towards the direction and saw the familiar figure of Baal motioning for her to come over.
Saiguu was standing there too, smoking her pipe with a serious and troubled expression.