Every nation has that one person who excels over the others. Whether it be in economics, combat, literature... or archery.
Inazuman Bayler Velice has sailed over the crashing waves to attend Mondstadt's first archery competition to claim a victory...
"I, Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, would like to express my gratitude to my humble onlookers for arriving at my ascension to the finals! It will be an exerting battle, through thick and through thin, between myself and the reddest of Outriders, Amber!"
The opening ramble of Fischl was to be expected by all. Bayler watched with boredom evident on his face. They were at gathered on the sandy shores of Falcon Coast, right under the cliff's edge. Two targets were embedded deep into the settled rock high up on the cliff side.
The hovering Oz fixed his stony expression on the rest of the audience. "What the Prinzessin means is that she welcomes you all to the final round."
Fischl crossed her arms, scratching her nails against the fabrics of her sleeves. "Oz, do not bemuse the crowd with your strange mutterings! They are my most esteemed followers!"
"Ah, my apologies, Mein Fräulein," the raven uttered quietly.
The crazy bitch then proceeded to further entertain the crowd with her nonsense while her arms flowed around her body. Bayler didn't catch a word of it, as he was more focused on Amber standing off to the side.
She was rotating her shoulders, stretching herself out to be better prepared for the match. Her lips were moving in silent callings. Could she have been motivating herself? No matter the case, she didn't appear tuned in to whatever Fischl was saying.
"Alas, my opponent for today's spar, as I exclaimed beforehand, is Amber of the Knights of the Favonius!"
A series of cheers erupted throughout the crowd. Bayler clapped, smiling behind his mask. He hoped that was enough to motivate Amber to do her best. They'd met that morning, just as agreed, and had talked strategy until they reached the coast.
"I, Fischl, have roamed the galaxy and traversed countless worlds. I have learned the fate of ten thousand universes and have had revealed unto me the destiny of every living soul. Today's tournament shall bestow upon me the luck and good graces of the heavens above!"
She waved her hand in Amber's direction, and the Outrider jumped onto the gazebo where Fischl was. The two opponents stood side by side with smiles on their faces. While Fischl was all talk and wore a smug one, Amber appeared genuinely happy to be there.
"As Fischl stated, we're grateful to everybody who came out to support us!" Amber said. "The semi-finals are about to begin. If you'd like to gamble on who the winner is, please visit the Knights' stand within the next five minutes."
Bayler moved away from his spot to head toward the indicated stand. He cut through the crowd quickly as to not miss any more of Amber's speech than he had to. A few times he stepped on shoes or tripped over children, and he had to utter apologies over the echoing sound of Amber's voice.
Finally, he made it to the stand where several hardy men were already casting votes. A female Knight was taking Mora and small slips of paper into hand with a bubbly smile. She made eye contact with Bayler and waved him over.
"Hello there! Ready to cast your vote?" The nice Knight asked. "It's 500 mora for entrance, but you're welcome to include more!"
Bayler reached into his pocket and handed what was left of his spending money. He could go awhile without eating out. There was plenty of junk in his inn anyway.
"One vote for Amber, please," he said.
The Knight wrote down his vote, took the Mora, and added them to other selective piles. "Thank you for participating! The match is about to start now. See you next time!"
She waved him off and Bayler once against had to integrate himself into the crowd. By now, Amber and Fischl were setting up and the rules were being explained. They were relatively the same every time, but in every environment, there were different circumstances the Knights had to account for. Therefore, the rules had to be re-explained every round.
Bayler found a decent spot where he could see Amber's face, but she couldn't see his. The last thing she needed was that type of pressure. She was already nervous enough, especially after their conversation previously.
The Knight who had previously been taking bets walked up in front of the gazebo. Amber and Fischl were waiting in position off to the side.
"May the match between Fischl and Amber... begin!"
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