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...
"The Resistance, as you already know, was where I fought." Bayler's voice was quiet and low. The look in his eyes was yet to fade; he could see it reflected in Amber's. He knew he couldn't keep his story hidden forever, which was why he was telling it now.
"The Shogun had ordered the Vision Hunt Degree to be led underneath the Tengu, Kujou Sara. She is ferocious on the battle field... Grown men would piss themselves at the sight of her. We couldn't remain frightened for long, not under General Gorou."
"General Gorou led many of the forces under Sagonomiya Kokomi, a brilliant strategist. We'd go in with the right amount of men, and come out with just under half. The Vision Hunt Degree was powerful."
"Their goal was essentially to take our Visions for the Shogun's idea of eternity in her nation. I carried a vision while fighting. I earned my own separate garrison with Takeda as my co-leader over time because of my skill. Every day was filled with laughter and unity, then the next day we'd be bathing ourselves in blood. It was a scary time... and the amount of people I brought down is something I'm not proud of."
Bayler shifted uncomfortably where he sat. Amber readjusted herself on his shoulder. "There was this one battle that was different from the others. It was just my squadron fighting to meet up with Gorou's troops when we were cut off by the Tengu herself. I'm sure the General realized what was happening when he met a different leader in his own battle. But Takeda and I were trapped by an immense number of soldiers armed with bows, swords, and polearms."
"I faced Sara herself in the heat of the battle. My men were falling left and right. I'd just managed to slip Takeda away from the battle as a messenger to return with reinforcements. We were about to be crushed. The men in my regiment were friends, more like brothers, and I was failing them. So in my last ditch effort, I offered Sara my Vision."
"She'd stopped to stare at first. I held it out for her to take without a fuss. I told her to take it, but if she did, she had to make her forces retreat. She didn't take it nicely. I had been swatted by the end of her bow and brought to my knees, bleeding from multiple previous wounds, and shamed in front of my allies."
"The Tengu took my Vision, and as promised, she left my forces. Nobody moved until help came led by Her Excellency. I couldn't feel a thing. I was losing blood quickly, but most importantly, I'd lost the one thing that had made me strong. My Vision meant everything to me. I wasn't sure what happened after reinforcements came. I believe Takeda was the one who brought me to my feet, but it was Her Excellency who kept me under her watch until I recovered."
"It'd been many hard battles later, but the Captain of Swordfish II, your Honorary Knight, who ended the war by going against the Raiden Shogun herself. While my Vision was returned to me, the damage has already been done."
He turned his bleary green eyes toward Amber. She was still listening intently, though he was only now realizing that she had been rubbing circles on his back.
"I apologize that it took so long for me to come clean about these things. The war is never something I openly talk about, unlike Takeda. Lives were lost, ours almost included in the numbers. But I hope you can understand why I did that."
Bayler fell silent. He looked up at the night sky, fighting the urge to cry. Amber suddenly threw her arms around him and wept into his clothing. He was shocked by this, even more so by her words.
"You never deserved any of that, Bayler! None of you did! I'm so, so sorry if I forced you to tell me all of that," she sobbed. "I don't think of you any differently after hearing that story either. Please, rest easy knowing that."
Never before had he felt so close to tears. The warm emotions welling up inside of him urged him to hug her so tight that she'd never be able to leave him. She didn't fight against his hold, instead she held onto him harder.
"My story is one among many, Amber," he murmured into her ear. "Everyone has one. Even you."
Amber retracted her arms, much to Bayler's dismay. She rubbed her forearm and looked guiltily at the bricks beneath them. "Mondstadt has always treated me well. I have friends everywhere and my career is the continued legacy of my grandfather. There's nothing sad about it."
"Tell me about him," Bayler suggested.
"My grandfather joined the Knights while on a journey from Liyue. He was known for his strength and wisdom, so he started the Outriders as a branch under the Knights." She smiled softly to herself. "At some point he started to train me, and here I am now!"
Her smile drooped, and her eyes turned sad. "But then something happened to my grandfather while the Outriders were struggling. And then he was just... gone."
Bayler wrapped an arm around her and rubbed small circles around the area. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must've been horrible being alone in that kind of a situation."
Amber looked up at him. "It's okay. As long as I stay true to who I am, I'll never let it get to me! I'm an Outrider, just as he was!"
Bayler leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "That you are, Amber. That you are."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
