Renose

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

Her ropes were finally undone so that she could be walked and lead to wherever it was that the Shaitan wanted to take her.

”Freedom?” The elf could move.

”No…” She was being lead somewhere else now. By both the man who had gotten her tied up and some guard with guns.

He dressed differently than the other guards, but nonetheless he was being lead with her while holding weapons.

That was all the Elf needed to identify Ken as another “guard”.

Which meant to her, Ken was an enemy.

This Shaitan was an enemy as well. He had kept her from taking down the enemies and getting her freedom. He had attacked her. He had tied her up.

But this elf was many things. Small. Silent. Calm. Reserved. She was many things. But there was one thing she was above all else and it certainly wasn’t ferocious or brutal, although those certainly weren’t wrong answers.

No, the answer to that question was but one thing: Patient.

She had time. She’d wait. Wait for the right moment.

It wasn’t now as she was being lead down the street.

It wasn’t even as they arrived at a dilapidated building where they were greeted by children.

Her eyes did quietly scan over the new arrivals. A woman. Along with other children who seemed quite curious about her arms despite the fact that they were stained with blood, just like the rest of her.

The bloodstained elf simply listened as the Shaitan talked to the woman, and that was when particular sounds crossed into her ears from both Ken and the Shaitan.

”I am Doctor Galleus Morgans. The scientist who shall revolutionize the world and you, I am designating you as Subject KA2U3. Work well and…”

She heard that word. Those sounds. Many times. Many, many, many, many, many, many times.

Scientist. Doctor. M.

She now knew where she was.

The arena where people fought while being watched.
The training room where subjects fought while being watched.

The guards who captured her and prevented her from killing her enemies.
The guards who restrained her and prevented her from killing her opponents.

The curious eyes of younger children looking at her.
The curious eyes of younger subjects looking at her.

The scientist.
The scientist.

“Enemy”. Ken’s words reached her ears at this particular point. But only one of them registered. Only one of them mattered.

The enemies.
The enemies.

Guards.Guards.

Arena.Training Room.

Children.Subjects.

Scientist.Prey.

She was simply silent as the three people PREY looked at her, waiting for a reply. They said many words NOISE.

Ken PREY may not have wanted to be rebuked and Ms. Mayleef PREY may have thought that their words and tone were getting through to the Elf HUNT.

But a storm was already starting to brew.

All was calm though. Her expression, her eyes. None of them changed even once. They were soft, still, calm, and quiet.

”Not… right moment…”

Throats and hearts were right within eyes. But she had to wait. To be patient.

So she decided she’d use those things. ”Words… noise…”. She had to find the right ones. She thought back, to when she was in Mabel. The word, the noise, that the people often made to her.

So to these people PREY, she let out a couple of noises. Her voice was quiet, soft, calm. Like a gentle brush of the wind.

“Elf” was all she said in response to Ms. Mayleef’s PREY’s question.

It was what the people in Mabel often said to her. She figured it’d work here.

For PREY though… she wasn’t going to bother with remembering both words.

One would suffice.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

Most would be intimidated by a creature of Garrick’s height and bulk towering over them at this close of a level, but this Elf didn’t even seem phased in the slightest. Not even as he stared back into her calm, quiet, and seemingly reserved eyes, which look him over as he approached her before he crouched down before her.

One might expect a wince, a grunt, a groan from one with the gift of speech when an arrow is pulled out. Even if they refused to make a sound, one would expect some sort of involuntary twitch or other reflex.

Yet when the arrow was pulled from the elf’s flesh there was nothing but calm.

Not a sound.

Not a twitch.

It was as if the arrow and the impact it was having on her body hadn’t even registered to her in the slightest, even as the newly opened wound started to bleed and further stain her with blood.

And neither did Garrick’s words unfortunately. Her lack of command even over the simpler parts of the language meant that his formal, complex speech sailed right over her head.

She just knew that he was speaking to her. For some reason. ”Doctor?” was a word that crossed her mind for a singular moment as she listened to him with no understanding of his words at all.

After all, he said a bunch of complicated words that she didn’t understand while treating a wound. To her, Doctors were somewhat like that.

Of course, given how calm she was, no hint of not understanding Garrick’s words crossed her expression. Not that the cryptid had looked long enough to see if such a hint of non-understanding existed.

Once Garrick had returned to looking at the Sand King, the elf did as well, her emerald eyes on her blood-stained face continuing to ever so calmly and quietly bore a hole into him, one that would probably go unnoticed by most if the elf’s face wasn’t so conspicuous in her current state.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

The downside to a distinct lack of communication skills is that it makes it very easy for even the most astute to misunderstand one’s intentions. Both parties seemed to not understand one another at all and neither party seemed to be aware of it.

The elf seemed to say nothing, not even acknowledging the Sand King’s words with a nod or anything. She just continued to stare forward, a calm expression on her serene, blood covered face.

She did see the man who had pinned her down earlier make a strange gesture with his eye at her. She had no idea what that meant, but she didn’t make that fact known either. She did look at him now.

”Enemy…” was a thought that went through her mind. He had stopped her hunt and put her in these ropes. ”Guard?” Was another word that went through her mind. She was confused though on that front as this man had let her enemies escape, yet seemed to be like a Guard as well who had put her in restraints.

”That’s your enemy Subject KA2U3! Take them down and you’ll get extra bread!”

”Guards, restrain them!”

Two sets of words played in her mind from that ambitious voice from her past. ”Guard… enemy… enemy…guard?” Guards did sometimes prevent her from taking down the enemies. She had killed many guards before.

Her eyes seemed to look away from Rajeev as she returned to staring forward at the Sand King once again, yet her ears were listening. Listening to the Guards all around her.

These Guards that were preventing her from attaining her Freedom by preventing her from taking down the enemies by keeping her in these restraints.

”Right… moment…” Those two words went through her mind once again and so she decided to wait once again.

Wait for the right moment. For in her mind, she wasn’t getting her promised Freedom because she hadn’t completed the job of taking down the enemies as some of them managed to escape. And that was the fault of these Guards.

In her mind, the words “Guard” and “Enemy” were starting to mean the same thing. Which was never a good thing for anyone involved.

But she was no moron. This wasn’t the right moment. So she was going to simply wait. She had waited many years before. This amount of waiting was nothing.

”A good hunter knows the right moment to end the hunt.”

The hunt was currently over and the right moment to start it hadn’t arrived. This meant for now, the elf was going to wait.

—-

So in the end, the blood covered huntress made no objection to going along with whatever was going to happen to her or wherever they planned on taking her. Since she was making no objections, her silence could easily be misconstrued as compliance.

She listened to the rest of the words that the Sand King had to say. For the elf, they were all simply noise in the wind. The man spoke a lot and was reminding the elf of a certain ambitious man who she knew very well. That man also spoke a lot of strange, long, confusing words and in long rambles.

“Hunt”. “Enemy”. “Reward”. These were the only words that the elf understood from what the Sand King had to say.

Yet she didn’t say anything in response to them or ask any questions. In the end she continued to be silent and simply look forward at the Sand King despite her current physical condition.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

As she stared that hole into the Sand King, those three words she heard him say from earlier were playing in her mind again and again.

“Take Down” and “Freedom”.

And as he spoke, both his current words and the words from earlier were making the elf in truth confused. She did as those words said. Back in Mabel whenever she did tasks for others, she was given things. She didn’t always understand the words, but she understood enough to get the task done. Of course, those were always relatively simple tasks that required a pair of hands.

Was it because the enemy got away?

Her completely calm, still eyes seemed to move towards the Shaitan man. The one who suppressed her. The one who let her prey get away. Was he an enemy?

“…freedom?” Was the thought going through her mind as she turned her gaze back to the Sand King.

In truth, the Shaitan man was right. This elf really knew nothing of the world.

But she did learn a few things. When she wanted something, she needed to ask for it. She couldn’t point though. Her metallic arms were restrained behind her back and her bare, bloody feet were restrained in front of her.

So she had to use those things. “Words…” She thought to herself. So she decided to speak. After all…

It was the right moment to do so.

Her words finally came out in a calm, quiet tone. They were almost like a whisper of the wind, impossible to hear unless one was listening. As she said these words her expression was ever unchanging. Ever the same.

They were an insane level of contrast from the howling, vicious laughter of a mad, rampaging beast that the Cryptid had heard earlier or the feral snarling that the Shaitan had been the target of when he pinned the elf to the ground and used his powers to forcibly calm her tempest.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the elf was currently covered in blood and seemingly unaware of the numerous ghastly wounds that she had on her one would assume that said feral, savage sounds of madness had come from something else.

As for what those words said… they only said this:

“Enemy… take douwne… freedom?”

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

The elf… said nothing. Not a single word as she was carried to the Sand King’s throne like a sack of potatoes by the guards. While her metallic arms definitely added some weight, she was still a rather short girl so she was pretty light.

Although no doubt whichever guards were tasked with carrying her would need to wash their clothes and hands afterwards as she was still covered in blood. Some of it her own. Most of it not. Plenty of it was dried, matting her hair and making her a sandy, bloody mess. There was still some though that was wet, but the heat of this desert country would take care of that soon enough.

And more importantly, she still had an arrow sticking out of her side that had yet to be addressed, but to this Elf it was as if such a thing wasn’t even there.

The Elf simply sat there and said nothing as two others of this small group spoke to the Sand King. Naturally after they said their pieces it was now her turn.

But she still said nothing. Her calm, emerald eyes just looked at Axom as she sat there in her bindings, not even struggling in them. She didn’t give her piece on why she was there. She said nothing of her pack which no doubt lay somewhere in the stands still that had her possessions in it.

Such a thing could no doubt tell of her purpose if it were found and brought before Axom, that purpose being that her coming here was just a choice of travel destination.

Unfortunately for both King and Elf, the latter continued to say nothing and just stared. This meant that the King wouldn’t get an answer to his questions and who knows what would happen to the Elf at this rate.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

To the Spines that were able to continue to flee in the face of the tempest of destruction no doubt the elf was a living nightmare. Her rampage no doubt would have continued until they were all smears upon the wall.

A repeat of another massacre that had been hidden from the world.

Fortunately for the retreating ne’er do wells, a Shaitan man chose to brave this storm.

Even if the elf was able to ignore damage, biology was something that not many could ignore and the unfortunate fact was that she was still rather short.

He landed on her back right as her claws slashed out.

“GNAAAGGHHH—!” Snarled the feral beast as it felt the weight suddenly land on her. It wasn’t going to let that stop it though. It’s glowing green claw switched to a downward raking motion.

The fleeing spine was mere inches away having his back be eviscerated by the claws, but unfortunately the reaper’s scythe is oft deceptively longer than it seems.

Razor sharp winds swirled from that single raking strike, as if the very tempest itself turned into a beast. These winds rended the Spine who thought he barely managed to get away as a guttural scream came from his mouth.

This covered the not only the elf in even more blood, but no doubt got some on this storm quelling horned Shaitan.

The elf also attempted to try and turn her shoulder, to use one of those large demonic spikes on her arms to impale this storm chaser, but to no avail. It was too much of a last minute attack, and mostly the predictable actions of a beast at that.

”KGNHGAAHHH!”

She let out a scream of primal fury as the winds surrounding her feet kicked into the highest gear, as if the tornado was exerting all its force to try and kick this man off of her.

Sadly the Shaitan quickly utilized his powers to attempt to drown her ferocity by attacking her mind directly.

Her mind resisted. Her ferocity resisted. It didn’t matter if her brain broke in two. This storm would not be so easily quelled, as it would rather break and die then to be stopped.

The two contradicting forces in her mind brought a different kind of damage, making her nose bleed as it tried to resist a power it couldn’t beat.

Right as her mind was on the verge of destroying itself, a scene was brought up from… somewhere.

. . .

TWANG

A vaguely arrow shaped shadow flew from a bow, impaling into the side of some kind of shadowy, bestial figure.

The no faced figure shook their head as it watched the shadowy prey quickly run away. The no faced figure’s bow vanished in the next moment.

“No… hunt?” Asked that weak voice.

The no faced figure shrouded in green fog shook its head and spoke, their voice muffled. “A good hunter knows the right moment to end the hunt”.

“———-“ the weak voice replied, but no sounds came. They were lost as two storms clashed.

. . .

All of this takes a while to describe, but it happened all in this one instant. The Shaitan’s power of suggestion stormed through the girl’s mind like a hurricane, bringing up some strange words deep from somewhere.

It’s those words, combined with that immense power of suggestion, that ended the beast’s primal fury in a near instant, the winds dissipating almost as quickly as they came.

The elf’s emerald eyes immediately returned to complete stillness with a hint of fog in them as if she wasn’t completely awake in that moment and her ferocious nature seemed to completely disappear, as if the vicious creature from before had been but a mere illusion that people dreamed up.

By the time that fog cleared, she found herself sat against a pillar, metallic arms restrained behind her back and her legs tied to leave her in a sitting position.

Normal people would struggle, ask why they are in binds, but the elf did not. She merely sat there, eyes staring forward at who knows what. The guards? The lizardman? The gunner that approached them?

Her eyes were still and completely calm as she just looked forward, silently observing everything. It was indeed quite a stark contrast to the creature of brute ferocity that was there before, although traces of that could still be seen in other ways.

She was covered in blood!

Some of it definitely her’s, but most of it coming from the strewn remains of Spines that could be seen all throughout the stands wherever the elf’s previous path of carnage had taken her.

It was on her face, her clothes, her metallic arms, her legs. Everything about her was quite bloody.

Her clothes had various gashes and tears in them and the precious pack given to her by the doctors that she had been wearing on her back before had since fallen off somewhere when those two swords had slashed her back, cutting its straps along with her flesh.

She had various visible gashes on her body including quite the nasty one on her cheek and an arrow stuck in her side. Despite all of these wounds that would leave many in great agony she wasn’t letting out a single sound.

She was still.

Not even her hands were materialized, meaning she looked like she had just metallic arms with no hands for some reason.

She was calm, but on the inside she was observing all and waiting.

Waiting…

Her freedom was being stolen by these ropes, the guards… by everything.

So for now she was waiting…

For the right moment.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

(Whoops, Double Post)

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

Unfortunately for Garrick, trying to direct the elf was the same as trying to aim an explosion. Those words seemed to elicit no response from the elf who didn’t even give the battle happening in the arena proper a glance.

No, instead her emerald eyes reflected the figures of the Spines that were escaping. The pain of the wounds they inflicted upon her. The taste of blood in her mouth.

Her prey escaping. Her prey. “Prey…”

Those words of the Sand King from earlier played in her mind, or more specifically three words did.

“Freedom”

“Take Down”

Her freedom was escaping.

“GRAAAH”

A vicious snarl escaped her lips as the wind surrounding her legs exploded in a mighty gale as she pounced forward now like a cannon ball, moving far faster than before.

*BOOM!*

A powerful slam of metal on stone. Screams. The elf rushed right first into a group of Spines that attempted to intercept her to protect their escaping comrades and continue the fight.

A powerful metal fist smashed him down from above, crushing his body into the concrete floor of the stands, creating several large cracks that went out from the fist shaped point of impact.

The moment that fist slammed a destructive gale blasted out, slamming into the other Spines that were unfortunately in the blast zone.

Green claws slashed savagely through the air at the wind blasted Spines like blades of wind, quickly slashing them apart. The small tornado began to pick up the blood and gore that the girl’s claws and fists had created as she pounded and clawed at the at the remainder of the group.

They certainly left their marks on the elf, but rather than letting out sounds of pain she did one thing.

“HAAAHAHA, PREY, FREEDOM! TAK…E DOUWNE!” She screamed out in vicious laughter, not caring about the arrow that was now sticking out from her side or the sword that left a long gash on the side of her face.

Her explosive attacks weren’t just making the Spines scream out. Unfortunately the blasts let out from those huge metallic fists swept away anyone from the audience that hadn’t fled the scene of the elf’s brutal carnage.

After an entire year, the bloody storm had returned to the world.

And it swept by all in its path as she charged at the escaping Spines after her interceptors were swiftly dealt with, screams and cries of terror as more powerful booms and howling gales echoed wherever the elf went as the winds swept up the blood and sand, creating a swirling storm of death with claws that reached out like scythes and huge, metallic fists that crashed down like lightning and resounded like thunder.

This was a storm that spared no one. Meaning there were many smart bystanders who were fleeing this particular part of the arena, multiple of which had been wounded by the errant shockwave given off by one of those powerful punches or the slicing wind given off by those claws.

There were many words said in response to this storm from both Spine and bystander alike.

But the elf couldn’t understand them. They were just noise lost to the wind.

A wind that seemed like it was going to chase down these Spines until none were left, as they were its prey.

And the hunt… was on!

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

The elf’s ears twitched as she heard the movement of the wind. Bullets whistled through the air, multiple, but she didn’t care. She continued charging right at her prey as metallic tings bounded off from the massive metallic fist she held in front of herself to protect herself.

Yet they couldn’t block every shot and these spines were no slouches. A shot got right past the massive fist and hit her in the side, but she still didn’t care even.

Right as she was about to be on top of these spines as the small gales surrounding her legs grew a bit more intense, her prey was dispatched!

Her ears twitched and she immediately turned and saw it. A beast. A beast armed with a blade.

His voice entered her ears but she gave no reply and only stared at him. In those calm emerald tones there seemed to be nothing, not even as blood stained both her arms, metallic fists, and the side where she got shot. It was only a graze, but enough to make her bleed.

Choosing not to continue to stare, she promptly turned her attention to the approaching enemies and blasted forward once again like an arrow towards another group.

Bullets were fired her way, but to the growing fear in the orange garbed mens’ eyes she did not care. They either bounced off the large metallic fists she used as an improvised shield or missed her entirely.

The group she charged at, comprised of a few gunners and close range fighters, were more prepared this time. This elf was a menace. One they needed to put down or else be destroyed.

She reared her fist back as she bounded forward once she got close enough.

BANG

Another shot rang out from one of the spines in this group. The bullet hit true, slamming her right in the stomach. Blood came out of the girl’s mouth but she didn’t care.

Instead she just let the blood flow, still not letting out a sound. She was silent as the grave as she as she completed her charge and slammed her fist right into the man who shot her as she charged into the group like an arrow.

The man was sent flying out in a broken heap.

Swords descended upon her.

She grabbed the one of the blades with her glowing green hand as the giant fists disappeared, pulled forward and like a spear thrust her hand right into the man’s stomach, mimicking the wound she just received.

The other two descending swords had cut down at her at this time, each slicing across her back, but not too deep as she had moved forward just in time and her natural armor from Storm Titan imbedded into her flesh deflected part of the blows.

It was still more than enough to leave two bloody lines across her back. She didn’t flinch and instead used her other claw to pierce the stabbed man’s heart in a brutal, bloody fashion, energy seeming to flow from his body into hers through her claws. This seemed to be the case for any opponent she stabbed with those claws of hers.

Once he was dropped she turned around. She was bit bloodied but she did not care. She didn’t even seem to account for having many others fighting around her or the being that came to her direct aid.

Her eyes were on her prey and her prey alone as she crouched low like a beast, preparing to pounce forth at the enemies once again.

Genshin Impact - Eikons [Current Chapter: Geo]

The bolt of lightning from had been quite loud, yet louder than that was one word. One word shouted that echoed throughout the entire arena.

“Freedom”

All of these sounds entered her pointed ears and made them twitch, yet her eyes still stayed on one thing: the trio of armed individuals in front of her.

She didn’t understand all of those words, yet that was the one she understood the most. She also understood another thing. Weapons extraditing their sheaths right before her eyes.

She understood just enough of the context to know one thing: defeating these enemies would give her her freedom.

These were her enemies.

Wind swirled into existence around her body as two glowing green hands formed. Miniature gales formed around her legs as she suddenly charged forward, attacking first.

The wind around her legs propelled her forward with great as if she was floating along the ground, like an arrow that had been loosened from a bow that had been knocked back for who knows how long.

Rather than use those glowing green claws though, she seemed to punch forward with intense ferocity. Two huge, metal fists several feet tall appeared connected to those odd, mechanical arms.

One fist immediately slammed into the body of one of the orange garbed men, sending him flying backwards into the wall with several sickening cracks and a powerful thud.

The second fist accompanied the first into the body of another man, sending him to accompany his friend. There was no grace of finesse behind these attacks, just cold ferocity as both fists suddenly vanished.

The one two blow was followed up with a powerful, low to the ground pounce right towards the other man as one glowing green claw suddenly slashed at his neck and another ripped at his pelvis. It was like being cut apart by a ferocious beast made of wind as she quickly dispatched the three of them, or so she assumed.

She didn’t bother to check whether this third one was dead as her weapon, Storm Titan, quickly changed modes to allow her to send this bloodied man flying to join his two compatriots.

Despite this bloody spectacle the elf was calm, yet a gale was beginning to form within her eyes as she charged towards the next group of orange clothed men.

If she defeated them, she’d get her freedom!

Her heart was beginning to beat faster as she picked up the pace. She was going to Hunt for her freedom and, unfortunately…

These orange clothed men were her prey!