Danger

Night rolled around, prompting Ras to go outside. He checked the time, making sure to arrive there a little early, just five minutes before the agreed hour.

He looked around, taking in the same sight he had imprinted in his mind after long nights of strolling through town. Sand fell in the hourglass of time, and he finally saw Eula approach, her claymore on her back, moving as swiftly as Mark did with his.

"I wonder if it's as heavy as his," thought Ras, curiosity stirred as she walked before him.

"Good evening, Ras. I hope you're ready."

Ras nodded, glancing once more at the sword placed at his waist. They walked off, leaving town before Eula began telling him of her plans.

"We'll head to Stormterror's Lair. Adventurers spotted some mysterious figures around; their descriptions matching those of Fatui henchmen. I have a feeling that the situation might spiral out of control unless we intervene and put a stop to their plans."

Ras nodded, recalling the past events that led to him being stuck in a different dimension of sorts, something that he had yet to understand. Thankfully, Mark was able to figure out how to save them both.

"I guess it's inevitable that I'd go there once more. Fine by me, lead the way," said Ras, his emotions mixed, leaving Eula unable to decipher them. He motioned for her to go forward, which she did before slowing down a bit to walk beside him.

"Last time you felt uncomfortable, I'll try to adjust myself to your pacing," said Eula, giving him a comforting look.

They walked together through the dead of night, reaching Stormterror's Lair faster than he had expected. Eula looked around, trying to check for any source of light. Fires that hosted hilichurls crackled around, spread out across the entire area, while a single flame stood alone, hidden deep within the ruins.

"I think they're the ones further away, hidden in the back," whispered Eula, hoping that Ras could see the outline of the finger she pointed. He nodded, somewhat clueless as to where they were located.

"I think I see them. So, do we barge in and take care of them or?" asked Ras, feeling a slight thrill jolt through his blood.

"We need to get close, and hopefully the element of surprise will allow us to get rid of them swiftly."

Ras nodded, walking as silently as he could, tip-toeing his way around. Eula followed, stepping with as much grace as she was silent. The two made their way across the open place, evading the bulk of hilichurls who were making noise while performing a weird sort of dance.

Ras shot a glance at the large building, but he couldn't see anything without a good source of light. They were able to see only as far as their eyes allowed them to after getting accustomed to the lack of light.

Eula grabbed Ras by the collar, holding him.

"We're here. Try to be as silent as you can, and follow me," whispered Eula as she let go.

Ras nearly felt his heart thump out of his chest as she grabbed him, nearly throwing a nice energy-packed punch in her direction. As he tried to calm himself, he followed, crouched, looking around as they began hearing voices.

The two of them had gotten close enough to notice a makeshift camp, a large crate in the middle of the camp. A group of Fatui soldiers stood around the fire, eating and talking among themselves. Eula could make out their weapons at their sides, all of them ready for the worst.

"They have their weapons ready. Ras, do you think you could handle them?"

He looked over at the group, counting a total of ten soldiers, different weapons around. He had no clue what they were, but some looked like guns, while others appeared to be gauntlets and even two large hammers.

"I think I got this. I'll make sure to put them to sleep really quick."

He took a deep breath, stepping away from Eula, getting closer to the fire. He fueled his body with a good dose of energy he had charged before, then leapt out like a cheetah, running around faster than humans should.

He felt his body ache more than it should have, yet he expected that much. Before the soldiers could react properly, he was upon them, throwing punches in all directions. He took a few of the soldiers square in the face, toppling them to the ground, while three soldiers managed to get their weapons. One shot a few bullets in his direction, which he barely avoided by moving as the Fatui soldier fired.

He ran to the gunman, disarming him, bending the gun before throwing it at the soldier, sending him to the ground. From behind, a large sledgehammer slammed against his back, throwing him around like a peeble. He got up, feeling the pain the blow inflicted, which he was barely able to mitigate by throwing himself in the same direction the weapon was moving.

Quick to move, he got up, rebounding in a heartbeat, meeting the sledgehammer with a punch, breaking it with a bolt of energy released upon contact. The soldier could only watch as Ras punched him in the guts, moving on to the last remaining soldier. With a pair of gauntlets on, he formed a shield out of what Ras thought to be Anemo.

"How nice of you; I needed some," chuckled Ras as he placed his arm on the shield, draining it of energy. The soldier looked confused, but Ras was nice enough to put him to sleep before he would spend too much time trying to comprehend what had happened.

Only then had he heard the commotion going on around him. Eula stood there, claymore held firmly, as she took down one last Fatui member. She wiped her brow, looking over at Ras.

"Good job, Ras. I was right to choose you for the job."

He smiled, then looked over at the giant crate. The box was twice his size, nearly as wide as it was tall.

"Should we open this?" asked Ras, touching the box with a hesitant arm. He tapped it, a hollow sound meeting his ears.

"I believe that we should check it. Perhaps it has evidence we could use against them."

Said and done, Ras took his sword out, cutting the restraints that held it together. All the sides fell around, revealing a sight that sent shivers down their spines. A large machine, as old as a ruin guard, stood in there, yet its aspect was eerie.

Four large limbs, bigger than the main body, stretched out from its back, one of which was shaped like a blade. Both took a step back, watching it with fearful eyes.

"A Ruin Hunter? But how?" asked Eula, her faint voice quivering.

"I should break this bastard as fast as I can," said Ras, filling his punch with energy. He walked close to it, aiming straight for the core. The energy left his punch, but strangely enough, it wasn't enough to destroy it. The ruin guard he had fought went down from that same dose of energy, while this one had barely been scratched.

"This thing is tougher than it looks. Heck, one blow like this one blew off the head of a normal ruin guard. The fuck is wrong with this model?" growled Ras, shaking his fist.

Eula grabbed him by the wrist.

"This could be dangerous. Fighting one of these machines could get very dangerous. We should head back to Mondstadt and request a-" 

Her words were cut off as a creepy, dark orange light began glowing. The Ruin Hunter had awoken. Around them, some of the Fatui soldiers that had awoken ran away, while one of the men separated from the main bulk.

"I'll go turn the others on! The people of Mondstadt shall pay for daring to oppose the Tsarisa!" shouted the man, running into the night. Ras sensed danger as the mechanization transformed all four of its limbs into blades, moving them around with an agility he hadn't expected.

"We're out for now, Eula!"

Ras grabbed her, holding her in his arms as he used what little energy he had to get away.

"Use your vision, Eula," huffed Ras through breaths. "I need some more energy."

Flustered, she did as she was told, emanating some Cryo energy around. Ras was quick to absorb it, the light on his wrist intensifying.

"Good for now."

He ran off, looking over his shoulder as the deadly machine began floating around, ten more lights turning on further away.

"If those things reach any trace of civilization, we're done for. We should warn the Adventurers' Guild to put on hold any requests that have something to do with any place around these ruins until we manage to solve the issue."

Ras nodded, feeling his legs pulse in pain.

"First, let's get there, then we'll take care of this issue."