"Bruhh…"
A few seconds was all it took for the Ruin Guard to regain all its glory.
Sai shuddered, and took a step back. He remembered the Fatui running away from that previous Ruin Guard.
"This rotten luck… Wait, maybe Beidou can beat him. She beat the Agent, who should be an opponent of a similar level or even stronger…"
The guard attacked, Beidou dashed forward, and Sai quickly retreated.
The intense battle didn't last for long, though.
*Rumble*~*Rumble*~*Rumble*
The distinct sound of the awakening of Ruin Guards could be heard throughout the night.
"This…" Sai was flabbergasted.
It was that infamous spot! The 4 Ruin Guards spot that killed countless players before!
The player didn't seem like he had noticed, for Beidou kept hitting the guard with all she had.
"Take… this!!"
Several shooting stars suddenly appeared in the sky.
"Shit! Those are the missiles!!"
*Bo*-*BOO*-*BOOOOOOOM!!!*
A huge explosion sent Sai flying up to the rocky arc that served as the entrance to that place.
"Ayoo! What the f*ck is this!? Wait 'till I fight this one first, you fu*kers!" Richard shouted.
…
Sai slowly opened his eyes, sounds of explosions kept ringing in his ears, but they were far away. No, it was just that the loud noise had damaged his hearing: the fight was happening barely 30 meters from him.
He slowly stood up while grabbing his bleeding head, he had hit it on a rock as he fell. It was unknown for how long he had passed out.
Suddenly, from amidst explosions and robot-like noises, a beautiful dame with dark hair came rushing past him.
"Fuuuu*k! What is wrong with this stoooopid game?!? I'm literally on 10 HP… Huh-?! Is that… Sia? Sia, you were here! Damn, you sure know how to hide your as*!. At least distract them so I can escape!" Fatty yelled without stopping.
"Huh? What is going on? What is he on abou-" He started to recall. "Oh."
"Shiiiiiiiiit!!"
*BOOOOOM!*
Sai sprinted as hard as he could, easily surpassing Beidou who had spent all her stamina on the fight. He didn't even notice the huge Ruin Guard landing on the spot he stood a couple seconds ago.
"That bastard… Sia, you son of a bitc*! Why are you also running away?!"
"Huff! Huff! Huff! *Cough* *Cough*"
Sai finally found a place to rest and hide from enemies, but Beidou was nowhere around him anymore.
"I'm so screwed…"
He decided to rest before going to search for her. He was sitting down on a rock, but before his butt could touch it, everything froze.
'It's Paimon again!!'
But this time, the time-stop didn't last much.
Those three seconds were all it took for Sai to be distracted and forget he was going to sit down on a rock.
*Thud!*
"Oww! My a*s! *Scratch-*"
He decided to just sit on the ground, after all.
After a while, he stood up to look for Beidou.
As he was afraid of meeting any enemies, Sai didn't search far away from the rock he called home: it was the only place where no enemies could be found around, as far as he knew. Due to the moving clouds covering the moon, he also couldn't see very well. Even listening didn't catch a thing, imagine when he tried to use Elemental Sight (not that he could).
In the end, he decided to lay his exhausted body on the sandy ground, and just let sleep take over him.
…
"...ey! Hey!"
"Hmm…" Sai turned around to a more comfortable position. He felt something in front of him so he grabbed it and brought his head closer.
*Snooore!*
"!! What the- HEY! Release my legs and wake up now before I do something crazy!"
"Mm? OH-"
Sai jumped up with a startle, quickly blinking his eyes and putting some distance to the threat in front of him. With his head hurting a bit, he wiped his eyes clean and focused ahead.
He saw a young woman staring at him with a raised eyebrow. She was wearing a hairpin, a red eye-patch on her left eye and some kind of traditional Chinese clothing. Her right eye was an enchanting shade of red, her gaze sharp and determined, holding just a little bit of malice from within.
Compared to the certain Knights of Favonius he had met, she stood on the older side, although probably not by much. Despite being on the rougher side of appearances, she struck as a beautiful and free 'onee-san'. One could liken her to a wild flower or a proud lapis glede (the bird of prey).
"Hm? Beidou?" When he confirmed that it was only her, he relaxed subconsciously.
"Do I know you?"
"Er… *Yawwn*"
Sai was still struggling from last night's terrible sleep, but slowly regained some clarity and answered:
"No, but who doesn't know the great Captain Beidou? It is an honor to meet you here."
"..."
"I'm glad you found me. I'm afraid I would have met my end otherwise. This place is quite dangerous after all. I was actually summoned by the Traveler with you, but at some point in time we naturally separated."
"The Traveler? Wait, so you know why I'm here?!" Beidou asked in surprise.
"You didn't know? You don't know the Traveler?" Sai questioned.
"Who's that? Was he the one who brought me here?"
"Well, I guess we were both brought here by him, since this isn't my first time."
"Ugh, I don't understand any of this, but you aren't at fault, it seems." She caressed her head like she had a headache.
"No, no, captain. I am in the same position as you." Sai vehemently denied.
"Fine. So, what can you-"
*Grumble*
"Sorry…" Sai was a little embarrassed from his loud stomach.
"*Sigh..* Don't fret about it. I happen to have some berries here, would you like to…?"
"YES! Thank you so much!"
Beidou offered some small fruits and Sai voraciously devoured them. After last night's running around, he could eat an entire horse or so without being full.
Beidou, on the other hand, rested on a nearby rock while he ate. She occasionally sipped from a jar of some kind of drink, seemingly pondering about something.
As he enjoyed his small breakfast, Sai noticed that Beidou had been very kind and patient to him, unlike that other witch… And he felt very grateful to her.