Combat techniques for a Hydro Vision holder?
Gu Sanqiu instinctively began to recall how the two Hydro Vision wielders he knew best fought.
Childe? Battle genius, master of all eighteen weapon styles, and able to sync both his Delusion and Vision in combat. Not exactly comparable to Barbara—if she were a natural-born fighter like him, she'd probably have earned the title of "Tidal Knight" by now.
And Xingqiu? Sure, he had some of the foundational techniques of the Guhua clan, but those arts had evolved over generations, and he couldn't just hand over a clan's hard-earned techniques. So that was a no-go as well.
As for that adeptus he met once—the broke one who could barely afford a meal—he'd never seen her fight, so that wasn't much help either.
Hmph… He thought for a moment. Give Mondstadt's beloved deaconess a combat shotgun, maybe?
Would have to run that one by Zhongli…
"If my request is inconvenient," Barbara stammered, "please, just pretend I didn't say anything. I didn't mean to trouble you…"
"No, I'm just thinking," Gu Sanqiu reassured her. "But, Barbara… can you show me the kind of combat style you're most comfortable with?"
Barbara looked flustered. "My combat style? It's, um… usually just throwing water-element projectiles, or using my catalyst to gather a bunch of water and, uh… hurling it that way."
"In most situations, I focus on healing rather than fighting… I don't really know much about battle techniques."
Gu Sanqiu rubbed his forehead. Yup. Bare-bones approach.
"Alright, let's start with a little test. Just follow my instructions, okay?"
"O-Okay!"
"First, try forming your elemental power into a needle. Can you do that?"
"A needle, right? Let me give it a try!"
Barbara cupped her hands, closing her eyes and biting her lip in concentration. Her cheeks puffed with effort as she struggled to condense water into a single point, aiming for a needle-like shape.
Three minutes passed. Gu Sanqiu calmly took out a packet of candies from Good Hunter and popped one in his mouth, watching as Barbara's face turned increasingly red from exertion.
"Uh, are we there yet?"
"Just… give me a moment! I can do this!"
Barbara peeked at her progress with one eye, then clenched both shut, concentrating even harder.
After five minutes…
"There! I did it!"
Barbara was beaming, wiping the sweat off her brow as she marveled at her creation.
"This wasn't so hard after all—it just takes a little practice!"
Gu Sanqiu bit into his candy with a crunch, swallowing.
"Well, technically, if you call that a needle, then it's a needle made for giants." He tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure you didn't just create… a dagger?"
"W-What?"
Barbara stared at her handiwork, her face slowly turning crimson as she took in the nearly thirty-centimeter-long "needle" she'd formed.
"Ahhh!" She slapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment, and the water construct she'd created fell apart, splashing to the ground in a puddle.
Gu Sanqiu raised a hand, deftly sending a rock element forward to solidify the water into a crystal blue shard. Alright, he thought. Seeing her soaked with her own Hydro abilities might've been interesting… but better to keep my reputation intact.
"Let's just say that for a first attempt, getting this far is… not bad at all."
It was a bit of a half-truth. Combat really wasn't a core skill for a deaconess, so Barbara had done decently, considering. While she wasn't exactly comparable to his Liyue acquaintances, who could overpower her in a fight, her healing skills alone could likely outshine all of them.
Barbara was clearly putting in the effort to address her weak points, and her dedication was commendable.
"I think I've thought of something that might work with your style. Isn't there a training ground nearby? I'll show you there."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Gu!"
On the way over, Gu Sanqiu glanced at her. "Let me guess—this desire to learn fighting techniques… it has something to do with our recent expedition to the Domain, right?"
"To put it simply, you want to be more than just the healer in the back?"
"Yes… that's part of it," Barbara admitted, embarrassed but smiling slightly. "Everyone in Mondstadt has helped me so much over the years—I want to find more ways to give back."
"Then why not just join the Knights of Favonius? You could split your time between them and the church."
"It's a personal reason," Barbara replied, her cheeks pink. "I'm afraid I can't really share why just yet."
"Fair enough, just thought I'd ask."
When they arrived at the training grounds, Gu Sanqiu scanned the area and, seeing that the "training dummy" girl wasn't around, motioned for Barbara to set up some practice equipment. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her—it was just that her father was one of Barbara's devoted fans, and if Barbara were seen training, it'd probably be impossible to keep it a secret.
"Mondstadt has a library, right? There's plenty of books and doctors around to help you with the finer points," he said. Raising his index finger, he condensed his Geo element into a controlled, pulsing form that ebbed with his breathing.
"Do as I'm doing—gather the energy into one spot. It doesn't have to be your finger; it could be your palm, or the back of your hand."
"Got it. I'll give it a try," Barbara said, focusing on her experience from before as she tried to concentrate the Hydro energy into her fingertip.
"Good. Now, try to sync it with your breathing. Pay attention to the size of the elemental energy, and get a feel for expanding and contracting it."
Gu Sanqiu moved closer, extending his arm slightly to let her watch the precise, rhythmic pulsing of his Geo energy. The steady motion seemed to help Barbara regain her composure as she focused on controlling her own Hydro element.
Her energy waves were shaky at first, but gradually stabilized.
I can do this. For my sister… and for everyone in Mondstadt!
You've got this, Barbara!
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