4 Days Later
Rick placed a giant crate on the ground. "Okay people... today's the day. First off." he turned around. "I'm glad you took my advice and wore normal clothing."
His student's looked at each other for a moment, but nodded regardless. Rick was glad either way. He told them that wearing a regular shirt and pants were probably the best thing to put armor over.
He turned back around and opened the crate, revealing the tactical gear needed. "I have armored vests, gauntlets, leggings, all you'd need for clothing."
He shrugged his duffle bag onto the ground, crouching to the ground and unzipping it. "And in here, I have ammo belts, holsters... extra rounds." He turned around, putting on a confused face. "Uh... what's wrong?"
"Where... where did you get all this stuff?" Master Jean asked.
"I... had to travel back to my village."
A few of their eyes widened. "In Fontaine? That would be a week's trip!" Amber cried out. "Just... How? And carrying all of this?"
Rick sighed and gave the signal to Eliana. He pulled the ghost shell out of his satchel. "Portable storage device. Don't ask me how it works, It was given to me by... you know what that doesn't matter. I technically am breaking my town's laws by giving this stuff to you guys, so I'd appreciate it if we just move on from this."
Everyone stayed quiet after that. Rick sighed. "Alright, you don't have to worry about sizes or what not. One size fits all. Makes it easier to work on the battlefield. And it's all the same, so don't complain about fashion." Rick put on an awkward face as his 'students' looked at him weirdly. "Look, good looking armor fashion is a big thing where I come from. I get that they're weird customs... It's just a force of habit."
He waited for them to put on the armor, and assisted some of them when needed. When they were done, he smiled, giving them a thumbs up . "Welp, now you have your very own armor sets!"
"It feels a little... tight." Rosaria complained in annoyance.
"Don't worry, it'll adjust to you in no time." Rick said, shrugging the concern off. "Trust me, I've worn that type of armor before. It loosens up to allow for easier movement. So if that's what you were worried about, don't." He gave a smile. "You'll still be able to jump wall to wall if needed."
He picked up the duffel back and put it on the table. As he laid out each type of ammo cartridge, he called over the person who needed the specific ammo type. As soon as they were done inserting cartridges into ammo belts and bags, Rick turned around and faced them.
"Okay, so this is how it's gonna work. From this moment forward, I am your Fireteam leader. That means that any issues you have, you come right to me. Combat reports, scouting reports, those come to me. Especially if they concern anything involving the Taken." He looked over to Master Jean. "This is only temporary. I have nothing against your leadership, Master Jean."
"Don't worry, I understand." She replied with a smile. Rick returned one.
"In that case, to keep things simple, Master Jean... Can I just call you Jean?" Rick asked. Jean nodded. "Jean will be my second in command. Other than that... I don't really have any positions for anyone else at the moment. I suggest you keep doing what you're doing until further notice-"
"Heads up. There's someone approaching."
Rick whirled around and saw someone walking over the hill. They suddenly started running down at abnormal speeds "Who in the hell?" Rick held out his hand. "Don't draw your weapons..." His eyes widened as he saw who it was.
"Is that...?" Eula started. She didn't finish as the man who was running down the hill stopped right in front of Rick.
"It's... It's you. You are really here!"
Rick had a confused look on his face. "Do I... Do I know you?"
"You're the one who will save us from the darkness! I know you are! You have to be!"
"Huh?"
"I saw you... A vision... you were fighting against a pyramid. A vessel of darkness..."
Rick's eyes widened. "What? YOU SAW A PYRAMID!?"
"Yes..." The man answered.
Rick began freaking out. "No... no no no no..." He felt like he was going to fall over. A Pyramid? Here? "No no that's impossible."
How could they have come into this world? Did they follow him though the wormhole? Did they just travel through without a hitch?
"Rick, what's going on? What's so significant about this pyramid?" Eula asked, she was suddenly right next to Rick, keeping him steady.
To make things worse, Rick now had to come up with yet another lie. "The... The pyramids are supposed to be destroyed. They were all destroyed by Rezyl Azzir long ago. How..." He looked at the man, moved towards him and gripped the man's arms in anger "How did you see one... HOW?!"
"A v-vision. From a crystal of pure darkness." he responded. Rick saw the man's determined, pleading eyes. "Teach me... teach me how to fight against this darkness."
Rick didn't know what to think. He was both stunned, confused, and lightheaded. He stumbled back. "Who... who even are you?"
The man took a deep breath. "I am Zhongli, but considering the situation, I am willing to reveal..." The man known as Zhongli looked behind Rick. "I'll talk with you later."
/ = /
Rick took a glance out into the hallway before closing the doors to the meeting room. "Alright... What did you want to talk about, Stranger?"
"I will cut right to the chase." Zhongli said. "I am not... a normal human being."
"So you're a god."
Silence filled the room for a moment. "Yes..." Zhongli confirmed. "How..."
"I was there when you first touched the crystal. Barbatos had the same reactions."
Zhongli's eyes widened. "You... met Barbatos?"
"Met... yeah... let's go with that. Anyway, So... you look like the personified version of a rock. I'll assume you're Rex Lapis?"
"Well... I was. I'm just Zhongli, but I still have most of my godly abilities."
Rick raised an eyebrow, just shrugged. "Good enough for me." He paused. "What happens next, does not leave this room."
"What do you-"
In a quick movement, Rick threw a small Stasis grenade onto the table. The Stasis wall appeared, glistening in the sunlight. Zhongli's eyes widened. "You-"
"Listen before you make any assumptions." Rick said. His tone was emotionless. "There are some things that cannot be solved with visions alone." He looked at the Stasis wall. "Sometimes... Darkness needs to be fought with Darkness."
The god was stunned, but laughed a mirthless laugh. "I guess you're right about that. I can't say I disagree..."
Rick nodded. "Glad we're on the same page. Now... I need you to touch the Stasis crystals."
"Stasis... fitting."
"Heh... you wouldn't be the first to say this. Now, are you going to envelop yourself in darkness for the greater good?"
Zhongli stared into the crystals, but nodded nonetheless. He approached the crystals, and placed a hand on them.
His eyes began glowing as he started shaking. A moment later, Zhongli removed his hand, his breathing heavy and rapid.
"Well... what did you see?" Rick asked.
"The same thing I saw last time... the impending arrival of the pyramid."
Rick hummed. "That's unfortunate. I was hoping we could get some more info." He let the Stasis crystal dissipate. "I get this is hard to understand. I get that this is a scary situation. But I swear, I am here to protect humanity, and nothing else."
"Don't worry, I do understand. I... I don't doubt these visions... and that's the scary part."
Rick laughed "Yeah... I get it. This... this is scary for me as well. Anyone would be a fool to not be scared." He looked at Zhongli. "We gotta do our best though. Try to push forward.
"You're awfully trusting of someone you just met." Zhongli pointed out.
"In a situation like this... I need all the allies I can get. And besides..." Rick walked over to the door, opening it. "You're one of this world's gods." Rick walked out of the room, Zhongli following him. "I'll have Jean fill you in on the details. There will be a lot to go over... but I think you'll manage."
"Some could say I've managed for a long time."
Rick laughed. "You and me both. Truth be told... sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing. I just... do what I do."
"Sometimes, that's all you can really do."
"And you?" Rick questioned. "Why are you so trusting?"
Zhongli stopped walking. He looked out a window. Rick would've snorted at how cliché this looked if it wasn't a serious situation.
"In all of my life... I have never been so frightened of anything... There were some things, but none of them... none of them compare to this." He looked back at Rick. "I normally don't trust things like this. But that vision felt so real... I didn't know what to think. So... I guess I'm doing what mortals would call 'going with their gut'."
Rick laughed. "Yeah, that makes sense."
Rick sent Zhongli to Jean as he went to his room. He closed the door behind him, locking it. He took off his cloak, hanging it on the cloak rack. He then fell onto the bed with a sigh.
"What do I do, Cayde?"
Not even 10 minutes later, Rick's sensors started going off.
"Shit. Eliana, what's going on?"
"Brace yourself. We have a taken incursion."
Rick kicked up from his bed, grabbing his cloak and throwing open the window, jumping out of it. He felt the Ace of Spades appear in his holster as he attached the cloak to his back, pulling up the hood. He ran across the rooftops, suddenly hearing screams coming from nearby the center of the city. He channeled Arc energy into his legs, jumping into the air.
Rick came down on Taken Acolytes with a massive Thunder Crash. He blinked forward, punching the head off a Knight. He tilted his head, dodging a fist from another Knight. Rick elbowed the creature in the gut, turning around and delivering an uppercut, causing the Knight's head to explode. He quickly unholstered Ace, fanning the hammer to fire at rapid speeds. Acolytes and Knights fell to the ground as bullets pierced their skulls, almost immediately dissipating into Taken smoke.
He turned his head around hearing gunfire come from above. While he reloaded Ace, he ran towards the wall, double jumping onto the railing. Rick popped some more heads as he rolled onto the ground. He was delighted to see Jean, along with Rosaria and Amber defending some people as they ran into the knight's headquarters.
"Good to see you're making use of those!" Rick shouted as he roundhouse kicked a Taken thrall into Rosaria's line of fire. "I wish it wasn't like this..." He shoulder charged into a Knight causing a chain reaction, killing other Acolytes and Thrall. "But I guess live experience is good enough."
"Rick! Not the time!"
"Noted." he replied, holstering Ace. He then quickly grabbed the head of an Acolyte, crushing it with both of his hands. "Give me the lie."
Felwinter's Lie appeared on Rick's back. He grabbed it off his back, smacking an Acolyte with it in the process, before pulling the trigger. The impact of the shotgun caused the Acolytes chest to burst open before it turned into smoke. Arc energy channeled through his body, before he started running. He slid on the ground, pulling the trigger of his shotgun. He pulled four shotshells from his belt, quickly reloading the gun before shooting a Knight in the face. He looked back at the three women as they finished up clearing that area. He scowled when he heard more gunfire from another area.
"Come on, ladies. We got more work to do. Double time!" Rick shouted, as he began running towards the gunfire. When he realized the gunfire was coming from the church area, he began running towards a wall. With the momentum and strength from his juggernaut form, he began running up the wall, leaving foot imprints in it. He put Felwinter's Lie on his back as he grappled onto the railing of the statue area. Rick jumped forward, blinking into the middle of the area where the gunfire was coming from. He summoned a Radiant Sword, before plunging it into the ground. Rick heard gasps from his fellow defenders as the Radiant energy began pouring into them.
"Have some extra strength!" Rick shouted, giving Eula a smile before running forward. He punched a Knight in the face with an Arc charged fist, then dropping down and sweeping the legs of an Acolyte that was about to backhand him. He grabbed one of the Acolytes legs as it fell to the ground. Rick channeled more Arc energy as he began spinning in place, before throwing the Acolyte in his grasp at another. He unholstered Ace, fanning the hammer once again, killing more Acolytes with explosive shots.
Rick looked to his right, seeing Zhongli kick the ass of a big taken Knight. Seeing another one rapidly approaching the god from behind, Rick charged forward performing an Arc charged dropkick onto the Knight, killing it on impact. Rick sighed and looked up at the god. "You may not need a gun after all."
"If this is what we're going to be dealing with, maybe I would like one."
Rick laughed, before shooting some more Acolytes in the head. The gunfire slowly stopped as the rest of the Taken enemies died off. As soon as it was over, Rick let out a sigh and smiled.
"Good job, every... one..." Rick stilled as the sensors in his helmet began going crazy. A mass of taken energy began appearing near the Barbatos statue. As everyone looked at what was appearing, Rick felt himself subconsciously creating a Stasis kama in his hand. His eyes widened when he saw one of the biggest taken Hydra's he had ever seen.
"Fucking hell..."
Then, suddenly, a pillar of purple energy appeared right behind the Hydra, before it was suddenly cut right in half. Standing in the middle of all of it was a woman with long, braided, violet hair holding a royal looking katana. She wore something similar to a kimono with an assortment of patterns in different shades of purple and crimson. She wore dark purple thigh-high stockings and high-heeled sandals. Rick noticed her eyes. Her purple eyes cackled with electricity.
"I assume that creature was a friend to no one?" She then said, her Katana fading into nothingness.
Rick let his arms fall to the side, his mouth agape.
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?"
/ = /
Rick had sent his 'students' off while he dealt with whatever was going on. He sat at the end of a table with crossed arms. On one side of the table was Zhongli, the god of Geo. And on the other, was the Raiden Shogun, the goddess of electro.
What made it worse, was the awkwardness that came from both gods. They both looked at each other, but said no words. The silence was killing Rick. He wanted to bang his head on the table. He almost did when the two gods burst out laughing.
"It's been a while, Raiden Ei."
"As to you, Morax."
Zhongli chuckled. "Who would've thought we'd see each other again only when the world was in great peril. How have you been?"
"I've... been better." Raiden Ei responded. "There are many things I need to think about now."
"I assume Aether would have something to do with that?"
"You'd be right." The shogun giggled. Rick blinked at her tone.
At that moment, he groaned, finally banging his head on the table. "The fuck have I gotten myself into?" He asked rhetorically.
He felt the gazes of the two gods fall on him. "I apologize." He heard the shogun begin. "I have not properly introduced myself. I am."
"Shush." Rick held up a finger. "I... I need to think."
Silence filled the room for a moment, before Rick lifted his head up and stood up from his seat. He walked over to the meeting room doors, locking them. He turned around, throwing a stasis wall onto the table. "Touch it." He commanded.
"I'm... sorry?"
"Touch the stasis wall." Rick said once more.
The shogun looked hesitant, before looking at Zhongli. She slowly moved her hand towards the wall, gasping when she did. Rick walked slowly towards her, noticing the distant look in her eyes. They sparkled with electricity, before dying down. She blinked, before quickly retracting her hand from it.
"What did you see?" Rick asked.
"Dark pyramids... The end of all... I heard a voice... it said, 'Drown in the deep'."
Rick let out a heavy sigh, turning to a wall. He wanted to punch it, just to relieve some stress.
"I heard that too, four days ago. It was... I don't know what caused it." He turned around, crossing his arms. "This Witness is taunting us."
"To make things worse." Zhongli began, "There's something approaching us."
Rick blinked. "Huh?"
"He's... he's right. I sense something... Some... thing." The shogun looked visible pale.
"Darkness." Zhongli finished. "Which is why I think she was stunned when you used powers that radiated that same darkness."
Rick hummed. "Yeah... I can see how you'd be stunned." He sighed, letting his helmet dissipate, holding out a hand. The shogun looked stunned. "Sorry about cutting you off earlier. Rick Anderson, resident monster slayer and peace keeper."
The shogun blinked before giving a slight smile and shook his hand. "You already know who I am. But considering the situation, call me Ei."
"Ei it is." He smiled back at her, before recalling something. "By the way, how did you know to come here?"
"I had a vision of you. My friend, who is also a shrine maiden, had that same vision. They both pointed to Mondstadt."
Rick blinked, before sighing. "Yeah... that makes sense. Sorry, I keep forgetting magic exists in this world."
Silence filled the room. It was defining. Rick looked between Ei and Zhongli, who both looked surprised, confused, and... something else. "Uh... what did I say?"
"What... what did you mean by 'In this world'?" Zhongli asked.
Rick's own eyes widened when he processed what he had said. "Oh shit..." He visibly sweat dropped. "I..." He tried thinking of an excuse but couldn't think of anything. He sighed. "Alright... I fucked that up, so I'll tell you the truth. It's not like Barbatos didn't already know..." He grumbled.
Rick opened a hand, and Eliana appeared, shocking the two gods even further. "So..." Rick began. "I know that this is going to sound crazy... but what if I told you there are other universes than this one?"
/ = /
Rick said goodbye to the two gods as they left the meeting room, and towards Jean's office. Sure, they were stunned, disbelieving, and completely untrusting about the whole situation, but with Eliana's help, Rick was able to convince the two.
He sighed. He had fucked up with that one, and there was no real way he could fix that. He was glad that the two of them agreed to keep things quiet about him being someone from another universe.
The only thing he didn't mention was the fact that he was basically a resurrected warrior. That... that was something he couldn't explain no matter what.
Rick rubbed the back of his neck in sheepishness. Today was a long day. With the second invasion of Mondstadt beaten back, then having to explain his own mishap was just...
"Ugh... fucking hell." He began walking to his room. He walked a bit before asking to himself, "How long have I even been here anyway?"
"17 days."
"A little more than half a month... jesus." He sighed, opening the door to his room. He was about to enter when someone called out his name. He turned around to see Eula standing there. "Oh... hey, what's up?"
"Not much... just thinking of getting some R&R after what happened today."
"Yeah, I get that. Speaking of which," Rick closed the door to his room again. "You did great out there. Truly."
Eula smiled at him. "It was... nerve racking. Reminded me of when I first started fighting."
"Wish I had that feeling." Rick crossed his arms. "I was practically thrown into combat. No time to prepare, had to use my surroundings to the best of my ability. I remember using this giant branch to beat a hilichurl to death..." He sighed. "Not my best moment.
Eula let out a small chuckle. "Well, I'd like to hear more of that story. How about over a drink?"
Rick smiled. "You know, why not?"
The two of them ventured to the Cat's Tail. Of course, while entering, Rick gave a side glare to the usual scumbags who sat in the corner. They, of course, visibly paled and left the bar.
They ordered some drinks, told stories of their travels, laughing all the way as they did. They finished their drinks, and ordered some more. They stayed in there for hours. Rick noticed the sun going down as they exchanged stories.
He knew what was going on. He knew what was happening. He was provoking it, but at the same time, he didn't want to stop. Rick smiled as Eula told him of a time where she had pushed a hesitant Amber into the frozen lake. That smile quickly went away when Eula excused herself to get another drink. He saw her stumble a bit, before straightening herself.
She came back with a full glass, plopping into her chair, spilling a little bit of the liquid. "It's... You know... you're..." Rick felt his frown deepen. She was slurring her words. Eula was drunk. "You're... one of the only people who is nice to me..." She lifted her drink to take a sip. "It's... nice..."
Rick gave her a gentle smile. "You don't deserve the hate. You do so much for this city."
"I... wish more people agreed with you on that." She hiccupped. Rick gained a concerned look when he saw tears strolling down her cheek. "I... try so hard to do the best I can... to... make people understand that I'm... I'm not like my family." She went for another sip, but Rick reached out and took it from her hand, despite some protest. "Hey! That's... that'sss mine..."
"You're slurring your words." Rick said. "I think you've had enough."
"Give... give that back!" Eula protested. She stood up from her seat, tripping and falling forward. Rick was up in a second, catching her. He gave her a worried look as she looked up at him. He felt himself buckle over at the color of her eyes. Her sunset coloured eyes. "Ohhh... hey..."
"We should get you back." Rick said, putting her arm over his shoulder and began carrying her out of the bar. "Put everything on my tab." He said as they left the bar.
The walk back to the Knight's headquarters was slow, but necessary. Rick had to make sure Eula wouldn't fall over or trip. It was especially hard carrying her up the stairs. When they got into the Knight's HQ, Rick decided to just bridal carry her up the stairs, much to Eula's protest.
"I'll... get my vengeance..."
Rick sighed, shaking his head. He carried her to her room, but was stumped at how to open the door. He was pretty sure she was too drunk to get her keys, and there was no way he was kicking the door open. He sighed as he began carrying her to his room. When they got there, he set her down on her feet so he could get the keys from his satchel.
Opening the door, Rick helped Eula move towards the bed.
"Oh... taking me to bed? You should've... taken me... to dinner... first."
Rick ignored the flirt and helper her lay down in the bed. He was about to move away when she grabbed at his arm. "Stay with me..."
Rick gently pried her hand off his arm. "I'll be outside." He was about to leave the room when he felt something pull him back. He tripped over his own feet as he spun around. He caught himself on the mattress, but he was hovering right above Eula.
"P-please... Stay with me..."
Rick sighed. "Sorry I have to do this." He said apologetically. He stood up, turning her to the side. He chopped at the back of her neck. She yelped before drifting unconscious. Rick shuddered as he heard her say one last thing before sleeping.
"Please... don't go... I love-"
The door shut before he finished hearing what she had to say. He slumped over, falling to the ground.
"What am I going to do with you?" He mumbled, before heading to sleep himself.
/ = /
Rick woke up when he heard the door to the open up. He blinked, trying to adjust to the light. He stood up and turned around, seeing Eula looking slightly embarrassed.
"I'm... I'm sorry you had to see me like that."
Rick shook his head. "No worries. You were drunk, and I get it. We all say things when we're not of body and sound."
She looked hesitant. "Yes... of course..." He heard her mumble. Rick grit his teeth, looking away with a cough.
"I'll get you some water." He said, quickly wanting to leave the area. He quickly walked down the stairs, saying good morning to those he passed by. Heading into the kitchen area, he searched around, quickly finding a water container. He grabbed a glass and poured water into it. He turned around to see Eula there rubbing her forehead. "Hungover?"
"A little bit." She answered.
"Take the day to rest." Rick said, handing her the glass. "You'll need it, and I need to do some debriefing."
"Right... the Raiden Shogun is here now..." She sighed. "Things are more complicated than ever."
Rick laughed. "You don't have to tell me twice. Now get some rest, please."
Eula nodded, walking out of the kitchen area. She looked back at him. "Thanks... for not doing anything rash last night." She turned back around, going back up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Rick internally screamed, which soon turned into him actually screaming once he knew she couldn't hear him.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fucking HELL!" He yelled, banging his head against the wall. "Stop it..." He mumbled. "Stop... making me feel things for you..." He said, gritting his teeth. He stood there for a moment, before a voice snapped him back.
"Having some trouble, Mr. Anderson?"
He looked over to see the Raiden Shogun, a worried look on her face.
"Oh... hey, Ei. What do you need?"
"Debriefing."
"Oh right..." Rick sighed. "Sorry... I'm..."
"Not in the best headspace." Ei walked closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I think I understand. I was... hesitant... about keeping relations with others as well. You'll get out of your flunk. If the god of electro could, I'm sure the traveler from another universe could do so."
Rick hummed. "Alright. Let's give you that debrief. And... you wanna know how to use a gun?"
He saw Ei's eyes sparkle with electricity and excitement. "Absolutely." She said.
Rick laughed. This was gonna be one hell of a day.
____________________________________________________
So here it is! The long awaited chapter 7! Sorry about the wait, I've been VERY busy. SO It's note time!
Tactical makeover - Gotta carry bullets somehow. And what better way than to go fully armored. Well... they're not fully armored. It's light tactical gear. Think of it like tactical vests and stuff. Something like a mix of Titan and Hunter gear.
Gods - First Zhongli, then Ei. Two gods, eventually three, have entered the fray and are going to be actively fighting against the darkness. Ei's entrance was pretty cool, huh? Speaking of which...
Fight for the city... again - This chapter had another big fight in it! Rick once again showing off his amazing powers of light. As I've said before, I'm not the best at writing fight scenes, but I do my best. I tried to get in every small detail I could so that things would make sense for what was going on. I hope things worked out. I think they did, but let me know.
Touch the wall... oh shit I told you I'm from another universe - Rick was being introduced to Ei, got absolutely nothing when he told her to touch the stasis to see the vision. And then, he let something slip. I'll admit, this was a risky move. But so far, it's only the gods who know about Rick's place of origin. Well... Venti doesn't know a lot, just that Rick's from another world.
Stories and beer - Rick and Eula talked for a bit. Drank for a bit. They had a fun time. Some could call it a date. And then, Rick had to carry Eula back, all that cliché stuff. Well, except for them sleeping together. Like I said, Rick is trying to prevent anything from happening. It makes things harder when Eula straight out says "I love you". Hope Rick can get through this.
For people who do want to know, don't worry, he'll make it through this. Maybe he'll find love someplace else.
Thanks for reading. Leave a comment, maybe take a listen to the song up top. I feel like it kinda relates to how Rick feels at the moment. You know... with the whole 'love' thing going on.
See you all in the next one.
-TheKazooBirb
Note for 10/25/2022 - Happy Birthday, Eula. One of the best written characters in Genshin. Let's hope Hoyoverse doesn't waste your character.