Chapter 3: An Early Game Over
The Genshin Impact game occurred in the magical world of Teyvat. Teyvat continent was divided into 7 known regions with each of one being governed or at least heavily influenced by one god of the so-called The Seven Archons. Each Archon was a powerful god representing an element, the elements being Pyro, Cryo, Dendro, Anemo, Geo, Hydro and Electro.
Snezhnaya was the region governed by the Cryo Archon the Tsaritsa whose real name was not even stated in the game.
Following Joseph's knowledge about Genshin Impact, he only had some deep information about the first two regions, the Anemo region Monstadt and the Geo region Liyue, with some insights of the Electro region Inazuma thanks to spoilers and trailers. That left Joseph with close to no knowledge or anything that could be of use here.
The only thing that he knew was that the troops under the Tsaritsa were called the Fatui and were considered one of the principal antagonists of the game, more or less declaring war against the whole world, but at the same time they kept some diplomatic relationships with other regions, becoming people that you should be wary of but not always clearly evil.
"This will be difficult" Joseph whispered as Ellen tiredly closed her eyes, returning to her sleep.
He was now a poor, weak and wounded kid without any background and with a sick sister in his care and without any relevant knowledge.
"This is not a kind place for the weak" Following Allen's memories, he had learnt the minimum about Snezhnaya. This region and especially over the capital and the slums, the most important was the strength, making it a jungle-like law where the strong heavily squeezed the weak, the so-called authority making sure that it was true, avoiding a weak mass to challenge the strong.
For Allen and Ellen it hasn't been so bad. Two years ago they lived inside the walled city in an orphanage that treated them quite fine, having access to good food and a warm bed. However, even the orphanage followed the rules of the strong where only orphans that showed potential could stay in it. Luckily, Allen was quite nimble while Ellen was far stronger for her age, being treated quite well over it.
But all changed when Ellen fell sick. It seemed a light cold at first, but it wouldn't stop making her more feverish and losing her usual strength. After a doctor declared her with an unknown disease and impossible to treat, she was discarded from the orphanage followed by Allen.
Allen was a shy and scared kid who while quite agile, he didn't have any remarkable talent, being always taken care and protected by his twin sister. Once she lost her value, they were thrown away from the orphanage and city to the slums.
There, like rats scavenged their way, taking from the trash of the city and keeping them alive. Finally, joining a gank with other orphaned children, working obtaining information and robbing for others, becoming paws from it.
It was horrible for Allen, but thanks to his sister, he was able to persist. The problem was that due to the pessima condition of their new livelihood, Ellen's disease became worse, evolving from a light cold to a serious one, finally reaching the condition that she was now, even unable to stand from bet, forcing Allen to work alone, halving their earnings and needing to take care of her.
"Cold" Joseph said putting his hand over Ellen's forehead, quickly retreating after touching. It was extremely cold, like touching a piece of ice, it was certainly an impossible temperature, incompatible with life. However, this was a magical and phantasy world so who knew what kind of diseases could exist.
"This is certainly not normal" It was so extreme that even some ice was forming over her extremities.
Joseph walked away from Ellen and turned over a side of the room where a little bag stood. Opening it, golden coins were revealed "200 Mora is everything that I have".
Mora was the currency of this world and 200 of it was in no way a big quantity but it was the most that Allen was able to save, even hiding it from the higher-ups of the gang. All of it, to have enough money for a doctor to treat her sister.
"It's a childish and naive thought," Joseph thought melancholically. It was clear that Ellen had not a normal disease that would easily be treated, with this little money, it didn't matter how much passed it would be impossible to pay a doctor good enough to heal her that always considering that her disease could be treated as it could be chronic.
"What should I do?" The question was clear, Ellen was a lost cause and a heavy burden, but should Joseph respect Allen's wish and take care of her, at least until her end.
"So here was where you were hiding, little rat?"
Joseph's body unconsciously started trembling from fear as he listened a person's voice from the entrance where he had entered previously. Joseph's new memories clearly revealing his identity.
He was called Kirill, some forty years old with a rugged appearance and a brown bear that covered all his face, giving the feeling of a bandit. He was one of the thugs from Allen's previous gang and was the culprit of Allen's death.
Allen was discovered of having kept some of the earnings and was attacked by Kirill who beat him for the money's whereabouts. Even with such a beating, Allen stayed silent, not for the money but for his sister, not wanting to show her whereabouts and their hiding place to them. In the end, Allen was killed by them, finally being thrown over the lake to take care of the body before Joseph took possession of it.
'I need to run!' Joseph clenched the mora bag and turned to the opposite wall of the entrance. This was the hideout that Allen and Ellen had prepared two years ago and they were intelligent enough to even prepare a escape plan, a second exit.
The entrance was narrow, forcing to claw over it, the ceiling was low, forcing adults to lower their body and blocking their movements that gave him 5 seconds to escape to the other entrance over the opposite direction from the persecutors.
Once outside and using his new memories, he would be able to blend over the people, possibly escaping from them. Then, it would be best to use the little money to buy some necessities and try to escape from the capital towards a near village as even if the outside was dangerous, it couldn't be worst than here persecuted by a gang.
'SAVE HER!' Just as Joseph was about to step over, his body froze still, unable to make a move for her escape 'DON'T ABANDON HER!'
Joseph pressed his forehead with his hand as words resounded his mind, immobilizing his body. This was Allen's strong will that trascended even his death. Allen might have surrendered his life, might have always been escared, but he never abandoned his sister who was the only one that was there always there for him, taking care of him even when they were both 8 years old. Allen's body and memories pushing Joseph's control, forcing him to take his last will.
"So this is your hideout? It was difficult to find" Finally Kirill crawled his way to the room, keeping his body lowered due to the low ceiling and leaning on it with his right hand. Moreover, another two thugs were following him, crawling their way inside "Not only the money, even the little mouse is also here" Kirill said with a crooked smile.
"Fuck" Joseph spatted with anger while he caught a near wooden stick with his left hand. Now, he must face the worst situation, a sickly boy against three adults, it was easy to guess the result, being an impossible fight.
That was the result of Joseph's and Allen's actions. Allen preventing to run away and Joseph having let be followed as it most likely that they had seen him entering by the main way and traced him all over until the hideout.
"I don't know how are you still alive after being thrown to the lake, but don't think that it would happen again, rat." Kirill stated.
'This is a game over' Joseph thought. An impossible fight from the start with little to no preparation, reaching a dead end. 'Let's finish with a big final fight' His eyes became fierce as he clenched the bag in his hand throwing it over the left wall.
"Cling!" The bag hit the wall, the mora inside it falling over the floor, trickling each other and causing the Kirill's eyes to be drawn to it. In the end, the sound of money falling would attack humans, especially the greedy type like him.
Of course that was only a distraction, Joseph stepped forward, clenching the wooden stick with both hands and swinging it with all his strength at the back Kirill's right knee.
"Agg!" Kirill growled by the hit, his leg giving up and falling to his knees. Joseph's blow was in no way strong to make an adult man fall, but with Kirill being distracted and his posture being bad due to the height restriction, it made it possible, Joseph being able to comfortably moving.
"Curiosity killed the cat and greed the human!" Joseph swung the wooden stick again this time towards Kirill's unprotected face as his hands were forced over the ground due to the fall, Joseph objective being Kirill's chin.
"Clank!" The wooden stick perfectly hit his objective, Kirill's head rebounding, his eyes turning blank for an instant, his big body falling to the ground.
A blunt hit over the chin would produce a big reaction over the brain, causing it to rumble more as is the farthest part of the head, that rumbling causing strong dizziness and a moment of weakness, making it possible to even fall unconscious. It was a hit that rather than pure strength, it relied more on the angle and the rival's surprise.
Joseph had never learned any martial art or to use any weapon, but he had his own share of brawls at parties. It was mostly when drunk, but experience is experience, learning to always attack first and use the surroundings.
Joseph stepped forward, closing over the next thug that was still crawling over the entrance tunnel, thrusting the wooden stick towards his face.
"Dammit, kid!" The thug was unable to move his body in his position, on being able to move his hand, he crossed them over his face protecting it from Joseph's blow, however, the blow never come.
Seeing the person stopping crawling over and covering himself Joseph stopped the thrust as it would not cause much damage and he could potentially lose his only weapon, forcing him to the impossible close combat. Instead, he swung the stick to the right, easily breaking a little wooden plank at the tunnel entrance.
"BRRRRR" The tunnel trembled and before the two thugs were able to escape from it, it collapsed over them, burying both of them. It was only a meter wide of soil, so they would most likely escape alive, but it would take some time.
Joseph turned towards the little girl "You are quite mischievous" That practical collapse with the second escape route was all prepared by Ellen showing her big wits and how she always thought about their security, closing the entrance and leaving from the other exit.
Joseph approached Ellen, carefully taking her in his arms, resisting the freezing cold from her. "Now, how much I would last."
Joseph had it clear, the game hadn't finished yet. Even if he had somewhat won this seemingly impossible fight, they wouldn't be immobile much time and there might be even others, how could he run away while carrying Ellen that he was barely able to lift. This little victory didn't change anything, needing to protect Ellen and escape, trying to find a safe place for both, so of course, he was decided to continue playing the longest that he could.
Joseph approached the wall, taking out a wooden plank and revealing the second tunnel. He was about to enter it but.
"DAMMITTTT, RATTTTT!" Kirill growled madly, having recovered from the shock and standing, using all his body to push over the ceiling.
"Shit!" Joseph cursed realizing what would happen next, pushing Ellen under his body and covering her.
"BRRRR" Due to Kirill's strength the ceiling broke over, causing a little collapse all over the room with some ruble falling over Joseph.
Once the sound stopped, Joseph found his arm caught with a strong grip, forcing him to release Ellen. Then, he felt his body lift over the air before being through over 3 meters clashing to a wall and falling to the ground.
"Buag!" Joseph vomited blood, an intense pain crossing all over his body. He weakly lifted his gaze, seeing Kirill standing tall, the ceiling much taller without impeding his movements as it was from the shag over their hideout, its floor having collapsed due to Kirill's interference.
"Dirty rat!" Kirill shouted angrily "Did you really think that you could win against me?! Keep of dreaming!"
Kirill turned over Ellen "You were protecting this mouse all this time" He lifted Ellen into the air gripping her hair. "What should I do to her?!"
"Mhh!" Ellen groaned in pain, weakly opening her eyes and looking supplicating at Joseph "A-allen. R-run away"
"HaH!" Kirill laughed "How caring the love between siblings? But you really thought any of you had an opportunity to escape? I would torture this little mouse until I'm bored, forcing you to see it all, rat! Then I will kill her, just before killing you so both of you siblings could go together to the other world!"
'SAVE HER! SAVE HER! SAVE HER!' Allen's will resounded all over Joseph's mind.
"HG!" Joseph clenched his hands. 'Why do I need to pass over all this pain? Why can I not run away alone? Why am I forced to all of this? If I had to die in this way, I would rather die calmly growing over the lake. This shitty world!'
'SAVE HER! SAVE HER! SAVE HER!'
"Let's see your pain" Kirill laughed.
'SAVE HER! SAVE HER! SAVE HER!'
"FUCK!!!!!!" Joseph shouted standing up "FUCK YOU, ALLEN!" He stepped forward "FUCK YOU, ELLEN!" He made another step "FUCK YOU, KIRILL!"
"RAT!" Kirill growled turning towards Joseph while freeing Ellen's hair who fell over the ground, clenching his right hand into a punch and throwing it towards Joseph.
"FUCK YOU, WORLD!!!!!!!" Joseph punched forward, both punches hitting each other.
"Bang!" Like it was expected, Joseph was thrown away due to Kirill's greater strength, clashing again over the ground "Hg!" groaning in pain.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGH!" What he really didn't expect was Kirill shouting in pain. Kirill was clenching his right hand in pain while pressing it with his left hand. Blood surged over his right hand that seemed to have been pierced multiple times, resembling a Gruyere cheese.
Joseph slowly turned over his own right hand with a shocked expression, seeing it covered with a thin layer of ice with some broken little spikes surging from it, resembling a porcupine.
However, his shock didn't stop there, floating in front of him stood a little clear blue gemstone with a snowflake drew over it, surrounded by angled protrusions jutting out the top, bottom, left, and right sides, roughly reminiscent of a military badge.
Both, Joseph and Kirill, looked completely shocked at the badge, clearly knowing what it was.
"A vision."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone