Kapitel 5: All Out Brawl
Cornered, with no escape, Mark glanced quickly left and right. Dan Heng had his spear at the ready, with Stelle giving her bat a twirl as March prepared her bow. The guards rushed them in the blink of an eye, and Mark had no choice but to use logic.
"Screw it. Can't use this long pipe like a spear since I lack knowledge, and it's too tight in here to actually swing it with power. My sword is a no-go since I don't want to kill these guys. That's it; I'm using my brain."
With a loud heave, he threw the pipe straight at Bronya, waiting. One of the guards moved in front of her and took the blunt of the hit. Instantly, Mark began moving, grabbing another guard by the collar, standing extremely close. They used poleaxes, which had similar issues as his own weapon. Blood rushed in his veins, pumping the ones visible on his forearms as he spun in place with his arms holding on to the guard. He threw the man right into his allies, using it as a distraction to step closer. Each step moved him closer, never relenting even as his breath grew labored. The adrenaline kept him going.
Behind him, the others were making quick work of most of the guards, while he stood against those by Bronya's side. Fingers curled around the material of one's uniform, he pulled the soldier up to his feet, only to notice Bronya taking out her own rifle. Instantly, Mark turned around, using the man as a shield, yanking him towards her with a kick to the bottom. Following, he moved close, grabbing on to the weapon, staring down at Bronya as they wrestled for it.
"You better let go of this gun, damn it! It's not a toy, and I know you're aware of it, yet you choose to willingly obey her even after noticing the changes. Are you that blind?"
Mark's words only added fuel to the raging fire that burned within her. Bit by bit, with each breath, her facade was cracking just enough to be noticeable.
"You have no idea about what you're talking about," grumbled Bronya through gritted teeth. Mark was slowly wrestling the gun out of her arms when a guard suddenly grabbed him from behind.
"Oh, hell, you're not doing jackshit. Screw you both."
With that, he jumped, then simply curled his legs, dangling between them both, moving like crazy, up then down, only to jump again and repeat, causing them both to struggle holding on to him. Just like a child on a tramboline, he kept bouncing left and right, up and down, just causing chaos so no one could hold him well.
"Mark, what are you doing?" asked Stelle, a confused look on her face. In the chaos, Bronya failed to notice that the other guards had already been dealt with, their unconscious bodies scattered on the cold ground.
Mark chuckled heartily, somewhat embarrassed now that he had mentally built up the image of him being like a crazy goat.
"Uhm... I'm using my own strengths to my advantage..."
Even he wasn't convinced by his answer, despite it being genuinely true. Momentary silence fell around, until a familiar voice rang out.
"Sorry for ruining the intensity of the moment."
From the side, a few smoke bombs rolled on the ground, engulfing them all in a thick wall of the dark gas. Through it, a tall figure walked closer, speaking with a mixture of friendliness and boastfulness.
"Sampo never lets friends who've helped him come to harm."
He glanced Mark's way, who had let go and managed to push both Bronya and the guard aside.
"That also goes for the friends of my friends."
All around Mark, both friends and foes alike were slowly falling unconscious. He grabbed his metal pipe in the chaos, managing to slide it behind his back and through the belt at his waist.
"Damn Sampo and his devices."
Judging quickly, he held what little breath his lungs managed to catch earlier, clinging to the whisp of life with all his might. In the chaos, he grabbed both March and Stelle, while Sampo got a hold of Dan Heng and, for some reason, Bronya. Mark didn't know why, yet he did feel something dripping on his face as memories of her being in the Underworld came to mind.
Wasting no more breath, he followed Sampo, running along—more like walking quickly since he held too much weight at his sides. For some reason, he was able to carry a lot more than usual, yet he felt the numbed muscles slowly cry out.
Once they left the smoke, he took a deep breath.
"Damn it, Sampo! You and your tricky devices. Just take us to the Underworld to the clinic, and don't even ask me how I know all this. As you said yourself, information comes at a price."
Sampo simply gave Mark a knowingly smirk, a pleasantly surprised look in his eyes.
"Oh, now you speak my language, my friend. I guess the might of Sampo got even to the ears of someone like you, a friend of my friends."
Mark chuckled as they walked together.
"Yeah, no worries. You're lucky I actually like your guts. Sure, you seem to leave when things get dire, yet you also come in at the right moment. You might prioritize your own gain and ass over that of another, but sometimes you also come in to save the day."
The two walked together, joking and chatting away. Soon enough, they stood in front of an old building, one that no one would ever dare call a clinic in comparison to the modern standards Mark was used to. Nonetheless, he knew about the entire situation and their struggle. Sampo walked in first, followed by Mark. A tall woman with a strange glass container hanging below her neck greeted them. Her tired eyes met those of Mark for a brief moment before she spoke in a firm, calm tone.
"Oh, Sampo, what did you get yourself into again?"
She looked at Bronya.
"A girl dressed in a Silvermane Guards uniform? Are you insane?"
Mark simply put March and Stelle on some beds, then he waited for a few minutes until Natasha had settled her issues with Sampo.
"Ahem... sorry to bother you here, Miss, but we had no choice. It was a tough spot, and Sampo sort of managed to drag us out of it. I'm sorry for the trouble caused."
She regarded him with a soft smile, then spoke gently.
"Oh, my dear, do not worry. Also, you may call me Natasha."
Mark nodded, sitting down on the edge of an empty bed, finally remembering the metal pipe that kept bothering his side. He slid it out and allowed it to rest against the wall.
"I'm Mark; nice to meet you. I'm glad we got someone to care for my friends here, since SOMEONE... not saying who... decided to use some smoke bombs that might have had something extra in them. Good thing I was smart enough to stop breathing."
Mark's tone was filled with sarcasm at the comment about Sampo's actions. He knew that no harm was done by it, yet he couldn't help but try and dig a deeper hole for Sampo until he'd learn his lesson.
"Aw, come on now; I didn't do it on purpose. How was I supposed to know that they'd all just black out?"
Natasha shook her head, her expression hardening a tinge as Sampo's frivolous excuse went down the drain before it could even have an effect.
"That's no excuse, Sampo, and you know it. Just... take care next time, and you owe me some medicine for this endeavor of yours."
Sampo simply accepted his fate, and with an over-the-top defeated expression, he relented.
"Fine, fine, I yield. I'll make sure to get you some more medicine next time."
Just as they were talking, Dan Heng opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice barely audible as he stood on the side of the bed, rubbing his head.
"In the Underworld, the place I had told you about before, remember. This is Lady Natasha, and you already know Sampo. He could show you around; I'm sure of it. After all, Sampo never leaves a friend hanging. Right?"
Mark offered Sampo a cheeky smirk, to which he got the same in turn, like the two were playing a little game of their own where verbal tackles and strikes to each other's side were the whole mechanism.
"Oh, yes indeed, my dear friends. How about we go out and I show you the ropes to the most important places here?"
Dan Heng wasted no time, standing up at once. He gave Mark a light nod, then headed towards the door.
"Reconnaissance of the unknown area. That's one of the first things we should be doing. Lead the way, Sampo, but you better not vanish again."
He rubbed his palms together, like a merchant ready to sell their wares for a higher price to an unprepared customer.
"Oh, please, I would never do that... again."
Mark chuckled, lying down on the bed he had been sitting on. He had made himself comfortable for a moment, simply taking a deep breath, allowing his eyes to close.
"Mhm... it's comfier than I expected..."
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Meritas
Meritas Here with a new one. Yes, they're a bit shorter than the first two chapters, alas, I have other things to handle as well in my life. Still, I do like writing this, and they also just announced a collab between HSR and Fate (Unlimited Blades Works if I'm not wrong, check it out on honkaistarrail's official instagram page) and I'm hella hyped now. I better catch up to the game before 2025 and then we'll have some magic working, since I'm also a huge Fate fan. Until then, peace out, enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think (and do write comments and stuff, I love interacting with you all) and Deus vult.
Kapitel 6: Finding Dan Heng
As moments went by, he nearly drifted off to sleep, and yet someone's annoyed voice woke him up instantly, causing his nearly asleep mind to kick into gear with nothing but a smoldering sense of anger at the wheel.
"Let me go," said Bronya, the source of the commotion. Natasha shook her head as she stood before the door.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. If someone were to see you, it could end pretty badly."
Mark let out an annoyed sigh and stood up, staring at Bronya with tired, nearly blood-shot eyes that didn't look friendly.
"Sit down and wait here, understood, Bronya? I don't care who you are on the surface; here you're nothing more than a Silvermane Guard, part of those who sealed the Underworld. Not a lot of people will be friendly, so just sit the fuck down."
His words were calm, with an evident tinge of harshness in them—truth mixed in with unmasked bashfulness.
"Who are you to order me around?"
Mark had enough. He simply grabbed his metal pipe and walked closer to her, clanking it on the floor with each step.
"You either sit down willingly, or I'll knock you out the not-so-willingy way. There's no choice here but to listen. Got it?"
She glared at him, the tension in the air evident. Her weapon was on the bed, a huge oversight on her side. She finally crossed her arms and relented.
"Fine, but don't expect to order me around as you see fit."
He gave a light nod, glancing over to Narasha. He walked closer and whispered.
"Next time she tries to leave, let her go. If she causes any trouble, let's just say that she's old enough to take the repercussions of her actions."
With that, he looked to the side as March woke up. She whined and groaned like a kid, talking about '5 more minutes' of sleep.
"Wakey, wakey, it's time for the mission. Come on, wake up," chuckled Mark as he walked to her side, playfully poking her cheek. Somehow, not even he knew what came over him, but somehow, doing that felt natural. Perhaps it was his older brother instinct.
"Aw, let me sleep. And stop poking my cheek, you tease," mumbled March, her cheeks pouty.
Mark had no choice but to shake her awake, being rowdy yet gentle in his grasp and movements, as rapid as they were.
"Come on, March, we're in the middle of a mission; we have to focus."
She finally let out an annoyed groan and stood up. Beside her, Stelle was mumbling in her sleep about the Stellaron and something else that he couldn't make out. Still, his mind filled in the blanks, adding the information that he had once known.
"What is she talking about?" asked Natasha, concern on her face.
"About some things related to saving the planet. Nothing too important, you know?" replied Mark, unbothered and as calm as possible. Soon enough, she woke up as well, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking partially refreshed and partially as confused as everyone—except for Mark, who was trying to plan out a sketchy idea once more.
"Well, now that everyone is awake, let's head out. Oh, and Bronya..."
Mark looked to the side, but she was gone. He sighed, knowing that it was bound to happen one way or another. Nonetheless, he shrugged and put his sword back in its scabbard.
"Welp, time to go out. I bet you wonder where Dan Heng is... truth is, even I'm not sure. He went out with Sampo."
He walked towards the door, already thinking of going ahead to focus on Sampo trying to flee from the fight club. He gave Natasha a tiny smile filled with sincerity.
"Thank you for your help, doctor. We'll make sure to return the favor one way or another."
With that, the trio went outside to look for Dan Heng. With no clue on where to start, March thought about asking some kids for information, which led to all of them being in cahoots with a group of three little kids.
"Hi there. I was wondering if you saw some tall guy with a boring, serious face and black hair walking around the place. If so, could you tell us where he went?"
The group turned to face her, and the leader, Hook, spoke up.
"Do you even know who you are talking to? You're in the presence of the Moles, one of the strongest groups in the Underworld."
Mark sighed and nearly reached up for the sword on his back. Somehow, the effects of his interrupted sleep were still lingering heavily on his mind, turning every bit of irritation into straight-up anger.
"Mark, don't," said Stelle, grabbing his wrist and holding it firmly as it was half-way up. With a sigh, he lowered his hand, yet Stelle still clung to it.
"They're kids, Mark. Do you even have any idea about what you were about to do?"
He shook his head.
"Look, sorry, but I'm not in the mood. I'm way too grumpy when I have my sleep interrupted."
Below, the kids were huddled together, hidden behind Hook, who tried to threaten him, yet she was shaking in her boots when she realized what Mark was about to take out.
"Y-you dare threaten us? I-I will show you what happens when someone tries that."
Mark let out a sigh and carefully patted them all on the head, taking a deep breath that flew out of his lungs once more.
"Sorry, kids, I just had a rough day. So, will you lend us a hand? If you do, we shall assist the Moles in their endeavors down the line. Consider this a friendly collaboration where we unite as a stronger faction."
He squatted down and reached out for a handshake, waiting patiently. Hesitantly, Hook first looked over to her friends, then reached out and firmly shook his hand—as firm as a kid could.
"Fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you again, got it?"
Mark chuckled and nodded. He stood up, then everyone followed Hook as she led them to the fight club.
"He should be here, the man you described. I'm only showing you to this point, ok?"
Mark nodded, speaking calmly.
"Sure. Thanks for the help. We owe you one."
The kids went away, leaving just the three of them outside the area.
"So, Dan Heng is supposed to be inside. It must have been Sampo's idea," said Stelle, looking around the area, checking out everyone who was attending the show.
"That scoundrel," puffed out March, already more than fed up with his antics.
"Yeah, anyway. You two go in and get Dan Heng. Meanwhile, I'll wait here. Got to keep an eye out for someone."
Said and done, everyone went on their way. Mark leaned against the wall, and he suddenly became aware of the weight that lingered to the side of his legs, just above the knees. His baggy pants had two large pockets on the side, one of which housed his wallet, while the other handled the phone. Instantly, he became self-aware of those objects that he had so commonly used before.
"Damn... I must have turned dull after nearly freezing and finding myself in an entirely new world. What a slip-up on my side..."
His eyes met a fleeing Sampo, who shamelessly picked up the pace as he walked out.
"... but this one won't be no slip-up."
Instantly, he dashed after Sampo, pulling him to a halt by the back of his collar.
"Hey, my good old friend, Sampo Koski. Fancy seeing you here, outside. I guess you did introduce Dan Heng to the combat scene, right?"
He nodded, speaking in his usual tone, with a tinge of worry and another one of irony.
"Yes, yes, you know me so well, my friend. Someone had to take care of the finances of the group, so I made sure to find him a suitable job."
Mark nodded, taking it in, despite knowing the excuse already. It rattled his mind that the memories came back in such detail, slowly bringing along some extra information from the future.
"Well, I'll be damned. It seems that I remember some things based on the pure relationship between them. Wildfire, and with it came Seele, and now I recall who their leader is, but damn me... I can't seem to recall where exactly the Stellaron is, and yet I recall that Cocolia dies because of it... just what is going on?"
His grip involuntarily tightened around the back of Sampo's collar, and he yelped a little.
"Hey, friend, how about letting go, just a bit?"
Realization struck Mark out of his own head, and he let go in an instant.
"Sorry, I'm just... stuck in my own head."
As he spoke, everyone came outside, not really pleased with seeing Sampo outside, especially Dan Heng.
"So, you were about to ditch us again, right?" asked March, arms crossed as she glared at Sampo in her own angry, fluffy rabbit manner.
Sampo gave an awkward smile, then rubbed his palms together, trying his best to let loose a few words that would save him. Mark sighed and spoke in his stead.
"Look, guys, let's be honest. We're all aware of what type of guy he is. At the very least, let's not threaten to beat his ass up every 5 minutes, ok?"
He tried to sound serious, yet a tiny smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
AUTORENGEDANKEN
Meritas
Meritas
Hey, back with another one. Sure, the pacing is a bit slower, but I gotta focus on some details as well, keeping in touch with the game and how things went in there. On a tiny side note, I also have a YouTube channel where I post some stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@meritas_v. Make sure to check it out if you feel like it, I got some little things there too. So, until next time, peace out and Deus vult.
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