Capítulo 4: Surrounded
As their steps clanked with nearly silent sounds on the cold pavement, Mark kept glancing left and right until he spotted what he was waiting for.
"Fragmentum monsters... and yet it's a lot more than in the game. Hell, no wonder these things are threats for the Silvermane Guards..."
With a satisfied smile on his face, he prepared his metal pipe, and yet no words could even leave his mouth that everyone else had gone ahead to handle it.
"Stay there, Mark. We'll handle this," ordered Dan Heng, his tone making it firm that he should just stay there and watch the scene unfold instead of actually trying to help.
"There goes my shot at having fun on this supposed 'adventure' that they're on..."
His eyes followed their movements, feeling as his grip increased in strength, holding on to the pipe for dear life. However, other thoughts soon came in to swarm his mind and cover it with something akin to a sense of uselessness. They were fighting well, even more so than he would have expected from the gameplay.
The contrast was stark and evident in their movements. Dan Heng swung his spear with ease, shattering the crystal creatures into pieces, dropping fragments of bird-like beings. Stelle swung her bat with a vitality that far outdid what he thought was normal in a being. Sure, she wasn't exactly human, yet her power did throw him off more than expected. March made sure to provide support with her bow, using her ice to freeze the enemies from a distance.
His eyes followed their synergy, taking it all in. They fought as one, covering any blind spot, ensuring that no enemy would even make it through. It was in that moment that doubt took seed in his mind and heart, pushing aside his joyous idea of a supposed isekai where he could have fun and kick ass.
"Damn. How should I even feel? I thought that I'd get a chance to just... do something, be of use, and yet..."
March's chuckling snatched him out of his thoughts and into the cold reality that surrounded him.
"Hehe, I guess you're amazed by our little battle here. No worries, this is standard Astral Express stuff."
Mark nodded, masking any hint of emotion on his face, and yet Stelle and Dan Heng seemed to stare at him with a tinge more than needed, with hidden expectations on their faces, waiting for any crack in his facade.
"Yeah, you guys sure work well together; I gotta give you that. Here I thought I'd get to give this thing of mine a good twirl; alas, you handled it before I could even try."
With that, he spun his metal pipe once, the long piece of iron moving through the air with ease, coming to a halt with a thud as he pressed it on the ground.
"Let's keep moving. We still have to shake off any pursuers."
Said and done, everyone followed Dan Heng, yet this time Mark stood in the back, lost in thought. Little did he care about the glances that March and Stelle were giving him, unbothered by the slight hint of concern in their eyes. Somehow, silent as he was, his feelings seemed to sort of make themselves known.
Bit by bit, they kept pacing at a steady rate, with most of the tasks, be it battle or some gates needing to be opened, being handled by the others. Mark was slowly being buried beneath his own doubts and insecurities. He thought he could at least make something work, and yet he found himself in an awkward silence where he just watched everyone from his own spot—just like in the game.
Soon enough, they reached a point where the guards were stationed. March took a peek, then spoke in a hushed voice.
"There are Silvermane Guards here. Careful not to alert them!"
"They must have come in from another direction to cut us off. We should avoid an open conflict. Let's find another path," said Dan Heng, to which Mark felt like adding a tiny something.
"We should try and find a way in the Underworld. It's beneath the city, a place where people live. For some reason, Cocolia chose to close them off, and yet there should be a path leading there."
Everyone walked off, only to be faced with a closed gate with a broken mechanism. While Stelle and March noticed how familiar it looked to what Serval had given them to tinker with back at her workshop, Mark had already jumped over the fence, sliding his metal pipe and sword through to not drop them and make noise. He sheathed his sword over his back, then finally found a moment to enjoy some combat.
"Watch out, Mark. Those things can really hurt you," said March, clearly worried for his safety. Stelle began working faster on the device to open the gate. Meanwhile, Mark came face-to-face with a humanoid Fragmentum monster, one that mimicked a Silvermane Guard, yet its head was of an odd shape, a faceless amber that burned despite the cold.
With a poleaxe in hand, it dashed straight at Mark in a line, no shroud of intelligence in its mind. With the threat coming his way, he could feel his heart pick up, the adrenaline building up in his system.
"Now or never, I need to get used to it. Screw it," he mumbled to himself as his left leg slid across the ground, placing him firmly into it.
With a swift motion, he moved to the side, bringing in the pipe in a hearty swing, backed by the perfect syncronization of his muscles. With a loud thud, the creature fell to the ground, its poleaxe clanking on the cold ground as fragments of the burning head fell like dark snowflakes in a timid shower.
"Phew... knew I had it," chuckled Mark as the gate finally opened. The others walked closer, tiny smiles on their faces.
"It seems to me that someone was eager for a fight. You look a lot better now when you're not a rained-on puppy," said Stelle, patting him on the shoulder with a satisfied smirk on her face. March just chuckled along, and Dan Heng gave the tiniest hint of a grin, half-assed with just the corner of his lips.
"Let's just say I want to experience this adventurous life as well, you know? Trailblazing and stuff—the things that you follow on the Astral Express. Let's just say that I'm a huge fan, and hey, bashing monster skulls in is a nice change of pace."
Once more, they found themselves walking away in a group, yet Mark still stood at the back. His mind, despite being lighter, was still worried about a lot of complications and issues that mainly clung to himself—a sense of helplessness that he couldn't brush off. Sure, he was lucky enough to get the timing right and kill a monster, but what if more tried to fight him at once, or if some stronger one decided to corner him?
"We should keep going now and be prepared... I'm not sure, but I have a hunch that something's about to happen." said Mark, his shattered memories resonating a tiny bit with the familiar scenery.
The rest of their walk was pretty uneventful, until the last gate was opened. As they all rushed towards the Fragmentum, the images of Silvermane Guards with guns pointed at them showed up in his mind.
"March! Ice above, both sides!"
His shout resounded at full blast, scaring everyone, yet March, more out of pure instinct, froze everything where he told her to. As the guards peeked over to try and shoot, their weapons froze, yet they were still surrounded from the front and from behind. Bronya slowly walked up to them, her expression a crossbreed between anger and annoyance.
"Hmph. You dare underestimate me?" asked Bronya, the guards watching carefully from all around her, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Mark scoffed and crossed his arms, annoyance on his face as well as more memories coming back to him. With a sigh, he wiped away the blood that poured down from his nose.
"Look here, whatever function you have, lady. I don't care what Cocolia told you about them, about us all, since now I'm some sort of aid to them. Sure, she told you some bullshit about us being here to overthrow the Architects, blah blah blah. Bullshit!"
She stared at him, wide-eyed, and even the Astral Crew by his side was flabergastered at his bluntness and choice of words in that situation. Bronya's expression instantly turned to one of anger, her eyes flaring with unspoken venom.
"Publicly insulting the Supreme Guardian only elevates the seriousness of your crimes. Throw down your weapons and surrender."
As a few dozen rifles turned at him, Mark could feel his heart pick up again, the burst of adrenaline stronger than when faced with the Fragmentum monster. In spite of that, he kept his cool and spoke again, as if unaffected.
"Oh, cut the crap already. YOU, the one who was always by her side, noticed it all better than anyone else could have. Her choices, which seemed to slowly go against the people, choosing to seal the Underworld, all of that... don't tell me that you're going to blindly follow her instead of listening to reason!"
The world around them came to a halt, chills running around them, watching the scene unfold. The sound of the rustling equipment of the guards shyly broke the silence in tiny bursts as Bronya found herself giving some thought to his words.
Finally, her hand dropped from her chin, and she spoke coldly.
"Arrest them."
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Meritas
Meritas Phew, back with another one. Sure, today it came in late due to me having some appointments and all. Still, here we are. I hope you'll enjoy it. Let me know what you think about it, and don't forget to leave a review whenever you feel like it. Peace out and Deus vult.
Capítulo 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..."
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
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.
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