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Day 1: Eulamber!
Prompt: Hunting (gone wrong)(gone sexual?!???)
The Favonious Knights weren't usually in charge of hunting. They usually left those jobs to the actual trained hunters in Mondstadt. However, due to an incident, some of the best hunters were out of commission for a few weeks. With the supply of meat and fowl dwindling, someone had to step in and volunteer to hunt for food.
Eula had absolutely no intentions of helping. She didn’t concern herself with matters beyond her expertise. However, Amber had already decided for her that she would accompany the little bunny out to hunt. Eula refused at first, but Amber, with her relentless optimism, found a way to convince her. She promised Eula a good, hearty meal right after.
Eula accepted immediately, though still with a little reluctance.
Now she found herself deep in the forest with Amber walking right next to her. The sun had just come up, its rays peeking through the leaves and casting a warm glow on Amber’s face. Eula couldn’t help but notice how the sunlight highlighted Amber’s eyes, making them sparkle with energy. The brunette was as lively as ever, while Eula wasn’t exactly a morning person. The taller woman couldn’t understand how anyone could be so cheerful this early.
Eula mostly moved at night. Her logic was sound—most criminals think they’re hidden when the sun's away.
“Our quota is 50 of each from both of us combined,” Amber said, prepping her bow with much love and care.
“Sounds easy enough,” Eula replied, her eyes drifting toward Amber’s bow. She thought about her own claymore with a bit of a frown. “How do you expect me to hunt while lugging around my claymore?”
Amber let out a hum, tilting her head in thought. “I didn’t really think about that. But I do have an extra bow if you’d like to use it.”
Eula considered for a moment. As a knight, she had learned to wield different types of weapons in case her own got compromised. While she wasn’t as proficient with the bow as Amber, she wasn’t incompetent either.
She accepted the bow Amber handed her. “Awesome! We’re matching now,” Amber said excitedly, making Eula crack a little smile that Amber missed.
“Thank you, Amber,” Eula said sincerely with a little nod.
Amber laughed, patting Eula’s shoulder gently. “No need to thank me.”
“Then I take it back. Hmph.” Eula pouted and started walking a little ahead of Amber, causing Amber’s smile to falter while she stumbled over her words.
“W-wait, wait, wait! Hey! I’m sorry!” Amber jogged over towards Eula, who could barely contain a smile. “Seriously!” Amber huffed.
They both laughed before a rustle from a nearby bush sounded, immediately alerting the two. They glanced at each other, each pulling out their respective weapons as they waited for whatever was in the bush to emerge.
Eula was the first to move when a figure stumbled out of the bush. It was a man dressed in hunting gear, badly hurt and bruised, with a broken bow in his hands. Amber was the first to reach him, immediately checking on the man and asking questions to ensure he was still conscious. Unlucky for them, he passed out.
He was still bleeding, so Amber quickly tended to his wounds. Eula’s eyes were locked onto the direction the man had come from. “Amber, take care of him. I’ll check out where he came from.”
Amber nodded. “Stay safe. If you need help, call me.”
“Heard.” Eula pushed past the bush, surveying the small opening she found herself in. She suspected that whatever had chased the man had given up and left. There were no signs of it anywhere. Just as she was about to turn around, a rift hound lunged at her from the shadows.
“Insolent!” she scoffed, whipping out her claymore to block the attack. She had never seen a creature like this in Mondstadt before. It posed a threat, and she needed to deal with it quickly. She swung her claymore at it again, hitting her mark perfectly and backing away at the right time when it attacked.
She noticed its claws were extra sharp and moved more defensively, attacking only when she had the chance. However, it teleported behind her, catching her off guard and landing a good hit.
“Playing dirty?” Eula scoffed, pain clear in her voice. The wound hurt more than usual, and blood dripped from her back. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and swung her claymore again, this time using her vision.
With the use of her vision, Eula moved more offensively, maneuvering through the environment with grace and aggressiveness. It was almost as though she was dancing with her opponent. After a few more swings, the rift hound finally dropped, and so did Eula, unable to handle the claw marks on her back that wouldn’t stop bleeding.
“Amber!” Eula called out with a strained voice.
Rustling was heard before Amber came running, worry immediately painted on her face as she saw Eula's state. “I told you to call me if you needed help!” Amber said, observing the wound on Eula’s back carefully.
“I did. I called for you,” Eula said weakly.
“Not when you’re bleeding out like this! Call me earlier when you fight something!” Amber scolded her before tending to her wounds. “Now your clothes are all destroyed.”
“Nothing I can’t pay to fix,” Eula replied, trying to act tough despite everything. Amber sighed, realizing Eula would never change.
Eula winced as Amber wiped the wound with some alcohol.
“You might need stitches. What did you fight?” Amber asked, biting her lip as she struggled to stop the bleeding.
“Some sort of hound-like creature. It floated and had big claws. It could teleport too. Annoying little thing.”
Amber raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound like anything I’ve seen in Mondstadt.”
“Probably isn’t from here. It must be foreign. When we return to Mondstadt, I’ll dispatch a team to see if there are more of these things. They might be why a lot of the hunters have been found injured.”
“Understood. Let’s patch you up first.”
It took a while, but Amber finally stopped the bleeding and helped Eula from the ground. The sudden disappearance of Amber's warm touch left Eula feeling cold but she shook the feeling away, only able to focus on the pain only to steel herself in the end. Amber noticed this and gave Eula a knowing look. The taller woman just closed her eyes and pretended not to notice.
She and Amber started their way back to Mondstadt, the injured man slung over Eula’s shoulder.
As they walked back, Eula suddenly realized, “We didn’t meet our quota.”
“I don’t think that matters right now, Eula,” Amber replied, shaking her head with a smile.
After getting everything sorted in Mondstadt, Amber forced Eula to visit the clinic to make sure she was fine. Luckily she was but she had bed rest for a few days. It frustrated Eula just to be able to do nothing but sit down and eat sub par food and everytime she tried escaping, Amber always dragged her back.
The last time Eula tried this, Amber got genuinely angry. “Eula! I've had enough of this. You only have one more day of bed rest! So give it a break.” Amber said, nearly scolding Eula who could only pout.
“Don't give me that look. I was horrified when I saw you bleeding on the ground. You're strong. But you're not invincible.”
Eula's face softened. Even if she herself didn't value her safety that much, she had to remember that someone did. And that someone was Amber. With a sigh, Eula looked up at the ceiling. “Fine. I'll stay without trying to escape.”
Amber smiled appreciatively at Eula. “You’re the best.”
“You're that and more.” Eula replied with a smile of her own.