Where Was Ras?

As Mark left Mondstadt, he happened to come across Ras and Lisa, who were walking towards him. He could feel a certain...change in the air around Ras, as if something important had happened.

"Ras and Lisa. I didn't expect to meet you here of all places."

Lisa smiled softly as she waved, while Ras seemed to be in high spirits.

"Nice to see you too, Mark."

She chuckled as she glanced around.

"We simply went on a little walk as we tried to figure out some more about that mysterious light that Ras has."

He laughed lightly as he showed it to Mark once more, making it appear and disappear at will.

"We figured some things out."

Mark listened attentively, already trying to incorporate Ras into some duo fights.

"Basically, I can absorb elemental energy and convert it into raw energy. I think you get what I mean."

Mark nodded, his eyes widening slightly as he thought about different sorts of interpretations for that.

"So basically, you can charge yourself with energy and do things. What exactly did you try?"

Lisa glanced over at her notebook, reading some of her notes.

"He can shoot projectiles, increase his strength and speed, and even accelerate other objects if he can infuse them with energy. That's as much as we've figured out for now."

Mark nodded, already picturing himself filling up Ras like a battery before having him do all sorts of crazy stunts, like throwing swords around at high speeds.

Both Lisa and Ras could notice the grim smirk that made its way onto his face before he became aware of it. He quickly snapped back to reality as Ras spoke once more.

"The only issue is that my body is very limited. I'll need to undergo a lot of training before I could use these powers in a way that would make me inhuman, to say it like that."

Mark nearly let out a sad sigh as he closed his eyes.

"It's alright; we have time. Speaking of training and everything, how about coming with me to Stormterror's Lair? I'm sure we could practice together in there. You as the battery, and I as the energy source. I'm sure we could get some crazy combos."

Ras gave it some thought before looking over at Lisa, a playful smile on his lips.

"I guess you'll have to go alone, Lisa. I'm heading there with Mark."

She chuckled before remembering something.

"Mark, earlier someone from the Fatui asked for you. Seeing as you're here, you must have taken care of it, right?"

Mark nodded, showing a hint of frustration.

"I told them to bother me again like that if they wanted to meet their maker."

Lisa laughed, crossing her arms.

"Why did I expect anything else? Ras did say you could handle yourself. I shall take my leave then. Take care of yourselves, sweethearts."

They nodded in unison before going their way, talking among themselves.

"To think that a few days ago we were excited to be here, and now we already have cool powers and have had our fair share of cool experiences."

Ras shook his head as he made a 'tsk' noise.

"You've had your share of experiences. I finally figured out my powers. My adventure starts now."

Mark nodded, walking leisurely as Ras seemed to have remembered something. He looked over at their clothes before speaking.

"We should have someone make some clothes for us, something that's more normal by this world's standards."

Mark nodded, surprised that he hadn't thought about it before.

"Now that you mention it, people did look awkwardly at us for a while. I forgot about it. Lucky you, this job will get us some more Mora, then maybe we could have a tailor make some clothes for us. I want something custom, a mixture of utility and style."

Ras looked ahead as he contemplated his choice.

"I'll go with something custom as well. I'm feeling...fancy..." 

They shared a laugh together, their steps unnoticed as they kept going, distracted by their own chat.

"Yeah, also, where did Lisa take you?"

"Oh, well, she first took me to a body of water, where I fought some Hydro slimes before she took me somewhere else. That was quite an interesting encounter."

... 

Ras followed behind Lisa, walking along without a destination in mind. He simply decided that it was best to trust her. She was part of the Knights of Favonius for a reason, even if she was their librarian. He saw her work, knowing what she could do.

Lisa dragged him around for a while before stopping, hiding behind some bushes. Before them, a ruin guard was walking around, roaming from place to place. Lisa suddenly grabbed Ras by the hand before whispering.

"Be ready." 

She used Electro, sending a strong zap through him. For a second, he yelled before absorbing the energy, charging himself up. He stared at the machine before speaking, his voice a hush.

"You want me to fight that?"

Lisa nodded, pointing towards its head.

"The core is on its head. Shatter that, and it should be paralyzed for a while. In that time, you should make sure to destroy it."

Ras met her with eyes that called her crazy, finding it a joke.

"Very cool, Lisa. Meanwhile, you should go and create a hydrogen bomb."

She looked at him with a confused look.

"A hydrogen bomb?"

Ras chuckled, looking back at the ruin guard.

"It's nothing; don't mind me. I forget only Mark gets my humor."

He took a deep breath before walking out of their hiding places, moving towards the mechanical guardian. His steps began quickening as a sudden jolt of energy cursed through his veins. The ruin guard turned towards him, leaping high in the air before trying to plunge down on him.

Ras had more than enough time to move out of the way.

"Hey, I can actually do this!"

He began running in circles as the ruin guard exposed its back, rockets flying out of it. Ras quickened his pace, outrunning the projectiles, making them lose their target as he quickly bolted beneath them, running the opposite way, leaping right for the ruin guard's core. He forgot about his sword, so he simply imbued his fist with energy and slammed it in.

The ruin guard's head cracked, seemingly breaking as the sudden burst of energy entered such an enclosed space. As it fell, the head split open. Lisa stepped out from the bushes, whistling as she saw the scene.

"Ras, you sure are an impressive one. It's the first time I see a ruin guard go down like that."

He smiled awkwardly as he scratched his head.

"Thanks. I mean, it just happened, I guess."

She looked excited as her hands quickly began writing down different things in her notebook. Ras was a bit baffled, not even knowing where she got so many ideas from, considering he simply fought for a bit. Nonetheless, she seemed eager, finishing with a smile.

"Done. I have an inkling of what it is that you can do. Perhaps in the future I'll ask for another outing like this one."

Ras laughed, trying to force out a few words, but they got stuck in his neck, so he gave up.

"Let's head back now, shall we?"

... 

Ras stopped thinking about it as he turned to Mark, who watched, mouth agape.

"You took down one of those fuckers so easily? DAMN BRO!" 

He couldn't contain his excitement, already imagining how their journey would go. No one would be able to stand up to them if they reached their peak.

"We'll smack some sense in the Tsarisa, no matter what! Or who knows, maybe we'll smack some sense in Celestia itself."

Ras listened to Mark's expectations, finding them to be far-fetched.

"Perhaps you should calm down unless you want us both to die."

"Naaah, I'll make sure to be strong. I'm not sure about you, but I want to change a lot of things here and there."

Ras simply stared off in the distance, trying to figure some things out, barely realizing that they had arrived at their destination.