One's Prize

He had a tad sinister smirk on his lips, the red light surrounding him flickering lightly as he held his claymore with both hands, leaping forward like thunder. Strong winds pushed him around, turning into small tornades that kept chasing Mark around.

"That's what I wanted..." muttered Mark before shouting, "Wind against wind it is!"

Mark's Anemo began twirling around him, colliding head-on with the tornado that came spinning at him, making it dissipate on contact.

"Heck yeah! Let's go!" 

As other twirling winds reached for him, he heard Jean call out to him.

"Behind you!" 

Without bothering to turn around, Mark leapt out of the way, jumping to the side, hearing something hit against the spot where he was standing—hard.

It was one of the cubes that made up the hypostasis' outer shell, and Mark gulped down as he saw seven others rush around, all of them moving towards him from multiple sides, the core flying freely.

"Fine by me then!"

He jumped high in the air, using Anemo to boost his jumps and guide him as he was airborn, managing to grab on to one of the cubes. He held on, barely, somehow managing to stab his sword inside through some crevices, using it to hold on.

"Let's see what happens now, flying bastard."

He gritted his teeth as the cube tried to shake him off, but to no avail. Instead, Mark leapt off of his own will, reaching for the core, striking at it, but his blade was blocked as the cube reformed itself again.

He fell on his legs, looking as a weird circle appeared around the core, all sorts of carvings floating around. Knowing what it meant, he began running as projectiles flew at him, one at a time, until it had no more ammunition.

As Mark waited for it to fall like it did in the game, he had quite the 'pleasant' surprise: the core wasn't falling to the ground. Instead, it formed its shell into two large panels, which meant one thing.

Mark lifted his claymore, holding it horizontally as the panels began closing in on him, pressing against the claymore. Mark could feel it push him down despite his strength boost. He was being overwhelmed.

He tried pushing, fighting back, but his strength was failing him.

"Shit shit shit shit" 

As his legs began kneeling, he muttered a few words under his breath: "Lord, give me strength..." 

Using the trick he showed Jean, he decided to give himself a boost with something as simple as music.

"Time to get phonky. Was it PR rah phonk or something?"

As he thought about it, the music changed to some wild noises that left Jean bewildered. She had never heard anything like that in her entire life—a storm of sounds that echoed into the night.

Mark smirked grimly as he began pushing back, the red aura around him burning like a beacon in a dark room. He was gaining ground.

Grunting, he managed to stand up straight, yanking his sword as he leapt back, nearly tripping over. Before him, the panels shut tight like the jaws of a beast, thumping loudly.

"Time to settle the score, bitch!"

Mark once again leapt at it, meeting one of the cubes head-on in a clash of strength, his shoulder against it. He pressed against it until, with a swift move, he slipped along it, claymore gripped in one hand as he spun his torso, slamming his blade against it once more.

It got stuck near the core, once again at a standstill, but this time Mark had other plans.

"Time to show you my tricks as well, bitch..."

Red crystal began forming across his swords, growing rapidly along the hypostasis' shell, engulfing the core in a box of spikes. Slowly, he watched as the elemental creature began dissipating, turning into dust particles. He had won—that much he knew.

On the side, Jean clapped slowly, smiling as she looked at Mark.

"You sure know how to save up your ace for when you're in a pinch."

Mark chuckled, noticing that he was alone inside the arena, no traces left of his foe.

"Well, what can I say? I'm simply trying to do things, and somehow it works."

His steps slowly took him back to Jean, who was pointing at something.

"You almost forgot your reward."

Mark's eyes widened with joy.

"Reward? Was there such a thing?"

With eyes like those of a child on a Christmas morning, he began looking around, noticing one of those strange flowers he had seen in the game when defeating a boss. He sighed, thinking about what he would need to open it.

"Go on, Mark, just touch it, and it should reveal your prize."

Reluctant in a way, he walked before it, placing a hand on the flower, watching as it opened up. Inside, he found a hanful of crystals, which he grabbed in his palm, looking them over.

"Well? What did you find?" asked Jean as he walked closer. Mark showed her the crystals, and she watched with awe.

"Your luck must be off the charts. It's the first time I've seen someone get something so valuable."

Mark's ears twitched at the mention of the word valuable.

"Are we speaking mora in here?"

Jean nodded, smiling at Mark's sudden change of attitude.

"Yes, mora, and quite a hefty sum at it. These stones are used for jewels, and they go for a nice price. Considering the size and quality, they should fetch you enough to last for a few months."

Mark could feel his legs grow weak as his heart picked up speed. He nearly wanted to shout out of happiness, but he kept himself as composed as he could manage.

"So, money. Also, you knew about the prize. Do people usually come to fight these creatures as well?"

Jean nodded. "Yes, they do. Adventurers gather together and take on such monsters. It's unfortunate that it takes around two days for the hypostasis to regenerate. Yet, it's not like even the adventurers stay in line to fight these creatures. Most of the time, it's not worth the risk."

Mark nodded, listening carefully to the bits of information that differed from what he had in mind.

"So basically, I was quite lucky this time."

Jean smiled, chuckling softly.

"Lucky is not even cutting it close."

Mark looked at the sky, signing himself with the cross as he thanked God for the blessing.

"I'll make sure to sell this. Also, which of these stones would you consider to be the most beautiful?"

Mark's question caught her off guard, so she spent some time looking them over before giving her verdict, gently picking a deep blue stone, holding it between her fingers.

"This one seems to call out to me. I like the color, and for some reason I feel like it calls out to me."

Mark chuckled, taking a good look at the stone as well.

"Good. I hope you'll like it then."

He put the others in his pocket before starting to walk. Jean's face froze for a second, stuttering as she tried to call for Mark.

"Mark, do you even know how much this is worth?"

He shrugged, giving Jean an ironic look that clearly said he knew but didn't care.

"You said you liked it; it's yours. Consider it a gift for being my lucky charm. Had you not called out to me that time, I would have been turned into a pancake."

Jean's face turned a subtle scarlet as she held on to the stone, looking at it with careful eyes. She tried to give it back to him one more time, but he closed her hand with the stone inside.

She pulled back her hand, holding it close to her chest.

"Thank you. I will treasure this."

"Don't mention it. Also, I guess it's time to head back. I'm glad I have an idea of what I can and can't do. I think my Anemo power is surprisingly good, but compared to a pure elemental, it still needs some refinement."

They walked together the same way they came, going back to Mondstadt as they chatted together, Jean recommending Mark places where he could sell those precious stones of his.

"Also, Jean, I'm really curious, but are there perhaps things like orphanages here in Mondstadt?"

Jean was a bit baffled by Mark's question, but she answered nonetheless.

"Yes, there is one run by the nuns."

Mark nodded, saying nothing more about the subject, instead placing his hands behind his head, resting his head in his palms.

"Well, this night sure was fun, but I'm pretty sure I'll cuss myself out in the morning for not having taken your advice. I could have been sleeping now, but instead I chose to swing my sword around, and I even kept you awake."

Jean chuckled, nudging him with her elbow.

"I'm glad I came along; otherwise, it might have been the end of the road for you."

Mark laughed at the thought, glancing over at the moon.

"Yep, it sure could have been nasty..."