Coast Of Galesong Hill, Mondstadt, Teyvat

August 9th, 2035/2000 AAW

3rd Person POV

At the Naval Gate near Galesong Hill, three ships of steel come out of it as a flag flies proudly on its main mast. These three ships are the Braunschweig Class Frigates of the German Navy: FGS Braunschweig, FGS Magdeburg, and FGS Oldenburg. Then one by one, more frigates and destroyers from the nations of the JTF come out of the Naval Gate ranging from the Mogami Class Frigates of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force and the Floréal Class Frigates of the French Navy; to the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers of the United States Navy and the Penang Class Destroyers of the Southeast Asian Navy; to even the retrofitted WW2 and Cold War era ships that belong to the Philippine Navy. 30 minutes pass and multiple cruisers come out of the gate, ranging from the S.A.N Hanoi Class to the USN Ticonderoga Class. Then out came the big guns: the battleships. The French Calais Class Battleships were the first to come out the Gate, followed by the Japanese Fukuoka Class, Southeast Asian Borneo Class, British Sovereign Class, German Hamburg Class, and the American Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, Montana, and New England Class Battleships. After 2 hours since the first ships entered the waters of Teyvat, the entire Joint Naval Task Force had finally arrived. Numerous landing ships came out of the Amphibious Assault Ships present as they all carry squads of JTF Marines headed for their landing spot: the Falcon Coast. A few minutes later, the Marines of the JTF had made landfall as they had come into contact with the native wildlife of Teyvat; as well as a few camps belonging to the Fatui and a humanoid species known to the local population as hilichurls. A few minutes passed and said camps are already cleared of their previous occupants as the JTF Marines advance towards their target location: Cape Oath.

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Starfell Valley, Mondstadt, Teyvat

August 29th, 2035/2000 AAW

Jason Emile Hayes POV

It's already been 3 weeks since the Fatui attacked us. By this point, the Naval Gate has been well secured as bases were being built across the Galesong Hill and Falcon Coast Regions. The base here in Starfell Valley is now 50% complete. Three days ago, we met two females near the base; one fairy-like being (more like emergency rations) and another outworlder just like us. Thanks to our 2-month long crash course on the game, we saw that it was the female traveler Lumine, and her companion/emergency rations, Paimon. Right now, everyone is just doing their own business; even Paimon was busy as she was teaching Lumine the languages of Teyvat, which does sound similar to various languages on Earth. Then all of a sudden, Nelson and I were being called by the JTF's CO. I went to the CO's office and met Nelson along the way.

Jason: Yo, Nel!

He turned around and saw me. He smiled a bit as we did our own bro handshake.

Nelson: 'Sup, Jay?

Jason: I'm good, man. And you?

Nelson: Same as always, bro. Same as always.

Jason: Wonder why the General would call us?

Nelson: Beats me, bro. Let's go find out.

I nodded as we headed to the CO's office to see why he called us there. Once we arrived at the office, we were greeted by our CO: Gen. Jake Carlton of the US Marine Corps.

Gen. Carlton: Ah. If it isn't the Vanguards of Brussels.

Me and Nel saluted him. The General asked us to be at ease, which we did.

Gen. Carlton: You know why I called you boys here?

Nelson: No, sir. Why would you call us?

Gen. Carlton: Well, boys. I've already talked to many soldiers and marines who were at Brussels nearly 5 and a half months ago. Right now, they're the commanders of various Recon Teams tasked with finding small Fatui camps, as well as first contact with the other nations of Teyvat.

Both of us had realized what the General was talking about as I asked him.

Jason: You want us to lead our own Recon Team, General?

Gen. Carlton: Quite perceptive of you, Major. Yes, the two of you are in charge of a Recon Team. Major Hayes, you're the commander of this Recon Team, with Captain Halsey as your 2nd-in-Command.

Jason: It would be an honor to lead this team.

Nelson: I say the same, General.

Gen. Carlton: You two will also have another marine as 3rd-in-Command for your team. He should be coming in right about now.

Right on cue, someone had entered the room. We looked at who entered the room as both of us already knew who he is. In front of us was a 28 year old Trinidadian-American man with Dark Brown Eyes (although his left eye is paler than the right), short cornrows, a bullet scar at the side of his head, and a burned left arm. He's currently wearing his MARPAT uniform with the sleeves rolled up. He is well-known as the infamous "Devil Hound of Korea" that struck fear in the hearts and minds of the North Korean People's Army; this man was 1st Lieutenant Anthony Spain Towson.

Gen. Carlton: Gentlemen, 1st Lt. Towson here will be the 3rd-in-Command for your Recon Team. To say that the Vanguards of Brussels are working with the Devil Hound of Korea. Now, that would make for good press. But that's besides the point.

General Carlton stood up as he led the three of us outside. As we followed him, we saw many aircraft of various roles being brought out of the Gate. We saw helicopters like the AH-64E Apache Guardians, UH-60 Black Hawks, Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphins, and Bell AH-1Z Vipers; and fighters like the F-15EX Eagle II's, F/A-18E Super Hornets, F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning II's, SU-57 Felons, and even the retrofitted F-14 Tomcats. I swear, the ZWC is built differently from other weapon manufacturers. Right now, we're in front of a vehicle depot, where an M5 Patton IFV, Stryker ARV, and an Abrams-X are parked outside behind a group of 11 soldiers, marines, and special forces, all armed with different guns. This was their team, the 20th Recon Team.

Gen. Carlton: Gentlemen. I'd like you to meet the 20th Recon Team, your squad for your time here in Teyvat. Team, introduce yourselves to your CO's.

An Australian SAS soldier steps up to the trio as he salutes at them. He's a 20 year old Australian male with tan skin, sea green eyes, black hair, and he's wearing the uniform of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment.

Australian Soldier: I'm Ari Turrbal, a Captain of the 201st Espionage, Sabotage, and Counterterrorism Battalion of the Special Air Service Regiment. It's an honor to be under your command, sir.

After Ari, a female soldier from the German Army had stepped forward and saluted at the trio. She is a 19 year old German female with white skin, gray eyes, dark gray hair, and wearing a German Army uniform.

Female German Soldier: I'm Cpl. Erika Wolf; 6th Recon Battalion of the German Army. It's nice to meet and serve under all 3 of you.

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(A/N: I didn't really have the energy to write every member's introduction, so I'll show you what the other members look like. Do keep in mind that everyone in the team is wearing their combat gear, except the three CO's.)

Cpt. Marigold Inamika Eavinalétte (9th Marine Division, Philippine Marine Corps)

1st Lt. Mario G. Santillian (2nd Marksmen Division, Luna Marksmen Corps)

1st Lt. Callum S. Lynch (3rd Marine Raider Regiment, United States Marine Corps) (Yes, the hood is part of his fit)

1st Lt. Suriyothai Thepprasit (6th Recon Division, Southeast Asian Marine Corps)

2nd Lt. Nathan Whitman (1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps)

Fw. Senar Malicious (8th Search and Rescue Division, Kommando Spezialkräfte)

Cpl. Obadiah Zen Ectorius (1st Ranger Battalion, United States Army Rangers)

LCpl. Jose Garcia (1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps)

PFC Samantha Blackwell (3rd Commando Brigade, British Royal Marines)

PFC Dyler Katory (5th Counterterrorism Battalion, British Army)

PFC Davis Park (101st Airborne Division, United States Army)

(A/N: I tried my best to make the AI art. Sorry if it's inaccurate.)

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After their introductions, the three commanders had grabbed their gear as they started a conversation about a few things.

Anthony: Major Hayes, Captain Halsey. I meant to ask both of you about this, but how was it?

Jason: How was what exactly, Towson?

Anthony: Your experience in Brussels. I heard that the Fatui were brutal and merciless when the attack in the city began.

Nelson: Let's just say that it was an eye-opener for a lot of people. Especially knowing that we are truly not alone in the universe.

Jason: It was hell. But I guess the Korean Unification War was a worse hell for you. Is that right, Towson?

Anthony: Yes it was, Major. It was a different type of hell in Korea. I fought alongside my father there. I also made many friends there, ranging from some Korean marines to Southeast Asian soldiers to even a few airmen. I even lost my virginity to a female Korean marine in a bathroom in Seoul.

The trio shared a small laugh together as Anthony had lightened up the mood a little. That is, until he sadly sighed, which didn't go unnoticed by either marines.

Anthony: Until the Battle of Ranson happened. That fat dictator didn't want to lose his precious regime that his grandfather established with Stalin, so he launched that fucking nuke to the city. My dad jumped on me into a collapsing building as he protected me from the blast. After the dust had settled, we pushed out of the rubble and saw the death and destruction. I got lucky when most of my left arm burned off. My dad, however. He wasn't as lucky as me. His whole limbs and back were burned to a crisp. I brought his dying body to the nearest medic, but it was too late. He was dead, right in my arms. Most of my friends and my own company were wiped out from the blast.

He wanted to cry for his dad, but he was a Marine, just like his dad before him, as well as some of his younger brothers. So he held back his sadness. Jason knew his pain as well as he did. His dad was one of the American veteran volunteers who had joined the Russo-Ukrainian War. He died in a building that was near Sevastopol to a Wagner Group counter-sniper as he was tasked with destroying an entire battalion of regular Russian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries.

Nelson: He wanted you to live. As every parent wants their child to be. So defend his honor. Defend his legacy.

Anthony smiled as he was uplifted by the words that Nelson said as he stood up and grabbed his weapons. He was about to walk out the door, but he turned to face both of his fellow marines.

Anthony: By the way, call me Anthony.

Jason: Then call me Jason

Nelson: You have my express permission to call me Nelson.

Anthony: Then let's move.

The three marines grinned as they went out of their barracks towards the vehicle depot. As soon as they arrived, Anthony gave them an order.

Anthony: Wheels up in 5, people! Let's move!

Every soldier from the 20th Recon Team grabbed their gear as they boarded their respective vehicles: the three commanders at the Abrams-X Tank; the 6 enlisted soldiers/marines in the Patton, and the 5 officers at the Stryker. As soon as the engines roared to life, General Carlton had walked up to the front of the MBT as Jason opened the hatch and exited the tank.

Jason: Something the matter, sir?

Gen. Carlton: Yes. Our two guests wanted to come with you. I suppose it's about finding her brother.

Jason understood what the general told him as he knew how the story went. So did the generals, and basically everyone present in the base. A few seconds later, both Lumine and Paimon arrived at the vehicle depot; with Lumine wearing a MARPAT uniform, a military cap with shade, the FILBE gear, combat boots, and the IMTV bulletproof vest. She seems to also carry a DMR with a foregrip, a covered suppressor, and a hybrid thermal scope; while Paimon carries around a spotter scope, and is wearing a green jacket, a camo bucket hat with some flowers on it and the jacket, and some combat boots.

Gen. Carlton: She'll be your newest member in the team. Good luck with your mission.

Jason: Thank you, sir.

The general walks back to his office as both Lumine and Paimon went up to them and saluted him, with Jason responding in kind.

Jason: At ease *they do so* You two know that this won't be a fun adventure. This is serious. So I want you two to do what I say, when I say it. Is that clear?

Lumine: Yes, sir.

Paimon: You can count on us.

Jason: Now what did I tell both of you?

Lumine: Whatever you say, goes.

Jason: Good. Now, get in the Stryker. It's the vehicle with multiple wheels.

Both of them nodded as they boarded the Stryker. The three vehicles started driving out of the base and into the world of Teyvat.

They may encounter both dangerous and peaceful civilizations. Some people may like them, while others may not. But one thing's for certain: the JTF will make the Fatui learn the definition of "Fuck Around And Find Out" in more ways than one.

A few minutes after exiting the base, the 20th Recon Team stopped near a statue in an island inside a small lake. Jason activates the radio as he asks the team.

Jason: {Hey. Does anyone know what this statue is? Over.}

Paimon, who grabbed the radio of the Stryker, responds to Jason.

Paimon: {That's a Statue of the Seven. These statues are scattered all across Teyvat. The one we're seeing is the statue of the Archon of Anemo; or as you call it, wind.}

Jason: {Copy that. Lumine, you and Paimon go check out the statue. See if anything happens. Over.}

Lumine: {Roger that. Exiting the Stryker now. Over and out.}

Lumine grabs her DMR and exits the Stryker. As soon as she was on the lake's shore, she took off her FILBE gear and swam towards the island where the statue is. Afterwards, she walked towards the statue and touched it. When she did, the statue had started glowing and a strange power went into Lumine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT3dWT1GuQY

She felt a new power coursing inside her. A few minutes later, everything calmed down as she looked back at the convoy. Suddenly, a few Pyro slimes had appeared in front of them. Lumine, out of instinct, grabbed her sword and used her newfound power at the slimes, causing the swirl reaction. Jason, upon seeing Lumine fighting through the tank's targeting system, radioed her.

Jason: {Lumine. You alright?}

Lumine: {I'm fine. Heading back to the Stryker now.}

Both Lumine and Paimon headed back to the Stryker as they continued their mission. After the duo had boarded the ARV, the convoy drove through hostile uncharted territory, clearing out multiple hilichurl camps and slime packs. Along the way, a large dragon had flown past them, causing them to momentarily stop to process the information. Jason grabbed the tank's radio and hails the other two vehicles.

Jason: {Was that a dragon?}

1st Lt. Lynch: {Looks like it, Major.}

PFC Park: {Should we follow it, sir?}

After thinking about it for quite a while, Jason made up his mind.

Jason: {Let's follow it. See where it leads us.}

1st Lt. Lynch/PFC Park: {Roger that.}

Jason: Nel, follow the dragon.

Nelson: Copy that.

When Jason placed the radio back, Nelson grabbed the controls as he started driving towards the dragon's location, closely followed by the rest of the convoy. The dragon's flight path leads the team to a nearby forest, which is not that densely populated with flora and fauna.

Once the dragon landed near the edge of the forest, the convoy stopped and took cover as Jason, along with Lumine, Anthony, 2nd Lt. Nathan Whitman, and PFC Samantha Blackwell, got out of their respective vehicles with their weapons in hand: a CZ 805 BREN Assault Rifle (with a Hybrid Holographic Sight and a covered suppressor) for Blackwell, an M249E5 (with a 300-round magazine, M320 Grenade Launcher, a covered suppressor, and a T75 thermal sight) for Whitman, an M27 IAR (with an ACOG Squad Day Optic, AN/PEQ-16A weapon-mounted laser module (with visible laser), a foregrip, and a suppressor) for Anthony, and an Mk11 Mod 1 DMR (with a 30-round mag, a bipod, and a suppressor) for Jason.

The 5 marines tracked the dragon's current location. As they reached it, they saw someone with blue shaded hair wearing a green bard's outfit approach the dragon. It appears that the bard was trying to calm it down.

???: ...Don't be afraid. It's alright now, I'm back.

Both Paimon and Lumine were dumbfounded as the unknown bard was talking to the dragon. The four Marines

Paimon: Is he talking... to a dragon?

Suddenly, Lumine's elemental power started reacting with a crazy amount of power; which has caused the dragon to roar at the bard. The dragon tried slashing the bard, but he dodged. The Marines responded with suppressing fire as it tried to attack them.

???: No, wait!

The bard's pleas fell into deaf ears. Whitman loaded his grenade launcher with a high explosive grenade and shot it at the dragon, but the bard used his wind power to deflect it away from the dragon and into the treeline. In response, Blackwell shot the bard in the shoulder. This caused the bard to disappear into wind as the dragon started flying away, but not before Anthony shot a small tracker into the dragon's scales. Both Whitman and Blackwell went ahead and checked for any more hostiles. Then Anthony suddenly asked the group.

Anthony: What the hell was that?!

Paimon: Whatever it was, Paimon almost got blown away. Luckily, Paimon managed to grab hold of Lumine's hair.

Lumine: Good thing you didn't pull out my damn hair.

Paimon: Hair aside, just what was that? Paimon thought that we were gonna get eaten.

Jason: Don't know. But it may have to do something with that weird bard earlier. Besides that, I still can't believe dragons exist in this world. But is talking to dragons normal here?

Paimon: Of course not.

A few seconds later, Whitman walked up to the two commanders holding a crimson red crystal shaped as a tear.

Whitman: Sir, we found this on the spot where the dragon was.

Jason: Any idea what this is, Paimon?

Paimon: Paimon has never seen this type of crystal before, so Paimon can't tell what it is. All that Paimon knows is that it's dangerous. Best to put it away for now.

Jason: Lumine. Mind holding on to this?

Lumine grabbed the crystal and put it away. After that was done, the Marines headed back to the rest of the team as both Blackwell and Whitman boarded their respective vehicles. Jason, Anthony, Lumine, and Paimon stayed outside to scout the area on foot. Through tight gaps and dense forest, the 20th Recon Team managed to get out of the forest. Upon exiting the forest, they spot a walled city nearly one klick away. As they started moving towards the city, they heard someone yell.

???: Hey, you! Stop right there!

The voice was feminine, as they could tell. Then someone jumps at the rock in front of them. She is an 18 year old female with light fair skin, long brown hair, and golden eyes; wearing a red bow shaped like bunny ears, brown pilot goggles, two small bags with leather belts, a red and brown glove, a Pyro sigil emblazoned on a red and orange ribbon, a red jacket with long sleeves, a dark brown jumper outfit, and red stock on the white boots has symbols on it.

The Marines outside the vehicles were wary of their unexpected stranger, thus their grip on their guns is very tight.

???: May the Anemo God protect you, strangers!

(A/N: No, thanks. We got modern weapons and other types of military shit)

Amber: I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius.

The Outrider, now named Amber, introduced herself to the 20th Recon Team as she quickly became a bit skeptical of them.

Amber: You all don't look like citizens of Mondstadt. Explain yourselves.

Jason stepped forward as he put his DMR in his back and introduced himself to her.

Jason: Ma'am, we're not looking for trouble here.

Amber: Well, that's what all the troublemakers would typically say.

Jason: All that aside, my name's Jason.

Nathan (2nd Lt. Whitman): Name's Nathan.

Samantha (PFC Blackwell): I'm Samantha.

Anthony: I'm Anthony.

Lumine: Hello, I'm Lumine.

Amber: ...Those don't sound like local names to me.

She then looks at Paimon with both interest and skepticism.

Amber: And this... mascot, what's the deal with it?

The whole group, as a type of joke, told their answer at the exact same time to Amber while internally grinning.

J/A/N/S/L: She's our emergency food/rations.

Paimon took that offense a bit too seriously. So she retorted back at them.

Paimon: Hey! That's worse than being a mascot!

Anthony: Don't care, Rations.

Marigold got out of the Stryker with her AK-47 Mk.3 Assault Rifle (with a SIG Echo 3 Thermal Sight) in hand. She walked up to the group and saw Amber. Jason gestures to her that she's friendly as Marigold nods in acceptance. Amber then continued the talk between her and the Recon Team; this time, with a tone of interest.

Amber: So to sum it up, you're traveling partners, right?

Jason: In a way, yes.

Amber: Well look, there's been a large dragon sighted around Mondstadt recently. It's best to get inside the city as soon as possible.

20th Recon Team: 'Not like we'll need it, but best to play along.'

Amber: It's not far from here. I'll escort you there.

Paimon: Oh. Aren't you out here for another reason?

Amber: I am. But not to worry, I can keep you all safe while doing that too.

Jason: We're happy to help, if you want.

Amber: I'll look into the offer. Besides... I'm still not sure if I can trust you all just yet.

Anthony: It's always good to keep your suspicions, but don't tell it to anyone.

Amber: Oh, ahh... I'm sorry. Probably not something I should say as a knight. I give to you my apologies, uh... strange, but... respectable travelers.

Nathan: That was fake as hell.

Amber took offense to his reply, as she retorted.

Amber: Do you have something against the type of language usage prescribed by the Knights of Favonius Handbook?!

Nathan got angry at her for something as stupid as that, so he went up to her and grabbed her by her clothes as he looked at her with angry eyes.

Nathan: I don't, but I can tell the difference between a genuine apology and a fake one! So the next time you apologize to someone, you do it genuinely!

Jason quickly reacted when he grabbed Amber as he held his arm and looked at him dead in the eyes.

Jason: Whoa now. Calm down, man. Calm down and let her go.

Nathan reluctantly let Amber go as he had calmed down now.

Nathan: Sorry. Couldn't control myself.

Jason: It's fine. Just think of something that can calm you down.

Nathan: I will.

Jason looks at Amber as he smiles at her.

Jason: Lead the way, Miss Amber.

Amber smiles a bit as she leads them to where she was supposed to go first: a small hilichurl camp. Before arriving at the camp, they saw a group of hilichurls at the crest of a hill. Amber shot the first hilichurl she saw with a flaming arrow, killing it. Then the other hilichurls came towards them, but Nathan took care of them with his M249. Amber, who was clearly surprised at their unique weapons, looked at the group and asked.

Amber: What was that?

Jason was about to answer, but Anthony answered her first.

Anthony: That is known as a firearm, or a gun. It shoots out metal projectiles at speeds faster than sound. It's a reliable weapon, if you know how to handle it. And before you ask. No. You can't hold it. Not now, at least.

Amber felt sad that she can't hold it, but understood that she's not yet ready to hold it. When they arrived at the crest, they saw their target camp. Jason grabs his radio and hails the Patton IFV.

Jason: Park, do you copy?

PFC Park: {Loud and clear, sir!}

Jason: Bring the Patton here. We got a camp to mow down.

PFC Park: {Roger that. Heading to your location now.}

A few seconds later, the M5 comes in beside them as its main weapon: the M913 50mm chain gun. The gun opened fire at the camp, killing everyone on sight. One of the bullets hits a red barrel, causing a huge explosion that destroys the camp. Jason grins a little as he mutters.

Jason: "Mission Accomplished"

Amber, who was surprised and terrified, looked at the group with one question lingering in her mind.

Amber: 'Who are these people? Are they to be trusted?'

(Well, that's it for Chapter 2. Working on Chapter 3 right now. So it might take a while. Sayonara.)