[Sorry Endorsi. He doesn't feel bad about this at all.
And he hears those footsteps, he does, but Endorsi's not dead yet. She's still breathing, even if it's weak, her eyes are still meeting his, and his master said--Skirk said--
Don't look away until the light's gone.
So he can't turn. He can't risk making assumptions. He drives the metal down even deeper, breathing raggedly, hoping she'll die before he has to--
--but Zhongli's faster than he looks, and Childe feels the air moving, hears the sound of the rod in the air just a little too late. He tries to duck, but it's not far enough, and he yells again, knocked off of Endorsi and onto the ground beside her, bloodied hand coming up to grip at the back of his head in pain.
He fights through it enough to scramble around and get Zhongli in his line of sight, but there are spots in his vision, and he's moving a little slower now. Bad.]
[Childe dies instantly and frees me from having to ever write another strip check-- no okay.
It's easier this time, even with the throb of pain in his head. He's down, but he's not out yet, and this isn't the worst he's ever had. Nothing yet compares to that.
So he fights through it, and when the rod comes back towards him, he's ready. He catches it with both hands, and pulls the rod towards himself, lashing out with his foot towards Zhongli in the process. He's aiming for the knee, hoping he's got enough force behind his kick to break it--but he'll settle for a stumble. Anything to get Zhongli off-balance, to get the upper hand.]
Since baby Zhongli does not have his Jade Shield, Childe's hit connects and breaks his knee! Ow. Zhongli collapses to the floor, letting go of his rod in the process.
[If only they were about a decade older and (muffled spoiler noises), Childe would be having a great day.
As it is, though, a stranger is meaningless to him. He needs to survive this, and so he will. End of story.
As soon as Zhongli's grip on the rod loosens, Childe forces energy back into his muscles, surging up unsteadily to his feet. He swings the bar around as hard as he can, just to make sure Zhongli's well and truly down on the floor, then takes a second to catch his breath as he walks over to stand above him.
He looks down, and stares at his face, just for a moment--
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Still, Childe might want to be careful... because as he's doing this, Zhongli's dashing from behind, swinging his rod at Childe's head.]
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And he hears those footsteps, he does, but Endorsi's not dead yet. She's still breathing, even if it's weak, her eyes are still meeting his, and his master said--Skirk said--
Don't look away until the light's gone.
So he can't turn. He can't risk making assumptions. He drives the metal down even deeper, breathing raggedly, hoping she'll die before he has to--
--but Zhongli's faster than he looks, and Childe feels the air moving, hears the sound of the rod in the air just a little too late. He tries to duck, but it's not far enough, and he yells again, knocked off of Endorsi and onto the ground beside her, bloodied hand coming up to grip at the back of his head in pain.
He fights through it enough to scramble around and get Zhongli in his line of sight, but there are spots in his vision, and he's moving a little slower now. Bad.]
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The good news is that Endorsi isn't getting up. The bad news is that Zhongli doesn't hesitate to swing again at Childe.]
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It's easier this time, even with the throb of pain in his head. He's down, but he's not out yet, and this isn't the worst he's ever had. Nothing yet compares to that.
So he fights through it, and when the rod comes back towards him, he's ready. He catches it with both hands, and pulls the rod towards himself, lashing out with his foot towards Zhongli in the process. He's aiming for the knee, hoping he's got enough force behind his kick to break it--but he'll settle for a stumble. Anything to get Zhongli off-balance, to get the upper hand.]
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Since baby Zhongli does not have his Jade Shield, Childe's hit connects and breaks his knee! Ow. Zhongli collapses to the floor, letting go of his rod in the process.
Meanwhile, Endorsi perishes. Good job, Childe!]
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As it is, though, a stranger is meaningless to him. He needs to survive this, and so he will. End of story.
As soon as Zhongli's grip on the rod loosens, Childe forces energy back into his muscles, surging up unsteadily to his feet. He swings the bar around as hard as he can, just to make sure Zhongli's well and truly down on the floor, then takes a second to catch his breath as he walks over to stand above him.
He looks down, and stares at his face, just for a moment--
--then takes a breath, and swings the bar down.]
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Aka Childe bashes Zhongli's head in. Enjoy the moment for your future self, Childe.
... Not that he can for very long, before he's whisked away again.]