An Encounter #6
Uhhh I'm back, I guess…
WARNING: This chapter is rated C for 100% CRINGE! VIEWER ARE ADVISED xD
Recap: Despite of their journey was quite tough but Aether and Painon still managed to meet Mountain Shaper "safety"…He thought all of his next mission will probably go well like this but…
Somewhere in Cloud Retainer's Domain…
"LET OFF ME YOU PERVERT!" A girl shouted and crying out loud at the golden hair boy traveler…She seemed to be in awkward situation….
"Do you want to die now or what…" The golden hair boy was trying to hold her while that girl was almost on the verge of dying…
Why did it come into this…?
2 hours ago…Top of the Aocang mountain...
"This is the place" Aether and Paimon had finally reached the next destination…"Climbing and climbing all over again…" He didn't bother to count how many mountains he had climbed…there were so many of them...
To be worse because he didn't notice how high of the mountain was and he just climbed blindly therefore he got fell off quite often while climbing…but with his teleport ability, he managed to get out alive quite easily but then he had to get back to the starting point over again…The same thing happened when he tried to reach some certain spot as well by swimming… (*)
"I hope this is the last time"…Aether reached to the teleport way point and actived it and it glowed into a light blue color…"So…how can we meet the next adepti…"
Aether and Paimon looked around and found a stone tablet and a stone table.
"They've even set it ready for dinner, there's a wine jug and everything..." Paimon inspected the table.
"Seem like we have to make some offering then…let's go find some ingredients" Aether said.
A few minutes later…they managed to find all the needed ingredients…but there were some problems…
"Sigh…buried ingredients all over again…how long it was buried anyways…" Aether sighed…He hoped the adepti will accept them…"Help me with the cooking Paimon…there're so many foods to make…"
He thought that fairy could at least cook some simple food for him…
That what he thought so…
"But…" She stuttered… then saw him was staring blankly at her …
"You can't even cook do you…?"
"I'm…I sorry Aether I can't cook…" She was so scared and begged him…
"WHAT ARE YOU!?" Aether shouted while sandwiching her with two pieces of bread…Where did he get those breads anyways…
"An Idiot Emergency Sandwich…" She cried…
He facepalmed…he was wondering why he was still keeping this fairy…"Alright, help me gather all ingredients then…It's Teyvat Master Chef time!"
With his cooking skill, Aether made some delicious offering dishes ready in a flash and put all of these into the table…Just then, they heard a loud mechanism's sound in front of them…They looked up and saw a door to enter the domain was revealed.
"Why the adepti are so complicated…" Paimon complained as they had so many troubles already…
"Let's go then…I don't want to get anymore bad luck for today…" Aether shook his head.
He shouldn't have said that…
Just when he about to enter the domain, he heard someone was running toward him like a beast…He turned around and saw…
A wild purple cat-like girl was after him…
"Quick! Paimon let's go…someone is going to kill us if we don't" Aether freaked out as he quickly grabbing Paimon and ran straight through the door…
"Oh no you don't!" Keqing threw the stiletto and teleport right after, trying to reach him…
…
Domain's Entrance
When Aether and Paimon had gone through inside the domain… they heard some clicking sound as they turned back, the door was closed…He checked around and didn't spot the purple cat like girl anywhere…
"Seem like we have lost her…*whew*". Aether said
But…
A strong tugged from behind Aether's cape made him fell off the ground…His spine then went death cold because he knew who did it…He opened his eyes and saw the purple cat-hair girl was standing in front of him…pointing her sword to his throat…
"No more running to you this time" Keqing was so confident with her victory…there was no way he could escape that easily anymore… But suddenly she made a deathly glare at him "And where are you looking at…?" She growled
For some reason…Aether while he was being pinned down to the ground his eyes couldn't avoid gazing at Keqing's long slender leg inside her black tight as well her attractive body by looking up…she still wore that purple skirts when he first met her in the ritual incident…
"What…You pinned me down here…how could I not able to look at you…" Aether sighed…"You think I was going to say you are cute?"
A weird moment of silent between them and they didn't do anything…just staring at each other…why did they suddenly stop fighting?...
…
Wait…
What…did he just say to her?...
Did he say Keqing was cute while she was trying to kill him!?
Now Aether just bought himself to death by blabbing some stupid random thought from his mind…She might think he was provoking her…Aether tried to take his word back but with her sword pointed right in his face…he couldn't do that…Her face was completely reddened while she was gripping her sword very tight like she was about to finish him off soon…
Well technically he can't die in this world…he just simply teleported away if there any dangerous or being incapacitated but then he has to start from the beginning again which leading to the worst thing is: unless he gets it done, he has to do it over and over again many times…
He hoped she still remembered the deal with the adeptus by not killing him at least but with the situation like this…she most likely wouldn't.
"Rest in peace myself" Aether closed his eyes as he prayed with his last words…while Paimon was hiding behind a large rock at the corner…
1 second…
2 second…
3 seconds had passed…
…
Nothing happened…
"I'm not dead…yet…what's happening…" Aether still hadn't dared opening his eyes yet…but he heard someone keep mumbling…
"Cute…" A familiar voice that was threatening him before but it was softer…
"I'm cute" That mumbling voice repeated again a few more time then
"Aaahhh…!" A scream came out…
Aether opened both of his eyes wide open and he was surprised as he saw a unfamiliar scene…a scene that none was able to see but he was the first one to see it:
A flustering Keqing was in front of him… Her face was flushed and shaken not because she was scared of his power or anything related about the domain…it was about his word he said earlier…
She got a compliment from him…an unknown golden hair boy Traveler from another world…
Of course, she used to get a lot of compliments and praising by many people but she simply ignored all of them because she knew most of them were just flattery and they said so to get something from high status people like her. She hated these dumb liar sugar words came out from those people…And top of all, Keqing is a workaholic person…she spent most of her time on working only and didn't pay attention to anything like these…Until now…
Aether was completely stranger to Keqing…he knew nothing or didn't want anything from her…the only impression they had now were nothing but a blond hair traveler was being so-called "Assassin" by her and a troublesome purple cat hair girl was chasing him all the time…Yet he still called her "cute"…
Although it was just a simple compliment but it was enough to make her confusing…
Aether saw this was a chance to turn the table while she was distracting, he started to take action by quickly rolled to the side and summoned his sword. Keqing was surprised and tried to attack him back but he dodged. With his nimble movement, he managed to get close Keqing then disarming her sword without harming her with his swift strike.
"Can we just stop fighting for while…" Aether tried to stop Keqing but…
She just stood there…gazing lifelessly at the Traveler and didn't even bother her surrounding or what he just did to her…still trying to process the word "Cute" he said to her…
"Uhh it seems like she's suffering from a minor trauma…probably fainted now" Paimon went out from her hiding place and went to check on Keqing "Don't worry…she will back to normal soon™"
Of course, this was such a perfect opportunity to Aether and Paimon if they don't want to get caught by that purple hair girl again but leaving a vulnerable young girl alone in the middle of the dungeon like this was not a good idea…also he didn't like that either…
"Although she's quite annoying but we can't abandon her like this…at least for now, Paimon…" Aether facepalmed…not sure this was lucky or not…
"Ohhohoho a damsel in distress huh?" Paimon smirked…made him even more amused…
"Just whatever" Aether said while carrying Keqing. "Let's get somewhere safe first…"
Soon later they had found a suitable place and decided to take a rest…
Aether put Keqing laid back on a clean soft bed was quick made by him then sit near to her while watching her sleep… He could still smell the scent of her perfume was still clinging on his clothes when he carried her all the way to here…
"*Sigh* What am I being dragged into…?" This is the second time he had to carry her like this…but for some reason he didn't even feel bored about it…
"She wasn't heavy as I thought and soft like a pillow too…hmmm" He mumbled then suddenly covered his mouth "…wait why am I thinking about her weight…damm it! I'm not a pervert…" He tried to fight his own thought but he couldn't conceal his crimson face
"Hmm thinking about her again eh hehehe…" Paimon teased him again…
"What? Am I not allowed to say a compliment to her just once?" Aether continued "If she is cute…-"
Before he could finish his line, he heard someone was waking up...he turned back and saw Keqing had woken slowly…he was so dead now…
"Cute…" A weakly voice from Keqing…She still repeat the word he said which was 30 minutes ago…Her eyes were still half-lidded as her surrounding's view was still blurry from waking up right after. when she was aware of her surroundings…She was quite shocked when she saw…
That blond hair Traveler was staying near and gazing closely at her…
Keqing quickly jumped back summoned her sword and pointed at him…but she couldn't hold it tightly…Aether could saw her sword kept vibrating since she was shaken for unknown reason
"You…y..ou pre…vert…I…I…will…kill…you" She tried to spoke out but kept stuttering instead…and her face was flushing deep red…
Hey calm down…I didn't do anything to you…I just-" Aether knew what she was misunderstanding about…he tried to convince and calm her down but no result.
"NO I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Keqing screamed and panicked while she kept swinging her sword wildly…
"Woaahhh…" Paimon quickly dodged her strike and few to the high position.
If this situation kept continuing like this Keqing would hurt herself as well as him and Paimon.
"Calm down, Keqing!" Without hesitation and with quick nature reflex, Aether approached close to Keqing and forced her to drop her sword by holding her hand tight…
When her sword fell to the ground, Keqing was staring at him… those amethyst eyes were wide open looking at him as they were about to cry. She was feeling nervous, her heart was racing, and her face was still beat red…In short, she was so confusing now…
Aether on the other hand looked down at her flushed face, he could feel his face was hot like being burned too but there was not even any "heat source" nearby…Then he reazlied something so so wrong…
He was holding her hand with his while the other hand was holding her waist to prevent her from falling…This action is normal if they are friend, acquaintance or companion at least but they are none of them unfortunately…
"What am I doing…why my body is acting on its own…what should I do now…aahhhh!" Aether's mind was going nuts while his body still frozen in the same pose as he gripping her hand…He only pay attention after he heard a small voice…
"Uhhh…can you…" Keqing said shyly and felt like she was about to cry "…can you…let go of my hand please…you are hurting me…"
"Sorry!" Aether quickly release his hand from her after he helped her up again…they turned their face away right after that…hiding their flushed face from each other…
Took them a while to calm themselves out then Aether told Keqing what happened while she was fainted out…
'Well, I still have not believed at what you said but I will let these off…for now" Keqing said bluntly with her usual monotone voice.
Keqing is always a skeptical person even with the Gods…she always doubts about the God's work despite of what he had done to them…What if, one day, Rex Lapis stops fulfilling his duty? People were relying on the God…what would become of the people of Liyue? Unwilling to compromise on her beliefs, she cast her skepticism on everything — everything from Rex Lapis' loving-kindness, to the people's laziness, to the way that society runs.
And that golden hair boy Traveler wasn't an exception either…he became the only suspected person who was very close to the ritual and his action at that time had made it even worse for him. But he didn't bother about it.
"Whatever if you believe it or not…what are you planning to do then?" Aether asked. He wasted so much time on these stuffs and need to move up fast.
Keqing was the person who's want to find out the truth to the end no matter what happen. And she finally made her decision…
"I want to find out more about Rex Lapis…There's so much thing I want to find out too…" Keqing said with her determination…"Beside I don't want a "Criminal" running all over Liyue or Teyvat" she growled again…
"Yeah right…missy" Aether sighed…while Paimon was hiding somewhere nearby and witnessing the whole thing just now as she busted out the best laugh she ever had in secret…
Later a group of slime was approaching them, they are not really strong but have quite a large number…Aether and Keqing noticed them as they draw their sword and prepare for the battle. Just right on time to test their coordination ability.
"Well then time to try our co-operation I guess" Aether began to moved up…"I will take the front, you cover me, ok?"
"How about you cover me and I will take the front huh!?" Keqing shook her head as she threw the stiletto and charging toward them.
"Wait…!"
"Cut to the chase!" Keqing used the same attack that she used on the Aether during that ritual incident…They were multiple powerful and strong electro attack slashed on these slimes and killed a quite a lot of them…but there was another wave coming, Keqing used the different tactic but with the same patten to strike them but this time it didn't went right…
Immume…
Immume…
Immume…
Keqing didn't deal any damage to those slimes, she then realized those smiles she was fighting were…
Electro smile…
Keqing tried to attack them but with her sword was still fusing with electro element those slimes just simply absorbed all of them, even when the fusing was worn off, her physical attack wasn't verry effective… Basically she couldn't do anything and had to take a few steps back…
"Get behind me" After caught up with Keqing, Aether summoned a few Geo boulder to create a wall to stop any of these slimes from getting closer to her…He quickly jumped on top of these then throwing those bombs Klee made for him to those Electro smile
"EXPLOSION!...HAHAHAHAH BOMBS GO BRRTTTT!" Aether shouted while kept bombarding those poor electro slimes, dealing massive pyro and overload damage… Meanwhile Keqing was freaked out about what his doing and Paimon was just staring at him without any emotion since she had used to it.
A short moment later those slimes were completely blown up without any traces. Aether went back on Keqing to check on her and quite relieved when she wasn't injured…
"Are you ok?" He asked…
"I…I…I'm fine…thanks for…your help" Keqing looked away, embarrassed for her reckless move.
"Be careful next time, ok? You can hate me for whatever reason but save it when we are out…I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me" Aether sighed.
Keqing only nodded as they continued to move on…
30 minutes later…
Aether, Paimon, and Keqing had gone much deeper and faster in the dungeon thanks to their efficient, fast synergies attacks, they had defeated so many enemies...Only a few more obstacle and they would reach Cloud Retainer…
The group reached into a dead end and saw a device and some fire totems…After investigating they found out that they need to light up in the correct order to create a wind current which helping them to reach higher position…
"Seem like it's time to do this" Before Aether could do something, Paimon stopped him…
"Stop! Do you want to blow this place like the last time!?" Paimon whispered…
"No…if I use too much that troublesome girl here will notice about what we've done in Hulao" Aether took out his glove then went to the torch nearby…
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Keqing was surprised when she saw him put his hand into the fiery torch and burned his own hand then quickly rushed to the fire totem…
"Wind blade!" a gust of wind was formed and combined with the flame in Aether's hand, creating a fire vortex and it quickly lighted up the pyro's totem one by one until the device was active (**)
Later they heard the sound of a wind current was created from device.
"Not bad at all…" Paimon said…
"Said by a useless fairy…" He replied ironically…"Let's go everyone"
The group jumped to the wind current and flew to the upper platform, Aether reached first and then Paimon…the only one left was Keqing, when she almost had reached it…there was one problem…
The wind suddenly died off…
Keqing tried to control her glider to at least reaching the edge of the platform but failed and might falling into to the deep hole right below her…much worse she didn't have enough stamina anymore…
"Aaaaaa!" A shrieking sound from Keqing…but then…
A hand had caught hers…
Keqing looked up and saw it was nobody stranger but the Traveler…
"Hang on" Aether tried to grip his hand tight, trying to pull her up…
The person she called him "Idiot", "Pervert", "Criminal" saved her again while he could have let her fall and die but he did not. Instead, he was trying to save her and she also discovered that his hand was injured from being burned by the torch earlier...
Her mind "exploded" again…
"LET OFF ME YOU PERVERT!" Keqing shouted out loud at the golden hair boy traveler…yet she was still holding his hand firmly…
"Do you want to get fell off to your death now or what…" Aether tried to calm her down while pulling her up slowly…
…
Back to the present
2 minutes later…Aether had managed to pull Keqing to him safety… Keqing after being saved by him again was now speechless and avoid his gaze. Basically, She felt so embarrassed by what for what she had done to him earlier yet he still tried to save her…
"We should be here now" Aether said as they saw a crane was in front of them….
The crane looked at Aether, Paimon and Keqing then began to talk: "One is most impressed. The path that leads through this abode defies those of ordinary abilities. The one before you is the adeptus, Cloud Retainer. Now, speak of the matter which brings you here."
Aether explained what happened in Liyue Harbor.
After Cloud Retainer heard what Aether said to him, she was surprised and very angry about Rex Lapis was killed right in the middle of the ritual…
"Rex Lapis... Assassinated!? How can this be!? Such a heinous crime... Who would dare?" Cloud Retainer said with intimidating voice then stared directly into Keqing… "Hmmm…The Qixing wasn't it?...Perhaps one shall squash Liyue first, then convene with the other adepti–"
Aether, and Keqing were shocked about Cloud Retainer was going to do, she tried to explain to her:
- We didn't do anything; he just suddenly fell off from the sky and-…
"It is as you say. Your people've been entrusted to protect Liyue, but if Rex Lapis has indeed been murdered, then Liyue is in great peril... and you have failed us…To delay in quashing the threat is to invite further disaster"
Keqing was hopeless, didn't dare to speak back to Cloud Retainer because it would only be fueling the fire even more…The only solution now was making a Contact with Cloud Retainer to prevent the destruction by the offering food which Cloud Retainer had accepted outside the domain earlier but the problem was those were Aether's offering not her…
And she had to ask for help from that blond hair Traveler again…
"Please help us…"…Keqing begged him
He didn't want Liyue, a beautiful city gets destroyed just because Rex Lapis was assassinated while still hadn't finding out the cause and the culprit yet. Not to metion that…
Keqing's begging face was like a little kitten asked for its food…those amethyst eyes were keep staring wide open at him while locked his arm into her, making his face redden.
"Stop making that cute face please…" He mumbled then moved forward and talked to Cloud Retainer: "You accepted our offering, that makes this a contract"
Cloud Retainer was surprised: ""Contract..." A cruel irony that you should appeal to the notion after the merciless murder of the God of Contracts himself… Nevertheless... Since you come here in the name of contracts, far be it from one to abandon one's own contractual obligations.
"Or at least let's... y'know, discuss it first? Can't hurt for you to get a second opinion" Paimon joined…
Cloud Retainer was thinking for a while then came into an agreement but still warned them: "This keepsake cannot be taken as proof of your trustworthiness. One must investigate the claims that you make independently…and that Qixing will come with you…. Now leave at once, and disturb me no further"…
The group then teleported outside the domain; they had returned back to top of the Aocang mountain…Another task was done…
"Alright time to have some rest after all of this…" Aether was too exhausted…all he wanted now was to go home and called it a day. "Ouch…" He checked his wounded hand and saw it went a bit worse…
"Oh no your hand…we need to treat it now" Paimon said with worried…
"It's ok…we can go home and treat later" Aether tried to hide the pain but got interrupted by Keqing
"Give me your hand" Keqing took his wounded hand while removing part of her sleeve and used it as a bandage to cover his wound…
"Thanks…Keqing" Aether said as he stared at Keqing while she bandaged his wound very carefully. He didn't feel the pain from the wound and also didn't notice his face was blushing too…
"Hmph! Consider as my thanks for today…there won't be any next time" She mumbled…
Just about the treatment was done…Aether heard a group of people was heading to them, Paimon went out to check and saw a group of Millelith…Aether quickly clean up their stuff and started to move out of here…
"Ahh crap it's time to disappear now…let's go, Paimon" Aether activated the teleportation and both of them disappeared in an instant…
"Wait…" Keqing tried to called them but they were gone…A few second later a group of Millelith arrived…
"Miss Keqing are you alright…?" Ganyu asked "Sorry but the investigation about the explosion at the Hulao Mountain took us too long…Have you seen him and what happened to your sleeve…?"
"I'm fine…I just got tripped and it teared my sleeve off…Sorry he was gone before I reached here…" She lied…
"That's too bad…I want to see him..." Ganyu said with a disappointment then noticed something "But I don't see any injuries on your arm yet your sleeve was teared?"
"I..I..." Keqing looked away, avoiding her question...but she also curious about Ganyu too "Why do you want to see him…?"
"That…that's my personal…reason okay…" Ganyu stuttered, looking away to hide her tomato face…
"Al..alright then…let's head back…" Keqing said as the group started to return to Liyue.
Keqing's house…Midnight…
A certain Yuheng was alone in her room, trying to sleep but couldn't at the moment since lot of things happened today…
"What's wrong with me today…this isn't feel so right…" Keqing rolled over the bed…thinking about that golden hair boy Traveler…"I still haven't known his name yet…"
"Cute…" She mumbled that word Aether had said to her today, she could feel her cheek a bit warm and reddening…
6th Encounter End.
(*) Climbing without any waypoints nearby is a pain…you have to do it over again if you're run out of stamina while haven't reached the destination yet…
(**) You can infuse element with your E skill (Anemo Traveler) from the elements on the target as well as elements affecting the Traveler too…on this case he made a Pyro vortex by burning himself...
Keqing actually doesn't really used to getting complimented or hardly be friend with someone like Xiangling for example (Took her a lot of effort to do it)…Just not too much but I tuned to the max xD
As always, thank you so much for your support/comment! I will return soon™...