Chapter 7
Swords and an Endless Fall
One month after the Stormterror Crisis
Lumine, Will, Yoimiya, an Electro Arch-Lector, and a Herald Battlemaster all stood around a large, circular table in the Abyss Order's Stronghold. Pulled tight across the table was a map of the entire domain they were in, and glowing purple lines stretched from every island to the ones around it, representing the trails of lowered gravity that allowed them to leap from one landmass to the next. Over the past week, Will and Yoimiya had worked side by side with the Abyss Order's forces on scouting runs, guard shifts, and strategy meetings. Though it had been difficult at first, the Abyss Order's forces had slowly begun to trust them, and today, Lumine had called the two of them to the final strategy meeting.
The Ronin forces had been busy in that time as well, nearly reaching the Abyss Stronghold. If they didn't make a move soon, the gateway would be knocked wide open, and the Ronin would enter the Abyss. If that happened, there were a number of disasters that could occur, ranging from the Abyss's corruptive energy escaping the domain and running rampant, a complete genocide of the Abyss Order's home, or even the Ochimusha they now knew was leading the invasion discovering how to harness the Abyss energy for their own gain. Needless to say, none of those outcomes would be good.
"This is where our scouts have reported that the Ronin fortress is," Lumine said, pointing to an island upon which a massive ruin, even bigger that the one the Abyssal Stronghold was built inside. "According to them, the fortress is, like our stronghold, built inside of the ruin. Fortunately, that gives us a slight advantage, in that these ruins were originally built long ago, by the ancient Abyss race, and therefore, we know how to deactivate the traps built into the ruin."
Will narrowed his eyes at the map. "That assumes we can get to the stronghold. They outnumber us two to one, not to mention the scouts reported that they reprogrammed many of the masterless Ruin Machines on Seirai Island to act as sentries, assault forces, and aerial squadrons," he pointed out, to which Lumine nodded.
"That is true, however, our magic users should be able to deactivate the aerial machines from a distance. The reprogrammed Guards and Sentinels will be more of a challenge," she replied, but Will still wasn't entirely convinced.
"Hm… these islands… they're connected by the Electro energy present in this domain, right?" he asked.
"Yes, that's correct, but what does that have to do with anything?" Alpholox, the Arch-Lector replied. Will nodded.
"I think the Heralds, Hilichurls, and I can keep the ground based Ruin Sentinel and Ronin forces busy for a time. While we do this, Alpholox, if the Abyss Mages project their shields to form a barrier over your heads, and Yoimiya and the Hilichurl archers distract the airborne ruin sentinels, do you think you and your Lectors could do something to play with that Electro current running between the islands, and move them around?" Will suggested. Alpholox considered the idea.
"It's certainly possible, although we don't have time to test it out, and even with all of our Violet Lightning Lectors focusing at once, I don't know how many currents we could control. It might be better to just cause an Overloaded reaction with Pyro spells, and destroy the currents entirely," the Lector responded, but Yoimiya shook her head.
"Maybe, but won't that send the islands flying away? What if it creates a chain reaction and destroys the entire domain, with everyone in it?" she said, and Lumine nodded.
"Yoimiya is right. Let's save destroying the currents as a last resort only to be used if the Ronin breach the gates to the Abyss. Until then, let's plan to try and control the islands' movements by harnessing the Electro currents," the Abyss Princess agreed.
Alpholox nodded. "As you wish, Princess."
"So we may have a way to manipulate the terrain to suit us, and our ranged and aerial forces can deal with the airborne ruin sentinels and hunters. Will, I want you and Battlemaster Serin to come up with a plan to take out the ruin guards, ground sentinels, and Ronin. Our estimates have the Ronin arriving inside the Ruins in one hour," Lumine explained. "By that time, I want our forces assembled at ambush locations within the ruins. We'll take them by surprise, force them out, and then keep pushing back until we reach their fortress."
"Where will you be during this battle, Princess?" the Herald called Serin asked, and Lumine looked at him with a grin.
"Where do you think? Leading the vanguard, of course."
Serin nodded. "Very well. It's a risky plan on your part, but I know better than to question your judgment," he replied. Lumine nodded.
"Then ready your forces. We attack in one hour."
Will breathed in and out, slowly and quietly as he waited, hidden in a crevice in the wall as the Ronin moved down the hallway. The rogue samurai, treasure hoarders, and Ruin sentinels slowly progressed towards the ambush site where Will, the Hilichurls, and the Abyss heralds all waited with bated breath, and weapons ready to strike. He held up a hand as the first of the samurai walked right passed him, completely oblivious to the fact that he had led his troops into a trap.
With a flick of his wrist and a shout from his lungs, Will charged out of the crevice and plunged his sword through the Nobushi. Moments later, a pair of heralds were beside him, sending waves of Hydro energy through the air at the enemies behind the now vanished Nobushi that was at Will's feet. Meanwhile, Alpholox and his Lectors disintegrated any enemies that managed to get passed Will and the Heralds.
"Charge! Push them back!" Will exclaimed, waving his sword like a flag glowing with Anemo power. The Abyss Order followed his lead as his blade clashed against Samurai Katanas left and right, and his Cryo Delusion froze some in place only for them to get blasted into a wall by a pulse of Anemo energy from his Vision. In mere seconds, they had already reclaimed the rest of the ruin and were on the verge of sending the rest of the Treasure Hoarders and rogue samurai out of the temple.
With a shout of ferocity, Will thrust his hands forward and launched the remaining samurai out of the Ruin, following after them shortly after, his blade in one hand. But then, his jaw dropped and he skidded to a sudden halt, holding up a hand behind him to tell his group to stop. The Ronin army was massive, supplemented by various Ruin guards and sentinels on foot, all gathered on one large island outside of the ruin. Hovering in the air was a fleet of Ruin Hunters, Scouts, and Cruisers, all staring back at the human which led the Abyss Order.
A loud, cackling laugh rang out from the Ronin force. The lawless samurai army parted its ranks, and from the center of the armada walked a large humanoid wearing supremely intimidating armor, and wielding a wicked Katana. Their face was covered by a demonic oni mask, and all around their body swirled auras of purple Electro and red Pyro energy. But then, Will saw a small dot flickering on the ground. It was Yoimiya, signaling to him that her forces were in position with a tiny mirror and flame, and he nodded slightly before interrupting the Ronin samurai's speech before it could begin. He let out a war cry, and the Abyss ground army charged, the mage unit right behind them.
Will made a beeline for the purple and red Ochimusha, while the Heralds charged at the Ruin guards and sentinels, and the Hilichurls, Mitachurls, and Lawachurls clashed with the Nobushi and Treasure Hoarders. Will's sword struck the Ochimusha's, staggering his foe as he leaped away just in time for the Lumine to switch in and continue the attack where he left off. Her gold and white sword flashed through the air, striking with lightning fast speed, and a golden bolt of energy swallowed the blade. When her blade next hit its target, there was a deafening explosion as the golden lightning created a shockwave that surged outward in all directions, vaporizing many of the weaker Treasure Hoarders instantly and short circuiting a large amount of the Ruin Machines.
At the same time, the airborne ruin machines unleashed a deluge of rockets and energy on the mages, but the Abyss mages were ready. In a single moment, they dissipated their shields and reformed them as a reinforced magic shield of Cryo, Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Dendro, Anemo, and Geo above themselves and the Lectors, who had their eyes closed and their hands clasped together as they chanted lines from their magical Catalysts. All the rest of the Abyss Order had to do was buy them as much time as possible. The barrage from the Hunters and aerial sentinels exploded away from the Abyss Order's shield, and in response, Yoimiya and her Hilichurl archer squadron launched a counterattack of fireworks and arrows, drawing their flying enemies' attention away from the Mages.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly to plan when suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. "Alpholox! Please tell me that's your doing!" Will shouted out, but to his shock, the Lector was just as surprised as he was.
"It's not! You've got Graders incoming!" he called back, pointing with one hand as three massive Ruin Graders dug themselves out of the ground, their eyes glowing with raw power.
Will sighed. "Well, it wouldn't be as fun if we were the only ones packing surprises!" he said, charging at the first Grader while calling the Lawachurls to his side. Will leaped into the air with a blast of Anemo power, impaling the ruin grader's eye up to the hilt of his sword.
His Cryo delusion flared with bright cyan light, and ice began spreading from his sword, covering the Grader's body. It flailed around in a desperate attempt to throw him off, but Will held on tight to his blade, and after a brief struggle, the machine was completely frozen solid. He pulled his sword from the Grader's eye and jumped down, cupping a hand to his mouth.
"Hit it now!" He shouted to two of the Lawachurls as they finished wrestling another Grader to the ground, ripping off one mechanical arm in the process. They let out a roar and charged at the frozen colossus, and rammed into it with their shoulders, shattering the now brittle construct into pieces.
Another series of explosions then rang out behind Will, and he turned around to see that the Ruin Hunters and airborne sentinels had hit Yoimiya's archer group with a barrage of rockets and laser beams. "Yoimiya!" he cried out as he saw his friend get launched into the air like a ragdoll. Serin then flew in out of nowhere and began relentlessly attacking the last Grader.
"Go! We've got this one!" he shouted, and Will nodded a silent thank you back to him before dashing over to Yoimiya. He conjured volleys of icy projectiles and sent them flying at the lead Ruin Hunter, which turned when the shards embedded themselves into its metallic shell. It quickly located its attacker and fired off a massive beam of Pyro energy at Will, who didn't expect it to retaliate with such unbelievable speed. Before he could even blink, his eyes were overwhelmed by a bright flash of light.
But nothing came, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw Vilhelm floating in front of him with a determined look on his face, intensely focusing on projecting his Electro shield into the path of the beam. But even that was not enough as the barrier began to fracture, before shattering entirely. Both Will and Vilhelm were sent flying back, hitting the ground, and skidding over the edge, saved from an endless drop only by Will. He grabbed Vilhelm's wrist in one hand and stabbed his sword into the ground with the other, and then the two hung there perilously.
Lumine saw the pair get thrown over the edge, and she let out a shout, striking at the Ochimusha with her blade and sending them staggering back. She ran over to try and help them, but to no avail as the Pyro and Electro spirit hit her in the back with a devastating blast of electro energy, and then followed up with a fireball, blasting her into the air with a crippling Overloaded reaction. Her vision became hazy from the sudden attack, and she fell to the ground. She grunted in pain as she tried to force herself up, blood leaking into one eye, watching as the Ochimusha walked over to Will and Vilhelm, who were hanging from the side of the island by just Will's sword.
"Princess! We need more time!" Alpholox shouted from the entrance of the Abyss Order's ruins as another barrage of explosions rained down on the mage's shields. Yoimiya pushed herself up, bruised but not beaten, and she screamed as she fired off a rapid series of flaming arrows at the Ruin Hunters, Scouts, and Cruisers in the air. A Geo rifthound speed up to her and barked, lowering its back to the ground. She climbed onto its back, and then the pair charged at the Ronin army, clawing and shooting their way through dozens of treasure hoarders and Ruin sentinels.
The Ochimusha laughed evilly, swiping his sword through the air to create a shockwave of Pyro and Electro that expanded in all directions. But Will and Vilhelm weren't out of the fight just yet.
"Urgh… Vilhelm!" Will grunted, and the Abyss Mage looked up. "Are you ok to keep fighting?"
The mage nodded. "I think so… What's your plan?" he replied as the samurai spirit drew closer.
"Get ready, I'm going to swing you up behind that Samurai. Try to keep him busy, and then I'll attack him from behind. Think you can do that for me?" Will asked, and Vilhelm nodded.
"I'll do my best," he replied, and Will grinned.
"That's all I can ask for. Get ready, you're going up in three…"
The Ochimusha stepped ever closer.
"Two…"
Will began swinging back and forth.
"One…"
His speed increased as he created small shockwaves of Anemo power from his feet to swing faster and faster.
"Go!" Will shouted, creating a spiral of Anemo power and sending Vilhelm flying into the air. The Mage shot a torrent of Electro spells as he flew overhead, landing on the ground behind the Ochimusha. He floated into the air, his shield reformed around him just in time to deflect a sword strike. Moments later, Will had pulled himself back onto the island, and he thrust both hands forward.
A blast of Anemo careened into the Ochimusha, but it was to little effect as the spirit manifested an orb of electro behind Will, only to then fire off a barrage of Pyro attacks which sent Will flying with a powerful overloaded reaction. The boy screamed as he flew through the air, hitting the ground close to where Lumine was lying. At the same time, the Ochimusha was slowly forcing his blade into Vilhelm's shield, the tip of the blade already a few inches inside of the barrier.
The Ochimusha laughed suddenly, and his blade glowed with a malevolent red hue, imbuing it with the element of Pyro. With a single grunt, he forced the blade all the way through the barrier and into the mage, which launched the electro affected Vilhelm back with yet another overloaded reaction. The spirit let out a bloodcurdling screech as he laughed, his voice sounding like a multitude of others. He approached the wounded Vilhelm, and the sword that struck him slashed through the air, sending droplets of black blood flying.
The Ochimusha stared down at the wounded Abyss mage, an aura of menacing power swirling around him. The Ronin Samurai laughed evilly, as he brought the blade up to decapitate the mage. "And so, with this blade, I cleanse the world of yet another Abyssal vermin… you should've known better than to try and defeat humankind…"
Vilhelm struggled to push himself up. "We… never wanted to fight humankind… but we need to bring down the Celestial thrones, and-" he said, stopping suddenly to let out a hacking cough. "Attacking humanity is the only way we can do that…"
The Ochimusha laughed again. "Very well… if you choose to lie even to your last breath, then so be it!"
He swung the sword, and time seemed to slow down as Will shot forward with a blast of Anemo power. A clang rang out as he intercepted the strike meant for Vilhelm, and even the Ochimusha let out a quiet gasp of surprise, before laughing once again. Will narrowed his eyes as he pushed the Ochimusha back, and stood between him and Vilhelm. "Lumine! Get Vilhelm out of here, I'll deal with this monster," he called out, and with a flash of dark blue Abyssal energy, the mage vanished.
"So the Abyss Order is desperate enough to hire Mercenaries now… and even more surprising, there are some who would actually accept such a job. I wonder, what are they paying you that is important enough to betray your own kind? Mora? Ancient relics?" The Ochimusha mused. Will swiped his sword through the air.
"I'm not being paid anything. You stole a friend from me. You've wiped out scores of the Abyss Order when they too were just fleeing from the Abyss into a place where they can survive without the very land itself turning them into savage animals. Your actions are unforgivable, and your trail of destruction ends right here, right now!"
The Ochimusha cackled evilly again, and his Oni mask glowed with evil power. "We'll see about that!" With that, their blades clashed, sending teal and purple sparks flying, and then they clashed again, this time with a shower of light blue and red sparks. Will somersaulted backward, throwing a barrage of icy shards and blasts of air as he moved. The Ochimusha thrust both hands out in front of him, creating a shield of both Pyro and Electro which deflected the projectiles. He then sliced right through it, its swirling energies flowing back into his sword, which now both glowed with the element of Pyro, and crackled with the element of Electro.
The Ochimusha flew at Will, who barely managed to bring his blade up in time to block the slash. He grunted with the impact, and he could feel the heat of the sword burning his face slightly. His feet slid back a few inches, and arcs of purple lightning jumped from the blade and to his arms, causing him considerable pain and simultaneously preventing him from pulling away.
Out of nowhere, a golden blade thrust itself into the Spirit's vulnerable back. Lumine, bleeding from an injury above her left eye, had come to his aid just in the nick of time. The Ochimusha roared with pain as she twisted her sword, pushing it far enough through his gut that even the crescent shaped crossguard was piercing into his back. Will pivoted his foot and pushed back against the Ochimusha, before sidestepping out of the way and kicking the katana out of his hands. Lumine pulled her sword out of his back, and then the two blasted the spirit away with simultaneous bursts of Anemo power.
Meanwhile, Serin and his Heralds finally managed to fell the last Ruin Grader, which fell to the ground and crumbled to pieces. At the same time, Will launched a large Cryo icicle at the
The spirit groaned with pain, but to the shock of both Will and Lumine, even their combined attack wasn't enough. The Ochimusha spirit thrust his arms out to the sides, and then the remains of the destroyed Ruin machines all glowed with Red and Purple runes before flying over to him. They attached themselves to him, fitting around his arms, legs, and the rest of his body like a suit of armor. He let out a horrifying roar and pulled his sword back to him before charging at Lumine and Will, who barely had time to jump out of the way of his rocket enhanced dash.
"Will! I need some help with these hunters!" Yoimiya shouted, furiously defending the wounded rifthound with volleys of arrows. A long trail of blood dripped down her arm. Will glanced back at the rockets that had fused to the Ochimusha's back and realized a way to use his opponent's own army against him.
He looked over at the Abyss Princess, her dress torn at the edges and stained with the blood of both friends and foe alike. "Lumine, how long do you think you can hold out against this monster on your own? I've got an idea, but it'll take a second to put into action," he asked.
"A few seconds, maybe thirty, at most. You'll have to make them count," she replied, readying her sword to jump back into the fray.
Will nodded. "Just be ready to put as much distance between yourself and the Ochimusha as you can when I call it out," he said, and the two split away from each other. Lumine vigorously unleashed a mixed barrage of sword slashes, and bursts of various elements while Will threw dozens of spears at the remaining Ruin guards, trying to get their attention.
"Hey! Over here! Come and get me!" he shouted, and they turned their cyclops-like heads to look at him. "Yoimiya! I need a fire arrow! Aim for the hunters!" he called out, and his friend nodded, nocking an arrow which ignited as she pulled back the bowstring. "Come on, fire some rockets at me already…"
As if on cue, the trio of Ruin Guards spun around and fired off a storm of six rockets each from their backs. Will jumped into the air, and thrust his hands forward, freezing the rockets in the air, before spinning in the air and kicking them towards the Ruin hunters in the sky. "Now Yoimiya!"
The arrow soared through the air and detonated the frozen rockets in mid air, destroying the ruin hunters right before they could fire off one last beam of Pyro energy. Then, as they fell, Will channeled his Anemo power into a massive gust of wind. "Lumine! Get out of there!" he shouted as the ruin machines streaked towards the Ochimusha. She looked over at Will to see him controlling a massive amount of Anemo power through his hands, and she dove out of the way just before the ruin machines crushed the Ochimusha's Ruin Machined body.
There was a deafening screech of metal. scraping against metal, of explosive fireballs and bolts of lightning. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the Ochimusha's body was the Ruin machine armor, which laid in pieces on the ground, and his elemental katana, the tip embedded into the island, and the hilt, lying on its side behind it.
Will heard a loud crackling from behind him, and bright purple lines appeared all over the island forming a massive, electric spider web. "We're ready, Princess! The currents are under our control!" Alpholox shouted from the rear.
Lumine nodded. "Then you know what to do, Alpholox!"
The Abyss Lectors raised their arms into the air and swiped them down to the ground, and moments later, all of the smaller, surrounding islands rammed into the large one they were standing on. The island shuddered with the impact, and the unprepared Ruin Machines and Ronin were knocked off their feet, many of them falling into the pitch black shadows below.
With their leader defeated and much of their army gone, the remaining treasure hoarders and Ronin quickly fell to the Abyss Order. The enemy routed, Lumine had Alpholox and his Lectors pilot the electro infused islands up to the doorstep of their enemy's encampment. With a burst of restorative Hydro power from Lumine, the Abyss Princess, flanked by Will, Yoimiya, Alpholox, and Serin descended upon the Ronin Fortress like conquerors.
Inside, they split up. Will and Yoimiya successfully found and liberated Master Masakatsu, while Lumine and the Abyss Order activated hidden runes all around the compound, acting as a diversionary force to make the rescue mission easier. But to their surprise, the fortress was almost entirely abandoned, as if the Ochimusha had brought every last member of his army with him to attack the Abyss Order.
Because of that, they had no trouble springing Master Masakatsu from his cell, even with him having sustained a broken leg. The elderly forger was quite grateful, telling them that he'd forge whatever the next thing they needed free of charge. It was an offer both adventurers were very intrigued by, even after they split up on their way out. "You go on ahead and get Master Masakatsu back to Narukami. I'll wrap things up with the Princess. Somehow I don't think our friend will be likely to trust a human who leads the Abyss Order, y'know?" Will had suggested, and Yoimiya nodded.
When Will regrouped with Lumine, he explained that Yoimiya and Masakatsu had headed back to Narukami, as they'd both seen that he needed some first aid, and the Abyss Princess nodded, before tilting her head.
"So then why have you returned?" she asked. Will shrugged.
"Well, on our way over here, you did say you were going to blow this place sky high. Figured it'd be cool to watch. Well, that and I wanted to wrap things up with you. I imagine this alliance is something that should probably be left unspoken of, except when absolutely necessary."
Lumine agreed, and then with a wave of her hand, the fortress did just what she'd said: it was blown sky high, cloaked with mystical fire of every element. Will was awestruck, and the Princess grinned at him. "So, think I could give Yoimiya's fireworks a run for their money?" she joked.
Will laughed. "I think you've got a good chance. Multicolored fireballs are always a good fallback in my book, even if Yoimiya thinks they're too easy," he replied, grinning back.
The pair watched as the explosions rocked the shadowy sky, casting lights of colors that had never been seen in the domain before all over the islands. But eventually, the impromptu fireworks show faded in the air, and they got back down to business.
"Well, before we part ways, I have a request for you and Yoimiya, one that I must ask that you promise to uphold."
Will raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"
"I mentioned earlier that I had a brother, named Aether, who is currently traveling across Teyvat, as I did centuries ago when I first awoke. When we last spoke, he'd just finished exploring Liyue, and Mondstadt before it, so he's likely on his way to another nation right now," Lumine informed Will.
Will nodded. "You want us to keep an eye on him, and try to keep him out of trouble?"
Now it was Lumine's turn to laugh. "Well, I suppose that would be appreciated. But more than that… don't tell him that we spoke. Not only will it keep him from picking your brains about my whereabouts, but right now… he needs to focus on experiencing Teyvat the way I did, and that means he needs to stop worrying about his little sister."
Will held out a hand. "You have my word, Lumine. My lips are sealed, and I'll extend that request to Yoimiya when I get back. But… I have a request for you as well."
Lumine tilted her head to one side when Will didn't elaborate. "Well? What is it?" she asked, a curious expression on her face.
"Whatever happens… don't ever give up on a peaceful negotiation with humanity. I don't know if your people are aware of it… but not everyone in Teyvat thinks highly of Celestia. Most people do, but they're largely the same people who believe everything their Archon says, or is said to say, without a second thought," he said, thinking back to the plans he'd heard before he'd abandoned Snezhnaya. "In fact, this may not be what they want to hear… but I've read a lot about some of the Archons, and sure, they made mistakes, but always remember that Celestia is the one who first attacked Khaenri'ah, and the Archons… well, as far as I understand… even they have to answer to Celestia."
Lumine narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggesting that we ally with humanity… and the Archons… to overthrow Celestia?"
Will nodded, a half smile on his face. "Hey, did we not just prove that an alliance between the Abyss and humankind isn't all that far fetched?" With that, Lumine shook his hand, and then they departed, a great deal on both of their minds to contemplate.
A/N: FINALLY! I'm DONE with that friggin conclusion! Holy out of tune Venti that ending was way too hard to write compared to the, y'know, rest of the chapter? And here I thought massive fight scenes were difficult compared to figuring out how to end a chapter!
Well, thank you everyone for over 1,000 views and 400+ visitors! This story has blown up way more than I ever dreamed it would, and I couldn't be happier. The fact that over ONE THOUSAND people have clicked on this story, and of those people, I've managed to convince more than FOUR HUNDRED to come back for a second serving is just... wow. I realize that's only 2 visitors for every 5 views, which is less than half, but I'll be honest, I was prepared to settle for maybe a hundred views tops, just because I never took any formal story writing classes. Yeah, you read me right. This is all with basically no knowledge of how to write a book besides what I've picked up from reading other books.
That aside, we've got a certain traveler and his floating baby guide incoming! HIDE YOUR FOOD, BECAUSE IT AIN'T GONNA SURVIVE THE PAIMONAL APOCALYPSE!
As always, feel free to leave me a review with any thoughts on this chapter or any others you might have, and I'll see you next time!
