Book 4: The Winds of Change
Chapter 5: The Spindrift Knight
Two days left before departing to Liyue...
Mondstadt City, Team XDR Base
Daytime
"I can't believe it's been a few days we've been staying in Mondstadt." Regina commented, sharing tea with a few others. "It really does feel like a second home to me since it reminded me of Trump Kingdom."
"Ah right, I remember you being a princess of that kingdom, though it's already turned into something else from what you've told me." Noelle recalled.
"Yeah. But don't worry about Jonathan, he'll do just fine as the new president. Trump Kingdo- no, Trump Republic is in good hands." Regina assured.
"Glad to hear it, Regina-chan." Miku smiled. "Hmm... It would be nice to return to Japan though, once the Dimensional Gateway is ready to be built within this base.. Hibiki, Kirika-chan and myself still need to be ready for Lydian Academy's next semester soon, alongside Shirabe-chan."
"Oh, forgot that I need to head back to my world to finish my education, too." Regina realized. "Though it'll probably be a while before the way to the Pretty Cure world is discovered."
"You still need to go to school despite being a princess?" Miriam questioned.
"'Former' princess, remember?" Regina mentioned. "Being a magical girl is fun and all, but I also want to think of my future after this entire conflict is over."
"Your future, huh?" Diluc responded with his arms crossed. "What do you want to do in your life?"
"It's... a little too soon to think about it, Diluc." Regina replied. "But maybe someday, I'll find the answer I'll be looking for."
"I see." Diluc noted before smiling. "Then I'll wish you luck on that, Regina."
"Thanks." Regina smiled back. "But you know... once the Dimensional Gateway is built within our base, I think I'll stay in Mondstadt for a while longer, just to help out Master Jean with her duties, with assistance from Principal Theresa. She may be a hard-worker, but I worry about her overworking herself."
"Everyone is bound to have flaws, even her." Miriam stated.
"Well Jean can be a bit stubborn to not take a rest even after Lisa reminded her so many times." Diluc mentioned.
"Stubborn, huh?" Regina raised her eyebrow.
"Anyway..." Miriam stood up from her seat. "Einstein requested me to explore Dragonspine for a while. Apparently there's a few ruins that needs exploring, which might include materials for research."
"Do you require assistance, Miriam?" Noelle offered.
"No need for that, Noelle. I can take care of myself." Miriam assured. "I'll be back before evening, so wish me luck." Afterwards, she left the base.
"Good luck out there, Miriam-san! Try not to get frostbite!" Miku wished her luck.
"Still can't believe the curse Miriam had within her body due to alchemists." Diluc remarked, recalling Miriam's role as a Shardbinder. "I just hope a cure will be found soon."
"Me too, Master Diluc." Noelle agreed.
"Hmm..." Regina pondered for a moment before standing up. "On second thought, I'll go after Miriam. A little help wouldn't hurt, and I could use the exercise."
"Didn't Miriam told us that she didn't need help?" Diluc recalled.
"True, but I'm sure I can persuade her into coming along." Regina assured before waving. "See ya later, guys!"
"Suit yourself, and be careful." Diluc shrugged as they watched her leave the base.
"Stay safe, Regina!" Noelle said.
"Hello?" Elfnein's voice was heard from the basement. "Can anyone give me a hand with something?"
"Ah, coming Elfnein-chan!" Miku responded before turning to the others. "Let's go and help."
"Of course./Right." Noelle and Diluc complied as the three head for the basement to help the young alchemist.
Favonius HQ, Main Office
Meanwhile inside Master Jean's office, Zeo, Gaius, Akira, Lumine, Aether, Paimon and Chris reported their recent commission against the Abyss Order... and also clearing up a misunderstanding for Klee. A few hours earlier, Jean called out Zeo and the others to her office to assist on dealing with a possible Abyss Mage lurking around the outskirts of the city. When they left the office after the briefing, they ran into Klee, Spark Knight for the Knights of Favonius, who knew about Aether being the Honorary Knight and requested his help with retrieving her stolen treasure. When they arrived at Whispering Woods where she buried her treasure, they encountered a Pyro Abyss Mage, holding Klee's treasure in hand and flew off. They immediately gave chase until the mage went inside a stronghold. They went inside, took out the hilichurls lurking inside and confronted the mage at the end of the stronghold. Klee begged for the mage to not use the treasure, but he did it anyway and activated it... which then exploded, killing the mage instantly. Turns out Klee's precious treasure... is actually a destructive bomb. Klee was felt with guilt and left the stronghold, while the others were speechless, confused and dumbfounded that the treasure turned out to be a freaking bomb. Afterwards, they head back to Mondstadt to report to Master Jean.
"And well... that's pretty much it." Zeo finished his report while briefly glancing at Klee, still having a bit of guilt after what happened at the stronghold.
Klee is a small female elf with pale skin and light red eyes, and pale blonde hair tied in pigtails with a prominent cowlick. Her outfit consists of a red coat with a darker red embellishment and keyhole shapes in the hem over a white dress and shorts, as well as a fluffy scarf with a pom-pom, gloves, knee socks, boots, and a brown messenger bag. Attached to her bag is her Pyro Vision and a furry, woodland animal-shaped pom-pom called a Dodoco.
"Klee, for the last time, Mr. Fluffball, AKA the Abyss Mage, is an enemy of humanity and not here to make friends." Chris reminded.
"Chris is right, you know." Paimon agreed. "Didn't Paimon said that the Abyss Mages are the bad guys?"
"Mr. Fluffball... was a bad guy on purpose? Mr. Fluffball is the enemy of humanity!?" Klee responded in confusion, shaking her head with her hands on her head. "Wha... what!? I don't get it!"
"Uh, Chris? Paimon? Klee's just a young elf, she's too young to know all of this." Lumine pointed out.
"I'm even more surprised that she's never heard of the Abyss Order yet." Aether commented.
"I apologize. This was a mistake on my part." Jean admitted before turning to the Spark Knight. "Like Lumine said, you're too young to know about the Abyss Order. But since this is your first encounter with the Abyss Mage, I might as well tell you. In fact, the Abyss Order is a hostile force in Mondstadt which has been unusually active lately."
"Never thought they'd go after treasures now." Akira mused. "But why did that mage go after Klee's treasure?"
"Wait..." Gaius spoke up. "I think I've heard rumors about who's the strongest fighter in all of Mondstadt. And the strongest fighter must have the most powerful treasure."
"Ah, that's it! Paimon understands now!" Paimon realized. "They were tracking down poor Klee because they'd heard rumors about her treasure! Just like the way Paimon's first reaction was to try and get her hands on- ahh, no... to try and get the facts on the treasure."
"Hmph, like I'm going to believe on your nonsense, treasure hoarding pixie." Chris rolled her eyes.
"Hey!"
"So... um... what does this mean for Klee?" Klee questioned.
"In light of your contribution on this matter, I will allow you to take part in the next Ludi Harpastum." Jean declared to the young knight.
"Ludi Harpastum! Yay!" Klee cheered, resulted in everyone smiling.
"Good for you, Klee!" Akira smiled. "But... what's a Ludi Harpastum?"
"It's an annual festival in Mondstadt. A carnival of songs, wine and flight, which are the trademarks for the nation." Jean explained.
"Ah, so that's what it is." Akira noted. "Would be nice to attend if possible."
"I'd be happy if you and your friends would attend as well." Jean smiled.
"We'll take you up on that offer, Jean." Zeo happily accepted. "But I'll pass on the wine, thank you."
"Thank you. I understand." Jean smiled back. "But first... there's one more thing I need to address, Klee."
"Y-Yes?"
"Where did you hide your 'treasures' to begin with?"
"I... Umm..."
"Were you trying to blow up the fish in Starfell Lake again?"
"I-I wasn't! I swear I wasn't!" Klee waved her hands in defence.
"I don't think she's winning this argument..." Aether thought.
"Seriously, what kind of child throws bombs at a fish pond?!" Chris mentally gawked.
"Uhh... Klee?" Lumine asked, until she noticed the young knight sobbing.
"I'll see myself to solitary confinement..." Klee said in defeat before leaving the office.
"Hmm... Paimon bets Klee must get bored in there all by herself." Paimon commented.
"I know Amber mentioned Klee being in solitary confinement several times due to her actions, but still, will she be okay?" Gaius questioned.
"I hope so, even though she's part of the Knights of Favonius as the Spark Knight." Jean replied.
"I do have to admit on one thing about Klee; she's a pretty good bombardier when it comes to fighting those hilichurls." Chris admitted. "I even get to use some of her bombs, including the bouncing cluster bombs."
"Yes, she's indeed a strong knight despite her size." Jean agreed. "So please take good care of her if you ask for her help, and maybe teach her some responsibility."
"Depends on the situation, but sure, we'll see what we can do for her." Zeo shrugged.
"Anyway, if you're free, I've got another problem I need help with."
"What's up?" Akira asked.
"I have recently received multiple reports from the Knights of someone within the Lawrence Clan having close dealings with the Fatui." Jean informed.
"Not those bastards again..." Chris groaned in annoyance. "Even after we kicked them out of Mondstadt, there's still these kinds of people asking for the Fatui's help?"
"Wait... Lawrence Clan?" Paimon repeated. "Wasn't Eula part of that clan since her last name is Lawrence?"
"Correct." Jean nodded. "I assume Maria told you about her before, but let me tell you something more about the Lawrence Clan. There was a dark period in Mondstadt's history when the aristocracy ruled over the city. The hard-won freedom that followed with the fall of Decarabian was lost once again, as slavery spread throughout the land. The first Dandelion Knight, Vennessa, spearheaded the revolution that overthrew the old aristocratic system and established the Knights of Favonius, leading Mondstadt to become the city that you see today. The aristocrats, that had oppressed the people of Mondstadt, were none other than the Lawrence Clan."
"I see. So it's self-righteous idiots this time." Chris noted. "No wonder those aristocrats are asking the Fatui for assistance since they can provide the Fatui the inner workings of the city without being discovered by the Knights."
"Exactly." Jean nodded. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough solid evidence. Which is why I'm requesting your assistance for this investigation."
"Well the day is far from over, so I think we have some spare time for another commission." Aether answered with the others nodding.
"But I have to ask; why can't the Knights of Favonius handle this job?" Lumine asked Jean.
Jean sighed before answering. "One; the Knights and myself are far too busy at the moment with one request after another, not giving us a moment of peace. And two; the Knights of Favonius and the aristocracy have been at odds with one another for as long as I can remember. We have already considered every possible way of resolving our differences, but it seems the descendants of the aristocracy remain antagonistic towards the Knights. No matter what stance we take when dealing with them, the outcome is always the same. Our efforts only result in adding more fuel to the flames."
Gaius sighed in annoyance. "Stubborn people are always the annoying ones to deal with, especially aristocrats."
"We could come knocking on their door on the grounds of a search warrant, but if the investigation were to come up empty, I'm afraid tensions and distrust would only increase. All of our past efforts would have been wasted."
"I see." Zeo noted with his hand on his chin. "Well... since Team XDR is not linked with the Knights or any organization, I think we can approach the aristocrats without any trouble."
"Exactly." Jean replied. "Once you come to friendly terms with the Lawrence Clan, you should be in a good position to learn more of their possible connections with the Fatui."
"Whoa, leave it to Master Jean to come up with such a thorough plan." Paimon remarked.
"Aha, perhaps such plans have become second nature after all the diplomatic issues I've dealt with." Jean said with a sly smile. "The name of the Lawrence Clan member in question is Schubert. Lately, he can often be found strolling in the northern city walls. It is said that he is difficult to get along with due to his temperamental disposition, but if we approach him calmly, then things should go off without a hitch."
"Better leave the talking to me, guys. I've done stuff like this before." Gaius said.
"We're counting on you, buddy." Zeo patted his shoulder.
"Hope things will go smoothly, though." Akira added.
"Thanks again for your help." Jean bowed. "If you run into any snags along the way, I'll do anything in my power to support you."
"No problem, Jean." Aether replied.
"Can I say something for a moment?" Chris raised her hand.
"Of course, Chris. What is it?" Jean responded.
"Why is Eula Lawrence a part of the Knights of Favonius even though she's part of the Lawrence Clan?"
"Well... Eula is a special case since she's not like the other aristocrats of the Lawrence Clan." Jean explained. "She's one of the few nobles who realized that their actions against the people of Mondstadt were unjustified, rather than the other way around. The clan frowned upon her when she joined the Knights of Favonius, and called her a traitor to the clan."
"I see... So even she doesn't like what her clan has done. A rebellious noble, huh?" Chris noted with her hand on her chin. "Hey Gaius, if your talk with Schubert doesn't go well, we're paying a visit to Eula."
"Fair enough." Gaius nodded. "Only problem is where to find her."
"That's no problem. I've sent Eula on patrol at Stormbearer Mountains. You should be able to find her there." Jean informed.
"Stormbearer Mountains. Got it." Zeo noted. "Alright team, we're heading out."
"See you later, Jean!" Lumine said as they left the office.
"Take care of yourselves." Jean smiled back.
Once the group left the office, they took a moment to see how Klee is doing at the other room without entering. "Hello, Klee?" Akira called out while knocking on the door. "Everything okay in there?"
"O-oh! It's you!" Klee responded from behind the door. "Are you heading for another adventure?"
"Something like that." Zeo replied. "I was wondering if you want us to bring food for you during your grounding?"
"Maybe later. I'm busy making an extra-special new treasure... the Ludi Harpastum version!"
"Uhh... when you say 'treasure...'" Paimon began.
"Tee-hee! I made it into the shape of a harpastum and everything! It looks so cute..."
"So it's basically another bomb..." Aether deduced, with his eyebrow twitching.
"Disguised as a harpastum..." Lumine added, also with her eyebrow twitching.
"Just wait for Ludi Harpastum, oh yeah... They're gonna love it!" Klee cheered before returning to work, while everyone else sweatdropped.
"If Jean finds out about this, her grounding is gonna get extended." Chris sighed, earning an agreed nod from the others. "Well, let's get out of here. We've got a job to do."
As time passes, they were able to locate the aristocrat named Schubert Lawrence. Gaius began conversing with him, but was immediately offended over his lack of etiquette and rants about the current state of the city, claiming that it is in disarray without the guidance of nobility before storming off. Chris was very tempted to punch the aristocrat in the face, but was stopped bt Zeo and the others before it could go out of hand. With the failure of the first option, they went with the second one; locating Eula Lawrence. With their battlesuits ready, they left the city and head for Eula's patrol area; Stormbearer Mountains.
Stormbearer Mountains
"This is the place." Aether informed as they saw an observation tower at a distance.
"According to the Teyvat Travel Guide, this watchtower was used to observe oncoming storms." Paimon informed.
"But from the looks of that tower, it looks abandoned." Lumine observed.
"No doubt those hilichurls would use that tower against intruders." Chris deduced.
"Let's take a closer look. Eula's gotta be around the area." Zi-O declared before the group ran towards the tower.
When they arrived at the base of the tower, they were shocked to find numerous fallen and frozen Fatui Skirmishers on the ground. "The Fatui?! Why are they here?!" Cure Starlight exclaimed.
"Oh, hey guys!" A woman approached from behind the tower, revealing to be Kallen Kaslana as she holstered her guns. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Kallen? You went Fatui hunting?" Geiz guessed.
"Yep, for a commission." Kallen nodded. "I don't know what they're planning with this tower, but I'm guessing they're up to no good."
"Well they did lose their base in Mondstadt, so they must be looking for a new one to continue their operations." Starlight deduced.
"Something like that, Starlight." Maria said, also arriving from behind the tower and stood next to Kallen.
"You're here too, Maria?!" Chris gasped.
"I figured she could use some help, so I tagged along." Maria answered with her arms crossed. "So, what are you all doing here?"
"We're looking for Eula Lawrence. Jean told us that she's patrolling Stormbearer Mountains." Zi-O explained. "You see..."
While Zi-O and the others explained to Kallen and Maria why they're looking for Eula, no one noticed a Fatui Pyroslinger taking aim from the top of the watchtower. As the skirmisher aimed his rifle, Chris glanced at the tower and looked up, making her eyes widen in shock. "Sniper from the tower!" Chris shouted, earning everyone's attention and looked at the skirmisher at the tower. But he managed to fire a Pyro bullet at them, only for said bullet to be blocked by someone else who rushed in front of the group and used a claymore to block the shot.
While everyone else is shocked, Maria smiled, recognizing the saviour. "Well well well, fancy meeting you here... Eula Lawrence." She thought, revealing the saviour to be the Spindrift Knight herself, Eula Lawrence, the person she met a few days ago. Eula dispersed her claymore, Song of Broken Pines, and rushed towards the skirmisher while dodging his shots. Once she arrived at the tower, she leaped towards the skirmisher, summoned her claymore and unleashed a Cryo swing, only for the skirmisher to dodge by jumping away from the tower. He aimed forward, only for his eyes to widen in shock that the knight vanished. But he failed to notice that Eula was right behind him and struck him down with one powerful Cryo swing of her claymore, disarming his weapon and freezing his entire body before crashing to the ground. The group were in awe at Eula's skills as she landed in front of the group and dispersed her claymore. "Not bad at all. You really do live up to your title." Maria thought in amusement.
"Ugh... do you have any idea how long I've been tracing these targets?" Eula spoke to the group. "And now you get to stake a claim. Hmph, you think you're stronger because you got to them first? Ugh... mark my words, vengeance will be mine!"
"Uhh... what?" Paimon responded.
"I'm sorry... vengeance?" Aether questioned.
"That's right. I heard the commotion and came as swiftly as I could, only to find the Fatui completely defeated and frozen. Not only that, you were making quick work of them, too! If I didn't make my move, you would have been able to take all the credit!"
"Hah?! We just got here!" Chris gawked before pointing at Maria and Kallen. "If you wanna know who kicked their asses first, talk to them instead!"
"Hm?" Eula blinked before turning to Maria and Kallen, especially Maria. "You..."
"Hello there, Eula Lawrence. We meet again." Maria greeted. "Liked my little performance earlier? I'm surprised you didn't recognize me from our first meeting back at Favonius HQ a few days ago."
"That, and we're pretty skilled dealing with the Fatui." Kallen added before turning to the others. "Right, guys?"
"Yep./Pretty much./No trouble at all." They responded.
"I... see..." Eula noted before turning to Maria. "But what irked me the most is how you fight while singing, along with using that unusual sword."
"It's a whip-sword, actually." Maria answered, briefly swinging said weapon before dispersing it. "A pretty versatile weapon, especially against large crowds of enemies. As for why I sing while fighting, well it's a unique trait for me. Chris also has the same trait as I do, only difference is that she uses bows and crossbows instead of swords."
"Chris?" Eula raised an eyebrow.
"She means me." Chris raised her hand.
"You're a girl... yet you have a boy's name."
"Hey, my parents gave me that name, so there." Chris crossed her arms. "The name's Chris Yukine, by the way."
"I'm Zi-O, and this is Starlight, Geiz, Aether, Lumine and Paimon." The Rider introduced.
"My name is Kallen Kaslana. It's nice to meet you, Eula Lawrence."
"How does all of you know my name?" Eula asked. "...Besides Maria, of course. Like she said, we met at Master Jean's office the other day."
"Amber and Maria told us about you, Eula." Geiz answered. "Also, we were looking for you to help us with an investigation involving an aristocrat named Schubert Lawrence."
"He's so obsessed with etiquette that he's not even willing to speak with Geiz or any of us." Paimon added.
"Hahaha! I understand now." Eula laughed. "That's my uncle alright. But why do you mean to investigate him?"
"He may be secretly involved with the Fatui." Lumine answered.
"I see..." Eula noted before chuckling. "You have some nerve defaming a family member right in front of me. I will have vengeance for this, too!"
"No, no, no! This is an assignment from Master Jean! It's just an investigation, that's all!" Paimon waved her hands in defence.
"Fufu. You really are a tsundere, huh Eula?" Maria teased, making Eula stutter.
"Gh?! N-No one asked you!" Eula retorted, with a small blush.
"Aren't you a little worried or curious about your uncle, Eula?" Kallen asked.
"To the everyday citizens of Mondstadt, everyone in the Lawrence clan is scum. It's natural for rumors and unwarranted gossip to lead to such suspicion."
"Well Jean did explain to us why the Lawrence clan were the ones oppressing the people of Mondstadt in the past, which explains the hatred of that clan." Geiz stated. "But anyway, can you help us find a way to get in touch with Schubert, without pissing him off?"
"Hmm..." Eula pondered with her hand on her chin. "If you want to talk to my uncle, then you'll need to understand him. In other words, I'll have to teach you the conduct of the Lawrence clan. Only then will you finally be able to communicate with my uncle."
"So we'll need to learn the way of an aristocrat." Geiz noted before nodding. "Alright, I think I can give it a shot."
"Not me, I'm not doing that." Zi-O refused.
"I think I'll pass too." Starlight also refused.
"No way in hell I'm gonna act like an aristocrat, even if it's for an investigation." Chris shook her head.
"Aether, Lumine, Maria, Kallen, what do you guys think?" Paimon asked.
The four in question looked at each other for a moment, before nodding in agreement.
"Me and my sister will give it a try." Aether answered with Lumine nodding.
"The ways of an aristocrat, huh? I'll see how this goes." Maria accepted.
"It could be useful for future investigations. Okay, I'm in." Kallen also accepted.
"Phew... Glad I'm not alone in this." Geiz sighed with relief before turning to Eula. "Okay Eula, we'll learn the ways of the aristocrat from you."
"Then it's settled." Eula nodded in approval. "We can begin training immediately, but not here. Let's head back to Mondstadt, we're going to need a few people."
"Alright, then let's go." Zi-O declared as they began heading back to the city.
"(Uh... Paimon's confused...)" Paimon whispered to the group while glancing at Eula. "(This girl's all 'vengeance this' and 'revenge that', but she doesn't seem the least bit angry.)"
"(It's her... unique way of talking, Paimon. Just get used to it.)" Maria replied.
Mondstadt City
Once they arrived back at the city, they head for the Statue Plaza where Eula can begin her lessons being an aristocrat which involved two key factors; manner of speech, and bearings. Unfortunately, her teaching methods are... questionably complicated. So complicated that Geiz felt like rage-quitting mentally. Maria advised Eula to try a demonstration to a few people for a better understanding, and she did just that... with animosity. In short, she pissed those people off unintentionally that they walked away from her, adding a long list of vengeance in the process. Kallen had to step in to stop and quickly explain to Eula that they were able to at least learn from something after those conversations. They also learned about Eula's past with her clan which is a burden she must bear even though she's a part of the Knights of Favonius. At least she's having a normal life compared to her family elders.
"Well then, I'm glad you learned something." Eula noted. "You're already halfway towards mastering aristocratic conduct. A proper manner of speech is more aesthetic than anything else, it stems from their taste for refinement. But we must also practice your bearing, and I have a very effective training method for this."
"And that is?" Starlight asked.
"We head for Dragonspine."
"Dragonspine, huh?' Zi-O repeated. "So we finally get to explore that place. Okay, I'm game."
"You're never been to Dragonspine before?" Eula raised her eyebrow.
"Not yet anyway." Geiz replied. "We were planning to explore that mountain for a bit before we leave for Liyue in a few days time."
"Then consider this your chance. Let's get moving." Eula declared as they leave the city once more.
Dragonspine
A few minutes of walking later, they arrived at the base of the large icy mountain known as Dragonspine. They were in awe at the sight of the mountain, although Paimon began to shiver for a moment. "It's s-so c-cold... Does aristocrat training really need to be done here?" Paimon questioned while quickly rubbing herself to keep warm.
"If you wish to truly achieve the dignified conduct of an aristocrat, you must learn to remain composed and elegant even amidst harsh conditions." Eula stated as she pointed at the path ahead, consisting of wooden spike barriers, air balloons, Cryo Bloom Blossoms, Cryo barrels and Cryo Hilichurl Shooters. "For example, you can see that part of the path up ahead is quite difficult to traverse. But a well-trained aristocrat would not only effortlessly proceed forward, but do so without a stain on their garment and their elegance fully intact."
"In other words, reach the end without getting hit." Chris deduced with a confident grin. "Oh, this is no problem for me since I've done plenty of obstacle courses."
"Fufu, pretty confident, are you?" Eula chuckled in amusement. "Alright, let's get started. Remember, you must be graceful and elegant. Don't get knocked out or launched into the air, that would be most unsightly."
"I'm going first. Even better, I'll sing on my way to the end." Chris declared.
"It's all you, Chris! You've got this!" Paimon cheered.
Chris began to take position while looking at the goal up ahead. A few seconds later, she began to sprint while singing her song, Bye-Bye Lullaby. Her singing attracted attention of the hilichurls who began shooting at her. But she quickly evaded the Cryo arrows with ease while traversing though the course and evading the obstacles. Not only that, she shot down the ones shooting at her with her automatic crossbows, firing beam arrows at them. Eventually, she reached the end of the course, holstering her Armed Gears and turned around with her signature pistol gun hand signal. "Bang~!" She grinned, earning cheers from her friends.
"I-Impressive... Not only that, her singing is different compared to Maria and Barbara..." Eula muttered in shock at how she cleared the course effortlessly despite her behaviour, not to mention her way of singing.
"Hey! Anybody wanna top that? I'm waiting over here!" Chris shouted to the others.
"You just wait, Chris! I'm going next!" Kallen responded before turning to Eula. "You're gonna watch, right?"
"O-Oh! R-Right..." Eula responded, ready to observe Kallen. "You may begin when ready. Remember, do not get hit."
"You're about to witness the pride of a Kaslana, Eula!" Kallen proclaimed as she took position. She then took off, dodging every single obstacle in her path and shooting down the attacking hilichurls with headshots. Eula was once again stunned at the valkyrie's performance as she reached the end and gave a high-five with Chris.
As time goes by, everyone took turns traversing through the path with Maria going first while Zi-O went last. Eventually, everyone reached the end of the path as Eula revealed the results. "Not bad. A lot better than I had anticipated, at least." Eula remarked.
"Heh, barely broke a sweat, Eula." Zi-O smirked. "But I know that the test is far from over?"
"Correct, we've only just begun." Eula confirmed. "This scenario was relatively simple. In the face of a real battle, one would seldom have a chance to stop and evaluate the situation." She then looked at a path ahead. "There's a Ley Line Monolith just up ahead that will attract nearby monsters. True elegance is the ability to calmly yet swiftly make decisions in the heat of the battle."
"Is this how you normally train?" Aether questioned.
"If so, then no wonder you're so skilled..." Lumine added.
"My family set only the highest expectations for me, even as a child." Eula answered before walking towards the path. "Let's proceed, shall we?" Soon after, the group went after the knight.
Eventually, they arrived at said monolith, ready to be activated with a single touch. "This is the Ley Line Monolith." Eula spoke to the group. "Go ahead and activate it, but be careful not to get launched into the air or frozen while fighting. That would be most unsightly."
"So this time, it's defeat the enemy waves without getting frozen or knocked out. Got it." Starlight noted.
"You don't mind if all of us took the test at once? I don't wanna waste anymore time." Zi-O requested.
"Very well." Eula approved. "Taking the test one at a time would indeed waste precious time."
"Paimon, sit back and watch. This won't take long." Maria said as they brandished their weapons.
"Okay! But remember not to get frozen in the process!" Paimon nodded as she floated next to Eula.
"Oh please. Did you forget who you're talking to?" Chris smirked before she touched the monolith, summoning Cryo and Hydro Slimes upon activation, while Maria began to sing next.
(Play BGM: Stand upǃ Readyǃǃ by Maria Cadenzavna Eve)
"Zi-O, take care of the Hydro Slimes! Leave the Cryo Slimes to me and Starlight!" Geiz instructed while inserting the Wizard Ridewatch onto his Zikan Zax Ono Mode.
"Roger that!" Zi-O complied, inserting the Blade Ridewatch onto his Zikan Gilade Ken Mode.
Zi-O rushed towards the Hydro Slimes, eliminating them with ease with several Electro slashes of his sword, with the larger Hydro Slimes being destroyed with charged slashes. As for the Cryo Slimes, several Pyro swings of his Zikan Zax is enough to melt their armor before shattering them to pieces. Starlight, Chris and Kallen provided cover fire with a storm of energy arrows and bullets.
Once the slimes are eliminated, several hilichurls along with a Hydro and Cryo Samachurl appeared. The Cryo Samachurl immediately summoned ice pillars below itself, the Hydro Samachurl and the Cryo and Electro Hilichurl Shooters, giving them higher ground.
"If these hilichurls think they're safe thanks to those pillars, they'd best think again!" Chris stated, twirling her crossbows. "Leave the shamans and archers to me! The others are all yours!"
"Okay!' Aether and Lumine complied as they began clashing with the hilichurls with frozen shields.
"Let me burn those shields for you!" Geiz said, passing through the twins and unleashed a Pyro slash onto the shields, melting them upon impact and also igniting the hilichurls on fire. The twins then went past the Rider and unleashed a combined Palm Vortex onto the shieldless hilichurls, sending them flying with one blast. Another hilichurl is about to attack Geiz from behind, only for his club to be pulled away by Maria and her whip-sword. This earned Geiz's attention as he turned around and eliminated the hiluchurl with an upward Pyro swing of his axe. "Thanks, Maria!" Geiz thanked with a thumbs up.
"We're not done yet, so don't get careless!" Maria replied before going after another group of hilichurls.
As for Chris, she kept dodging the splashes, icicle spikes, and Cryo and Electro arrows as she waited for the right moment to strike back. She glanced at the Cryo Samachurl and pondered for a moment. "I wonder..." She thought before firing homing energy arrows at the samachurl, killing it instantly which caused the ice pillars it created to shatter, sending the ones that stood atop them to fall off and crash into the ground. "I warned ya not to take the high ground." She smirked before turning to the others. "Take them down before they recover!"
"Leave that part to me and Kallen!" Starlight complied and she and Kallen leaped into the air with the former's energy bow and the latter's guns ready, and finished off the hilichurls by unleashing a storm of homing energy arrows and bullets onto the ones that fell off from the shattered ice pillars.
"These must be the last ones!" Aether stated, glancing at the last group of hilichurls.
"Then let's end it with one strike!" Lumine declared as the twins unleashed a combined Gust Surge, sending the hilichurls flying into the tornado when it got close. Afterwards, Maria leaped into the tornado and unleashed a powerful rapid spin-slash with her Armed Gear, slashing through the hilichurls in the process, and with one final swing of her weapon, the hilichurls were sent flying skyward before exploding while the tornado dispersed as Maria landed on the ground, retracting her whip-sword.
SILVER†GOSPEL
(BGM End)
With the defeat of the final group of hilichurls, the monolith deactivated itself, prompting the group to disperse their weapons. "Well Eula, I believe the test is over." Zi-O declared, dusting off his hands.
"I believe so." Eula confirmed with a nod. "Well done. Your performance was most impressive. And you managed to remain calm even in these grueling Dragonspine surroundings. Fufu, I'm starting to wonder if even I could have done the same. Given such an outstanding performance, it seems there is little left for me to teach you, so no further training is needed."
"Hey, we're just a passing through Rebellion, so you'd better remember that." Chris proclaimed with her arms crossed. "We've been through worse."
"A passing through Rebellion, huh?" Eula raised her eyebrow.
"That's one of the ideal values for our team. Team XDR, which is short for Xross Drive Rebellion. Jean and I did mention that to you before." Maria explained, patting Zi-O's shoulder. "And this one here is one of the founders of the team."
"Myself and Starlight are also one of the founders." Geiz raised his hand while Starlight nodded.
"I see." Eula noted. "It's no wonder the Fatui chose to leave Mondstadt after their ploy was revealed."
"Mhm." Maria nodded before turning to the Rider. "And you have Kamen Rider Zi-O to thank for stopping their ploy."
"So you're the one who planned an ambush against the Fatui and that harbinger a few nights ago outside the cathedral." Eula said to the Rider. "Hmph, if I was still within Mondstadt during that night, what would you do if you saw me?"
"Simple. If you wanted to take a shot against the Fatui and that harbinger, I'd gladly allow you to join in on your vengeance." Zi-O answered.
"Despite me being from the Lawrence clan?"
"Hey, any friends of Amber and Jean are friends of ours. No questions asked. I'm not that racist." Zi-O assured.
Eula was stunned at Zi-O's answer. He'd allow someone like her to join despite being on a clan that's hated by the people of Mondstadt? It makes her wonder if there's some other people just like Zi-O and his friends who are also trustworthy.
"Oh, hey guys!" Said the arriving Regina atop a hill with Miriam right beside her, surprising the group.
"Regina and Miriam?!" Paimon gasped as they noticed the two arrivals approaching them. "What are you two doing here in Dragonspine?"
"Just doing a bit of exploring on some ruins under Einstein's request." Miriam answered. "And I must say, there seems to be plenty of mysteries hidden within this mountain."
"So what did you find?" Lumine asked.
"A couple of things." Regina answered. "One is that weird ice crystal that flew towards the top of this mountain the moment we touch it. We had to use those strange red ores to infuse its power into out weapons to break the ice barrier surrounding the crystal." She then pulled out a red ore from her pocket. "I don't know what's the deal with this thing, but I'm taking this to Sucrose and Elfnein back in Mondstadt for analysis."
"And where did you find that red ore?" Eula asked.
"Nearby the area where the ice crystal is." Regina answered, before blinking for a bit. "Wait a minute, who are you?"
"Eula Lawrence, Reconnaissance Captain for the Knights of Favonius."
"Eula Lawrence... Oh! You're the one Amber mentioned! Nice to meet you." Regina greeted with a bow. "I'm Regina Madoka. And the one next to me is Miriam."
"A pleasure to meet you, Eula." Miriam bowed. "Any friends of Amber are friends of ours."
"O-Oh... of course." Eula acknowledged.
"Anyway, what about that other thing you and Miriam found since you said a couple of things?" Aether asked Regina who put away the ore.
"Ah, that. Allow me to explain." Miriam spoke up. "There was this strange tree that came to life the moment it absorbed a type of red crystal we found. It may look small, but I'm guessing it will grow bigger the more red crystals we gave to the tree. As for the crystal we found, it felt like holding a piece of life force."
"Is it safe?" Chris asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's the only way to make that strange tree grow. Though I'm a bit curious what would happen if that tree is fully grown." Miriam replied.
"I see." Chris noted. "So, I take it you're going to continue your excursion?"
"Nah, we're gonna head back to the city." Regina replied. "We've got enough info for the time being, though we had to deal with ancient floating drones that fire lasers earlier. Seriously, why are those things here in this icy mountain?"
"Drones?!" Zi-O, Geiz and Starlight exclaimed.
"Ah, so you both seen them too." Eula said. "Hmph, I gave them my icy vengeance the moment they began firing at me."
"Good to know you held your own even though its tech is advanced." Miriam noted. "By the way, why are you all here in the first place?"
"It's a long story." Zi-O replied. "How's about we tell you all about it while we head back to Mondstadt?"
"Sounds good to me." Regina replied back before shivering a bit. "Brr... I could really use a nice warm Mushroom Soup when we get back."
"Speaking of soup, there's one more step before you talk to my uncle again." Eula said to the group. "You'll need to present to him a cordial gift, and I already have something in mind. Let's head for Good Hunter and pay Sara a visit."
"Alright, then let's go." Aether nodded before the group began heading back to Mondstadt.
Unknown to the group however, a lone Fatui Agent was eavesdropping on their conversation from atop a tree on a hill. He leaped off the tree and head towards his superior at a hidden Fatui camp to report.
Mondstadt City, Good Hunter
Once the group arrived back at the city, they head towards Good Hunter where they encountered Amber, Hibiki, Miku and Kiana, sitting down and just finished requesting their orders to the waitress. "Oh, hey Eula! Everyone! Good to see you!" Amber greeted them with a smile.
"Good to see you too, Amber!" Paimon smiled and waved back.
"Hey, Chris-chan!" Hibiki waved while Miku smiled.
"Taking a break from commissions, Hibiki?" Chris replied.
"Yup!" Hibiki nodded. "Miku, Kiana-chan, Amber-san and I just finished delivering some materials to Elfnein-chan earlier. It should be enough to finish her latest project."
"What project are we talking about?" Lumine asked.
"Well, we're not entirely sure." Miku replied. "Elfnein-chan won't reveal it to us until further notice."
"I see. Still, that's something to look forward to when it's ready to be revealed." Aether noted while Lumine nodded.
"Anyway, now that you're here, how's about we all eat together?" Kiana requested.
"Wanna join us too, Eula?" Amber added.
"Very well. It's been some time since we've last shared a meal together." Eula accepted.
"Of course. I was hoping to try out some of Good Hunter's meals." Kallen also accepted with everyone else nodding.
"Maybe something nice and warm. Just got back from Dragonspine earlier, and boy is that place cold." Regina added.
"Geiz, Starlight and I will pass on that this time. We're gonna go and help out Elfnein for a bit." Zi-O declined. "That, and we need to take off our armors for now."
"And don't worry about food, I can make my own meals." Geiz added.
"I understand." Amber noted with a small wink. "Give Elfnein my regards, okay?"
"Will do." Starlight nodded before turning to Eula. "Well, nice meeting you, Eula. Hope we'll see each other again soon."
"We'll see. Until next time." Eula replied before the three chosen heroes began heading back to their base, while everyone else took their seats next to Amber, Hibiki, Miku and Kiana.
"So you're Eula? Nice to meet you!" Hibiki greeted. "I'm Hibiki Tachibana, and this is Miku Kohinata and Kiana Kaslana."
"Mm." Eula nodded, before blinking upon hearing a familiar name. "Wait... Kaslana? Kallen, that's..."
"Ah right, forgot to mention that Kiana is my successor." Kallen said.
"Mhm." Kiana nodded. "I think of Kallen as my aunt. So Eula, did you see how she fought?"
"I did, and I must say, I'm quite impressed at her performance." Eula replied. "I am a bit curious at how your style of fighting is different from your aunt."
"Maybe you'll find out if we ever get the chance to join together for a commission."
"Maybe someday."
A few moments later, Sara, the female waitress for Good Hunter, approached them. "Welcome to Good Hunter." She greeted with a bow. "Is there something you'd like to order?"
"Could you please prepare a serving of my uncle's favorite, Gebratenes Fleisch mit Sauerkraut? We'll take it as a gift to him later." Eula requested as she was seated with Amber.
"Coming right up! It'll take some time to prepare, I'll have it here at the counter once it's ready."
"Hold on a moment." Eula said as she saw a salad dish on her table. "Is this Satisfying Salad also something that Amber ordered?"
"No, she didn't order it." Sara shook her head. "But because she didn't order any vegetables, I thought I'd throw in a salad on the house. You know, to contrast all the meat dishes."
"So... we clearly didn't order this, yet you prepared it without authorization... Hmph! Mark my words, this transgression will not go unnoticed!" Eula retorted.
"Uh... you're gonna take revenge on her giving us a free salad!?" Paimon questioned.
"I don't see the problem for revenge on having free salad." Maria sweatdropped.
"Hmph, you should know me by now, that's the kind of villainous character I am!" Sara proclaimed with a smirk. "Well then, please wait a moment while I get the dish for your uncle started, along with the other orders." She then left to prepare the dish.
"Hmph, delicious unauthorized delicacies... Sara will pay for this." Eula muttered.
"What kind of tsundere are you? Not even I would act like that." Chris mentally questioned.
"Why would you choose Gebratenes Fleisch mit Sauerkraut as a gift for your uncle? Paimon's never even heard of that dish before." Paimon asked.
"That dish is also new to me." Miriam added.
"Wow Paimon-chan, I'm surprised you're able to say that dish without making a spelling mistake." Miku remarked.
"Yeah, I don't think I can say or spell that dish properly." Hibiki admitted.
"I feel your pain, Hibiki-chan." Kiana also admitted.
"This dish isn't actually on Good Hunter's menu. Only longstanding patrons such as my uncle would know about the dish. The old aristocrats seem to take a liking to it." Eula explained.
"Because of the sour flavor of the sauerkraut, not too many people are fond of it these days. I guess it's become less popular over time." Amber added. "Eula treated me to the dish once, and I couldn't even finish a bite. I've nicknamed it 'Gebratenes Fleisch mit Vengeance' ever since. Yuck!"
"That bad?" Chris asked, earning a nod from the Outrider showing a disgusted look. "Oh. Then I know which dish I'm not ordering in the future."
"I never expected us to have such completely different tastes in food. If I weren't in such a good mood, I'd say that constitutes grounds for transgression." Eula commented.
"Huh, so even Amber doesn't escape your vengeance?" Aether asked.
"Of course not! It's hard to find someone in Mondstadt that attracts contempt as much as she does." Eula replied.
Amber chuckled at her comment. "Haha, it's fine when you're just joking between us, but I'm afraid our Honorary Knight and his friends might misunderstand you. Eula's always talking about vengeance, but that's just how she is. It's nothing you should take too seriously."
"Ah... that explains Jean's remark about Eula." Maria mentally recalled.
"But I am serious!" Eula retorted. "And I'll remember every transgression committed against me! Ugh, it's no wonder so many people dislike you!"
"Paimon's starting to realize that Eula is actually a very good person." Paimon remarked. "There's no need to be so awkward when you want to say something nice."
"Paimon-chan's right, Eula-san!" Hibiki agreed. "No need to be shy to make new friends."
Eula sighed in response. "Listen, you've never been labeled as a social pariah, have you?"
"What... well... no...?" Paimon answered.
"A social... what...?" Hibiki responded in confusion.
"It means an outcast or someone who's despised and avoided." Miku clarified.
"Exactly." Eula confirmed. "So that's why you wouldn't understand how hard it is for a bad person to try to be good. It's impossible for me, and I have no intention of acting like a good person." She sighed before smiling. "Alright, no need to look so sullen, I'm just kidding. Come on, let's eat before your orders arrive. The salad is getting cold."
After an awkward pause from the group, they resumed chatting cheerfully before their meals arrived. And when they did arrive, they began to chow down for a few minutes. Eventually...
"Ah... that was sooo good." Hibiki said, rubbing her belly. "Mondstadt's dishes are great."
"I agree with you on that." Kiana agreed. "This is different compared to the ones back home. Still pretty good though."
"Gotta admit, Good Hunter can make a really good spaghetti." Chris remarked.
"Ooh, I'm stuffed. I'll see Sara about the bill." Amber said.
"No need, I've left the Mora under the plate." Eula replied. "If you try to settle it with her in person, she won't accept payment for the salad. Don't underestimate my ability to exact revenge. Hah! Sara won't get the upper hand this time!"
"You do realize that you're also paying for our food, Eula-san." Miku pointed out.
"No need to worry, Miku. I also left my Mora under the plate, which is enough for everyone. This one's on me." Maria assured.
"Thanks for that, Maria." Regina said.
"Y-You don't have to do that, Maria!" Eula retorted.
"Fufu, I can play your game too, Eula." Maria smirked with a wink.
"...You're gonna pay for that someday. But anyway..." Eula cleared her throat. "Next you should pay my uncle a visit. He has a small camp at the top of the mountain near Springvale. He usually whiles his time away there when there's nothing else to do."
"Are you coming with us, Eula?" Lumine asked.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be very convenient for me. It'd be better if the rest of you went alone."
"Not me. No way I'm talking to him." Chris declined with her arms crossed.
"Ah, before I forget, please do remember to pick up the dish from Sara." Eula reminded as she stood up from her seat while Amber did the same.
"I still have more recon to do in the wilderness. Good luck on your mission, guys!" Amber waved to the group before heading out.
"Let's meet again, Xross Drive Rebellion. What an interesting bunch you are." Eula said to the group before she left.
"Well... Eula's something else, huh?" Chris remarked as everyone stood up from their seats.
"I guess it's understandable considering the infamous reputation of the Lawrence clan." Maria said.
"Here's the Gebratenes Fleisch mit Sauerkraut, everyone." Said the arriving Sara with a food box containing said dish. "Be sure to eat it while it's hot, otherwise the flavor will be spoiled."
"I'll take that, thank you." Aether took the food box from Sara.
"And by the way, don't worry too much when Eula says strange things. She's actually a very good person."
"I knew she was a good person after all!" Hibiki smiled.
"Paimon's been meaning to ask... No one could stand the sight of Eula when she was trying to speak with the others in Mondstadt earlier. But she seemed to get alone fine with you and Amber just now. What's up with that?" Paimon asked.
"The people of Mondstadt don't take kindly to anyone bearing the Lawrence name." Sara explained. "They are unable to see past her family, therefore they don't really see Eula for herself. So no matter what Eula tries to do, it's seen as a wrongdoing. It essentially strips the meaning of anything she tries to accomplish."
"Hmm.. that explains why we saw some people Eula tried to talk to earlier, only for them to walk away from her due to her clan's reputation. I think I understand now." Aether noted.
"So that's what she meant when she said it was hard for 'a bad person to try to be good.'" Lumine recalled.
Sara's explanation, along with Aether and Lumine's understanding, reminded Chris and Maria of their past since the two were originally enemies to Hibiki and her friends. The same goes for Regina and Miriam; the former who was once an enemy to the Pretty Cure; and the latter was during her first meeting with Zangetsu after she was freed from the demon's control. For Chris, it was to please Finé; for Maria, it was for Nastassja even if her methods involve the fate of the world; for Regina, it was for the Selfish King without knowing that her real father is deep inside until it was revealed by the Pretty Cure using the Eternal Golden Crown, and yet she still fought against them despite knowing the truth; and for Miriam, she was about to be executed by Zangetsu for being a Shardbinder which is a demonic power, but chose to spare her instead and allowed her to accompany him on his quest to defeat the demons to prove her resolve to use her power for good instead of evil.
The group can't help but feel sorry for Eula, even though she's fighting for a good cause unlike her family elders.
"How come you're able to see Eula differently then?" Paimon asked the waitress.
"Well, when she joined the Knights of Favonius, it caused quite an uproar." Sara explained. "Many people signed a petition, demanding that the Knights reverse their decision. At the same time, numerous members of the Lawrence Clan crowded the entrance of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, clamoring for Eula to give an explanation."
"So both sides are not happy with her decision." Maria mused.
"That's right." Sara confirmed. "So you can imagine how determined Eula must have been under such circumstances. But thanks to Grand Master Varka and the unwavering attitudes of others in the Knights of Favonius, they were able to quell the unrest. Tensions still remain beneath the surface, I'm afraid. In the eyes of the people, she's a stain on the Knights of Favonius; and in the eyes of the Lawrence Clan, she's a disgrace to her family. But she simply fulfills her duty as a Knight, silently helping one person after another, myself included. People like Eula should be approached with care and understanding. She could stand to be treated a little more fairly."
"I agree." Kiana nodded. "If only the people of Mondstadt would cast their hate away from Eula since she's an exception."
"Yeah, and she can be a really good friend despite her attitude." Chris added. "Though her attitude could use a little bit of adjustment without pissing people off for no reason."
"Well it's good that you're able to understand her, Sara." Aether smiled.
"If only there were more people like you." Lumine also smiled.
"I believe a day will come when things will get better." Sara prayed.
"Once everything's settled, we should go talk to Eula again. Paimon thinks we know how to communicate with her now." Paimon said.
"I'm glad." Sara smiled. "I think that would make her very happy, though she might not ever admit it. Also, please don't tell Eula a word of what I've said. She might think I'm being too nosy."
"No problem, Sara. And thank you for the meal." Miriam replied with a bow.
"Anytime, please come again!" Sara smiled and bowed before the group left with farewells.
The group began to sit at some nearby benches to process the info they've learned about Eula and her clan. "Hey guys?" Hibiki spoke up.
"What is it?" Miku asked.
"Is it okay if we can ask Eula-san to join Team XDR as an honorary member just like Amber?"
"Do you really think that would be an easy request to accept?" Chris questioned. "Amber's okay since she's friends with Aether and Paimon when she first met them, but Eula's different due to her clan's infamous reputation."
"True... but I can't help but side with Hibiki's decision on this one." Maria said. "Team XDR is not linked with any other organization since we're an independent alliance, though our actions will reflect the people's opinion about us."
"But we have kept secret on who joined our team, Diluc being an example since we can help him with his underground operations, not to mention that he didn't like working with the Knights of Favonius." Miriam stated.
"Exactly." Maria nodded. "It's not like we're going to announce the public that Eula joined our team. Only the ones who are in our team will be notified about the newcomers."
"Hmm... Let's tell Zeo-san and the others about this so we can hear their opinion." Miku said.
"Good idea." Kallen agreed. "But first..." She then turned to Aether holding the food box. "We still need to deliver that dish to Schubert before it gets cold."
"How's about me, Lumine and Paimon pay him a visit?" Aether suggested. "The rest of you can talk to Zeo and the others."
"Alright, we'll leave the rest to you three." Miriam approved as they stood up from their seats.
"I'll go with you guys, if that's okay." Kiana requested to the twins.
"Sure thing, Kiana." Lumine accepted.
"Okay, we're gonna head back to base. Good luck, guys!" Hibiki waved as the group began heading back to base, leaving behind Kiana, Paimon and the twin travelers.
"We'll call you if something's up!" Paimon replied and waved back. "Well then, time to pay that aristocrat a visit."
"Then let's head for Springvale." Aether nodded before the group began leaving the city.
Springvale
Once the group arrived in the town of Springvale, they were met with a familiar face. "Fu Hua?" Kiana spoke, gaining her attention. "What are you doing here in Springvale?"
"Huh, I was about to ask the same thing to you, Kiana, along with the others." Fu Hua replied. "But I'll let you answer first."
"We're here to deliver some food to an aristocrat named Schubert Lawrence. Eula told us that he's at a camp somewhere near here." Aether explained with the food box still in hand.
"Eula?" Fu Hua repeated. "Isn't that the Spindrift Knight Amber mentioned?"
"Yup, that's her. We've met her some time ago." Lumine confirmed. "So did you see a camp nearby?"
"I did." Fu Hua confirmed with a nod, pointing at a small mountain nearby. "It's right up that small mountain. There should be a nearby uphill path that will help you reach him without the need for climbing. I also saw a man having tea and reading a newspaper at that camp. Since he was busy, I chose not to disturb him."
"That's gotta be Schubert." Paimon deduced.
"I have to wonder why you're delivering food to him in the first place." Fu Hua questioned.
"Well... it started off like this..." Kiana began to explain.
"I see..." Fu Hua noted with a serious look after hearing their story. "So earning Schubert's trust might be the key to finding out if he's requesting help from the Fatui."
"Yup." Lumine confirmed. "And if he does, we'll use our Zikan Phones to audio record what's going on so we can show Jean the evidence."
"Then in that case, allow me to join in on your mission." Fu Hua declared. "However, I think you and Aether should converse with him while Paimon, Kiana and I will watch from a distance."
"Sounds like a plan." Aether replied. "Okay, we're going to go see Schubert now. Watch our backs, okay?"
"We will." Kiana assured before the twins began heading for the camp.
"So, how are we going to hide without being noticed?" Paimon asked.
"There should be some stone pillars around the area that we can use to hide behind." Fu Hua replied. "Come on, let's go." Afterwards, they went towards the same path the twins took.
A few minutes of walking later, the twins saw the camp with a tattered tent at a distance along with Schubert sitting down in a fancy chair and having tea. "(That's his camp?)" Lumine whispered in question. "(It looks pretty basic, though that tent looks kind of tattered.)"
"(The only thing that's not basic is that fancy chair he's sitting on.)" Aether silently replied, noticing said chair. "(Must be another aristocratic custom.)"
"(I... highly doubt that.)" Lumine sweatdropped. "(Anyway, time to say hello.)"
"(Right.)" Aether nodded before the two approached the aristocrat. "Excuse me? Mr. Schubert?"
"Hm?" Schubert responded, noticing the twins. "Aren't you two with that rude fellow earlier? He's not here, is he?"
"No, not this time." Lumine shook her head. "He's not used to talking to... magnanimous aristocrats such as yourself."
"Magnanimous... Yes, that is indeed true for most aristocrats." Schubert agreed.
"Please, if I may be so bold as to say a few humble words..." Aether requested.
"'A few humble words', eh? Yes, that sounds appropriate enough." Schubert noted before nodding. "Very well, I'm certainly not one to be narrow-minded. At least you two seem to understand unlike that rude fellow, so I'll listen to what you have to say."
While the conversation continued, Fu Hua, Kiana and Paimon arrived at the area and quickly hid behind some stone pillars as they observed the scene.
"Okay, now I know why Gaius hated talking to this guy. He's thinking too highly of himself!" Lumine thought with disgust before speaking to the aristocrat. "Before I go any further, I wish to express my will of resistance."
"Ah, a kindred spirit, I see. Yes, we must resist the blundering Knights of Favonius. You are true and principled." Schubert noted.
"It is an honor to stand before you here, immersed in your supreme brilliance." Aether said... while feeling mentally disgusted. "Ugh... I can't believe I'm saying this to a guy like him..."
"Oho! It appears I have misjudged you! 'Supreme brilliance', the glory of the nobility that continues to this day. A true loyalist!" Schubert smiled. "Impressive! My intentions were to test your humility. It appears you have become well-versed in our etiquette."
"He was testing us this whole time?! Sheesh... what kind of ordeal is this?" Lumine mentally questioned.
"Your conduct is satisfactory." Schubert acknowledged with a nod. "I must say, such a progress in such a short time is practically unfathomable. If I may ask, from whence did you learn such a civilized manner of speech?"
"Well we were fortunate enough to benefit from the knowledge of a dear friend." Aether answered with Lumine nodding.
"Ah good, very good. You both are bright, and compared with the common folk of Mondstadt, you certainly have potential. If you were of aristocratic blood, your prospects would be promising indeed!"
"Anyway, we would like to present you with a small token of our goodwill." Aether said, showing the food box to Schubert.
"Have a look, good sir. I'm sure you'll recognize this dish well." Lumine added.
"Is that so?" Schubert raised an eyebrow before taking the food box from Aether and opened it. And what he saw made him gasp in shock. "Could this be...?! Gebratenes Fleisch mit Sauerkraut!? It's evident that your sentiment is genuine. As a young person nowadays, only with no small effort could you achieve such a dish. It's been so long since I dug into a big tasty-" He cleared his throat. "Ahem! I beg your pardon. What I mean to say is, since it's nearly mealtime, I shall partake." Afterwards, he went to his table and began eating his meal in private.
"Psst!" Kiana silently called out to the twins, gaining their attention. They saw Kiana, Fu Hua and Paimon hiding behind the stone pillars and giving them a nod, making the twins nod back before turning to the aristocrat who's almost done with his meal, while Kiana, Fu Hua and Paimon continued to hide and observe.
Once Schubert finished his meal, he approached the twins with a satisfied look. "Ah yes, this aroma, just as I remember it. And this exquisite sour flavor... Mmm. A delicacy that only us noblemen and women could appreciate."
"He actually likes it?" Lumine mentally questioned. "Huh, now I'm curious to know how it tastes like. Maybe I should ask Sara for that dish next time."
"Now then, I acknowledge your genuine goodwill." Schubert acknowledged. "Such sincerity must certainly imply that you come bearing a request."
"You see... It seems there's word that the Lawrence family has a grand scheme of sorts." Aether said.
"Wait, so you've come to know of this, too?" Schubert responded in shock. "It was meant to be a family secret..."
"Well... we wish to lend you a helping hand, for the nobility." Lumine requested.
"Hmm..." Schubert pondered for a bit with his hand on his chin. "Well, considering your meticulous etiquette, you must be a talent of unusual fortitude. So I'm willing to place my full trust in you. Please, come with me. We happen to be in need of competent fellows just like yourselves."
"Where are we going?" Aether asked.
"To see some friends from a distant land." Schubert answered. "They have offered their assistance in restoring the Lawrence Clan to its former glory."
"Okay, looks like we earned his trust." Aether thought.
"Hopefully Fu Hua and Kiana will know what to do next." Lumine also thought.
"Well then, let's get going, shall we? You'll understand everything in due course." Schubert declared before setting off with the twins following behind.
"(Alright, they're heading somewhere. Let's follow them and see where it leads.)" Fu Hua silently spoke to Kiana and Paimon.
"(Got it!)" They silently complied before they began following after them without being seen.
"(Hey, sis.)" Aether whispered to Lumine while they followed Schubert.
"(Yes, brother?)"
"(I'm a little worried that his 'friends' might recognize us.)" Aether took out a dark mask and gave it to Lumine. "(Wear this. I told Diluc to make you a spare some time ago. It'll help you blend in without being recognized.)"
"(Thanks, that will help out a lot.)" Lumine smiled as she put on the mask while Aether did the same and smiled back.
Eventually they arrived at the secret hideout entrance at a base of a mountain right beside a lake with a small waterfall. "So that's where his 'friends' are hiding..." Aether thought with narrowed eyes.
"This is the place." Schubert confirmed before facing the twins. "Hm? Why have you both put on a mask all of a sudden?"
"I don't wish to be seen by any strangers." Aether answered.
"Also, it is only proper for aristocrats to wear a mask." Lumine added.
"Hmm, even if they are powerful, our status is much higher than theirs in the land of Mondstadt... And therefore, we shouldn't allow them to admire our true faces so easily! I see, haha..." Schubert agreed before looking at the entrance. "Let's proceed, shall we? I'll introduce you as my guest." Afterwards, he went inside the hideout with the twins following behind.
Fu Hua, Kiana and Paimon eventually arrived at the hideout entrance and just noticed the three heading inside. "A secret hideout, huh?" Kiana mused. "Now then, what's our next move?"
Fu Hua pulled out her Zikan Phone. "Time to let Zeo and the others know about this. I'll be sure to tell them to hurry to this location before anyone notices. Once I'm done calling them, we're going inside, knocking out the guards in the process before they could call for help."
"Got it." Kiana replied. "I'll be sure to freeze them with my guns for extra measure."
"Good idea."
"What about Paimon?" Paimon asked.
"You're coming with us, silly." Kiana smiled. "But remember to hide and keep quiet unless you want to alert the entire hideout."
"No problem." Paimon nodded. "Paimon will be extra quiet."
Fu Hua then began contacting with Zeo via voice call. "Zeo? It's me, Fu Hua, alongside Kiana and Paimon. There's something important we need to tell you involving the aristocrat named Schubert..."
Secret Hideout
"As you'll see in a moment, there are many already helping us." Schubert explained as he, Aether and Lumine walked down some stairs and then walked across some hallways with tattered flags around the area. While he was busy monologuing, he failed to notice the twins had already turned on the 'Record' function on their Zikan Phones hiding within their pockets to use as evidence to reveal to Master Jean later on. "I heard that this area has already been purged once by the Knights of Favonius, but it's the only place around Mondstadt that is well concealed and spacious enough. Although it has fallen into disrepair and does not suit the tastes of the nobility, we simply have to make do for now."
"I guess that's fair. You work with what you got." Aether agreed.
"Do we have to walk slowly though?" Lumine questioned.
"But of course. An aristocrat always moves with grace in his steps, moving hurriedly is unacceptable." Schubert answered.
"...As you wish."
After a few minutes of walking later, they arrived at a large area where they encountered Schubert's 'friends'... the Fatui. "And there's the confirmation..." Aether thought with narrowed eyes.
"To think he would go so low by calling in the Fatui to take over Mondstadt... this guy deserves to be arrested." Lumine also thought with narrowed eyes.
They then met up with a Fatui grunt named Daler along with another grunt, guarding a stone door behind them. "Hold it right there." He raised his hand forward. "Who's this?"
"If you really must know, they're my guests. If you happen to offend them in even the slightest, then you will be held accountable by the Lawrence Clan." Schubert answered as the twins bowed with their left hand on their chests.
"But this matter is of upmost secrecy, we must exercise caution." Daler stated.
"You dare question the ways of a nobleman?" Schubert retorted. "I don't have time for this. Make way!"
"Geez... No need to sound all high and mighty like that." Daler muttered before sighing. "Fine, you may proceed." He stepped away and opened the stone door, allowing Schubert and the twins to pass through to the next room.
"It's a good thing you're with us, Schubert. They don't dare to question you." Aether said as they kept walking.
"Of course, that is the benefit of prestige." Schubert replied. "In past times, it would be a dire offense to speak to a nobleman in such a manner. We could determine a person's fate with the blink of an eye." He then scoffed. "Hmph, and such glory will return to me again before long."
"Heh, in your dreams..." Lumine thought, hiding a devious smirk.
Eventually, they reached another room with a stone bridge and a fire pit. Standing at the entrance of the bridge is an elite grunt named Sergei. "Hm? Where have I seen this person before...?" Sergei thought when he looked at Aether as he, Lumine and Schubert approached him. He turned to the aristocrat and pointed at the twins. "And who, may I ask, is these two? We mustn't bring just anyone in here."
"This is our newest allies that I've recently met." Schubert answered as the twins did the same greeting to Daler earlier. "They are completely trustworthy, you have the word of the Lawrence Clan."
"A pleasure to meet you, sir." Aether greeted while Lumine nodded.
"Our plans are strictly confidential. It's not wise to bring in an outsider at this time." Sergei stated. "Furthermore, there's been word that an outlander who joined the Knights of Favonius has been very active in Mondstadt recently."
"Don't be ridiculous." Schubert replied. "Besides, my guests are well-versed in the etiquette of the nobility. I must treat them with the proper mutual respect. The Knights of Favonius pay no regard to such details, they could never understand the intricacies of our etiquette."
"Well, there's also the fact that the Fatui have abandoned our base of operations within Mondstadt City under orders from our harbinger, Signora, due to our operation being exposed by another outlander. And that outlander had-"
"Enough!" Schubert interrupted, pointing at the elite grunt. "You dare question my word? Need I remind you who it is that has made your activity in Mondstadt possible? Without the support of the Lawrence Clan, you would have all been driven out by the Knights of Favonius like dogs! And besides, with the help of my clan, you can take revenge on the ones that ousted you and your Fatui comrades from Mondstadt City! So you must immediately offer your sincerest apologies to my friends, you've offended their honor!"
"Tsk..." Sergei muttered in annoyance before sighing. "Fine. I'll take your word and make no further inquiries. Now, to the matter at hand. Did you bring the diagram of Mondstadt's defenses, as promised?"
"So that's what they're planning..." Aether thought with narrowed eyes with Lumine feeling the same way.
"Yes, of course. Here it is." Schubert took out said diagram written in a scroll and gave it to Sergei.
"Let me see here..." Sergei unfolded the diagram and examined it. "...Why is it so poorly drawn? Everything's so squiggly and crooked. And what is this shape supposed to be?"
"Excuse me? I'll have you know that I went to great lengths to carefully draw this map by hand myself!" Schubert retorted as he pointed at one part of the diagram. "That 'shape' is the symbol of the Knights of Favonius."
"Ah, I see. Crude, but I can make do." Sergei noted before folding the diagram. "Are you able to verify that this is all reliable information?"
"Of course, you needn't worry about that." Schubert assured. "Don't forget what we agreed upon, the flag of the Lawrence Clan will fly above the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. The rights to that building as well as the whole of Mondstadt belong to the Lawrence Clan."
"Yes, yes, we will both profit from this agreement." Sergei nodded. "There's no use haggling over the details. We will make good use of the intel you provided. Also, be certain not to divulge our identity. There would be diplomatic consequences, you know. However, like I mentioned earlier, the consequences already happened as we're no longer allowed to step foot into the city under Lady Signora's orders since our operation was exposed, thanks to those meddling outlanders."
"Don't worry. This matter is only between you and I." Schubert assured, gesturing to the masked twins. "...And also my new friends here. No one else will know of it. Once this is over, I shall stand atop the Favonius Headquarters and rebuke their pathetic rule over Mondstadt. Then, the city and all its people will once again be under the rightful and unwavering rule of the Lawrence Clan! Haha, perfect! Just as it once was, and just as it should be!"
Sergei sighed in annoyance. "May I remind you once again that we mustn't act rash-"
*BAM! BAM!*
"What was that?" Schubert asked.
"It came from the door." Sergei replied as everyone turned attention to the banging stone door.
*BAM!*
And said door was burst open by a large neko paw before the latter vanished, and out came Kiana, Fu Hua, and also Kallen, shocking the aristocrat and the elite grunt, while Aether and Lumine have small smirks on their faces. "Knock, knock~" Kiana greeted with a devious grin, pointing her gun forward.
"What?!" Schubert exclaimed, pointing at the arrivals. "Who are you?!"
"We're just a passing through Rebellion." Kallen answered, also pointing her gun forward.
"But we're also cooperating with the Knights of Favonius. And the both of you, are under arrest." Fu Hua added, cracking her knuckles.
"But let's face it, you guys are not gonna come quietly, so we'll do this the hard way, just like what we did to those guards at the hideout entrance." Kiana stated.
"You WHAT?!" Sergei exclaimed in shock, not knowing that Paimon appeared right behind him, snatched the diagram away from his hand, and then vanished from sight. "I thought I told you not to get detected!" He scolded the aristocrat.
"I-I didn't know other people are following me from behind!" Schubert retorted in panic, but then blinked when he saw Sergei's hand. "Wait... where's the diagram?"
"Huh?" Sergei blinked, until his hand felt empty which made him look, and then his eyes widen in shock that the diagram he's holding vanished right under his nose. But that small distraction costs him as Lumine quickly rushed in front of the elite grunt, shoved a Palm Vortex right onto his chest, and sent him flying upward. Then Aether followed up by leaping towards the airborne Sergei and used his Palm Vortex to launch him towards Kiana and her team, prompting the Kaslanas to fire Cryo rounds onto the flying Sergei as he was immediately frozen and landed right in front of the group.
"Huh?!" Schubert exclaimed in shock, turning to the masked twins regrouping. "W-What are you both doing?! You're on my side, remember?!"
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but..." Aether replied as he and Lumine took off their masks and put them away.
"We lied." Lumine finished as she and Aether smirked.
"What?!" Schubert exclaimed.
"I'm the Honorary Knight that your Fatui friend mentioned." Aether revealed.
"And I happen to be his sister." Lumine added. "We were only pretending to be on your side so we can confirm that you're requesting help from the Fatui, and we've seen just enough proof to warrant your arrest."
"You mean... you both tricked me?!" Schubert exclaimed.
"Yup." Aether confirmed. "And the ones behind us are our friends who were following us as you lead me and my sister to your hideout."
"This is your final warning, Schubert Lawrence. Surrender peacefully, or we will take you in by force." Fu Hua demanded.
"G-Gh...!" Schubert was in complete shock that the traveling twins tricked him into believing that they're fighting for the nobility, but they're not. Even worse, their allies were following behind them this entire time, and they might've also defeated the guards at the entrance. He did not expect these people to outsmart him. With his options slowly dwindling, there's only one thing he can do... "Y-You'll never take me!" He quickly ran across the bridge and into the next room.
"Yep, kinda figured he ran." Kiana said as she and Kallen holstered their guns. "Unfortunately for him, he's not gonna go that far."
"What do you mean?" Lumine asked.
"Because Eula and her knights, along with Miriam, Chris, Regina, and Maria are waiting just ahead, blocking his escape route." Fu Hua answered.
"After talking to Zeo and the others about their opinion for Eula to join Team XDR, we began looking for her." Kallen explained. "That is until Fu Hua contacted us about this hideout located around Springvale. When we arrived at the village, we found Eula, along with some of her knights, already prepared to hunt down Schubert. Oh, and we also met this one pirate captain named Beidou, who's searching for a friend of hers that went missing some time ago. Her name is Yanfei. And Beidou had a hunch that she might've been captured."
"Beidou and Yanfei?" Aether repeated. "Those names sound like they're from Liyue, just like Xiangling."
"That's because they are from Liyue." Fu Hua confirmed. "Anyway, have you two finished recording the entire conversation with Schubert?"
"Yup." Lumine confirmed as she and Aether took out their Zikan Phones, turned off the 'Record' function, and replayed a conversation.
"Enough! You dare question my word? Need I remind you who it is that has made your activity in Mondstadt possible? Without the support of the Lawrence Clan, you would have all been driven out by the Knights of Favonius like dogs! And besides, with the help of my clan, you can take revenge on the one that ousted you and your Fatui comrades from Mondstadt City!"
"Yeah, this is more than enough evidence to know that he's involved with the Fatui." Kiana surmised. "Speaking of which... Paimon? Did you get the diagram?"
"Right here, Kiana!" Paimon replied, appearing right beside her with the diagram in hand. "Paimon took a quick look at the diagram earlier, and... well... what kind of drawing is this?! That looked like something a four year old would draw!"
"Yeah, I don't get it either." Aether replied back as everyone sweatdropped.
"He's supposed to be a noble aristocrat, yet he draws like crap." Kallen questioned before shrugging and raising her hand. "Oh well, give it here, Paimon."
"Here you go." Paimon gave the diagram to Kallen. "But Paimon thinks it's not worth keeping it."
"Evidence is evidence, Paimon." Fu Hua stated. "And besides, Aether and Lumine already recorded that conversation too."
"Mhm." Aether confirmed, replaying said conversation on his phone.
"Did you bring the diagram of Mondstadt's defenses, as promised?"
"Yes, of course. Here it is."
"Let me see here... Why is it so poorly drawn? Everything's so squiggly and crooked. And what is this shape supposed to be?"
"Excuse me? I'll have you know that I went to great lengths to carefully draw this map by hand myself! That 'shape' is the symbol of the Knights of Favonius."
"Ah, I see. Crude, but I can make do."
"At least the evidence will make sense with proper explanations." Kallen said, putting the diagram into her pocket while the twin travelers put away their phones. "Anyway, I'm gonna meet up with Eula and the others so I can give them the diagram. In the meantime, you guys can go after the remaining Fatui in this hideout. Me and the others will join you shortly."
"Gotcha." Lumine noted. "See you in a bit!"
"And thanks for the help!" Aether added as they watch Kallen head towards the same path Schubert took.
"Now then..." Kiana grinned while cracking her knuckles. "Let's go hunt down the Fatui." Afterwards, she and the others proceed to go deeper into the hideout to search for the remaining hidden Fatui.
"I-I must hurry! I must not be captured by them!" Schubert mentally panicked as he ran as fast as he could, away from his pursuers until he finds the escape point. "H-Huh?!" But when he reached the next room, he saw Chris, Miriam, Regina, and Eula along with four of her knights, blocking his route.
"Hello, uncle." Eula greeted in a neutral tone and crossed arms.
"E-Eula?!" Schubert exclaimed as he was stunned, until his legs were wrapped by a whip-sword, courtesy of Maria holding said weapon, standing several steps beside him. "W-What the?!"
"Stay still, aristocrat. You're not going anywhere." Maria said.
"L-Let go of me! You can't do this to a noble!" Schubert demanded, trying to remove the entanglement, but to no avail.
"That is not your decision to make." Maria frowned.
Seconds later, Kallen arrived as she saw the group, along with the captured aristocrat. "Perfect timing, Eula, everyone." Kallen greeted.
"This place is crawling with Fatui scum, but nothing we can't handle." Eula replied.
"Zi-O and the others will be here shortly to assist, but we've got some spare time to kick more Fatui ass before they get here." Chris added.
"Feels good to take down those Fatui jerks." Regina remarked with her hands on her hips.
"Now then, I believe the investigation went smoothly?" Miriam asked the Kaslana.
"It was all worth it, thanks to Aether and Lumine playing their roles well." Kallen answered. "Also Eula, thanks for the lesson. We couldn't have done it without you."
"My pleasure." Eula smiled back.
"So you're the one that taught them our etiquette?!" Schubert exclaimed, turning to Eula. "And I thought you despised such pleasantries! Furthermore, there is a rule in our family. Such traditions are never to be taught to outsiders!"
"Ah yes, rings a bell. So what? I had no reason not to teach them." Eula stated with a shrug.
"Y-You have brought shame to our family and ruined my plans! It's all for naught now!"
"I know that you poured great efforts into these plans, uncle. But you were well aware that it was not the right thing to do. As a Knight of Favonius, I could not overlook your actions."
"Knight of Favonius!?" Schubert's eyes widen in shock. "Let's get one thing straight. I am your uncle and you are a member of the Lawrence Clan! You should strive to restore your family's glory! You still have a chance. Defeat every Knight of Favonius here, and leave with me! Then I shall plea with the family to spare you and give you a new beginning!"
"So just to be clear, you want a Knight of Favonius to attack the Knights of Favonius?" Eula questioned.
"I shall say this one last time. You are not a Knight of Favonius. You are a descendant of the Lawrence Clan! The blood of the Lawrence Clan flows in your veins! You must comply with the will of the family!"
"Since when have I ever complied with the will of the family?" Eula smirked.
"Wh-Why you... you unruly maid!"
"If anyone should be angry, it should be me. As a member of the Lawrence Clan, you knowingly plotted against the city of Mondstadt and threatened its safety. Had you ever stopped to consider the trouble it would bring to so many people? Had you considered how many enemies you would make trying to keep the plans under wraps?"
"Y-You dare lecture me?!"
"That's right, in the name of the family that you so dearly revere, Uncle Schubert. I've never experienced the age of 'glory' you always speak of, and I've never understood our family's incessant pursuit of it. But I am capable of discerning right from wrong, and I deeply understand what 'freedom' means to the people of Mondstadt. The Lawrence Clan should never and will never become what you've dreamed it to be!"
"Well said, Eula Lawrence." Maria thought as she, Chris, Miriam and Regina smiled at her resolve. She may be from of an infamous clan, but she's not afraid for forge her own path and set things right for the people of Mondstadt despite the hate. As long as her friends believe in her, she might reach that goal, and the people will someday accept her for who she is and not because of her clan.
"Grr...!" Schubert growled at Eula's betrayal. "Oh, the disgrace of it all! How could such a rebellious monster emerge from our own fam-"
*Bam!*
"Shut." Miriam halted his sentence with a kick... right into his family jewels.
*Wham!*
"Up." Chris then followed up with a knockout punch to his face, rendering the aristocrat motionless and prompted Maria to retract her whip-sword. "Finally I get to punch this asshole in the face."
*Bang!*
And then Kallen finished with a Cryo bullet to the unconscious aristocrat, freezing him in place. "This is Eula's choice, and you have no right to decide what she should do." Kallen spoke to the frozen Schubert before holstering her gun.
"Nice." Regina praised with a thumbs up.
"...Was the kick and punch necessary?" Eula questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, yes it is." Miriam replied.
"I really hate this bastard of an uncle the moment he spoke to Geiz." Chris added.
"If I wanted to hear an aristocrat talk, I'd rather hear it from you, Eula." Maria smiled.
"Hmph, fair enough." Eula smirked back, before turning to her knights... who were cringing. "Though I think that kick earlier might've agitated them."
"Sorry you had to see that, gentlemen." Miriam apologized.
"I-It's no problem." One knight replied. "Just... warn us the next time you're going to do that."
"I'll be sure to remember that."
"Take my uncle away. My allies and I have other matters to attend to." Eula ordered her knights, who complied by carrying the frozen Schubert and head towards the exit. "Now then..." She turned to Kallen. "Given that you and your team had already taken action, I assume you've come across some conclusive evidence?"
"I believe this should suffice." Kallen replied, taking out the diagram and giving it to Eula. "According to Schubert, this is a diagram for all of the Knight's patrol routes and marked out key information about Mondstadt."
"I see..." Maria frowned. "So this is their way of taking revenge for having their base of operations taken away by us."
"Those sneaky jerks..." Regina also frowned.
Eula sighed in disappointment, looking at the diagram before putting it into her pocket. "And there was me thinking that he was just another elder of the family... and a lazy one at that. I never expected he could stoop so low. So stubborn... Mark my words, vengeance will be mine!"
"Don't you mean, ours?" Chris corrected with a smirk and crossed arms.
"Fufu, yes. Vengeance will be ours." Eula smiled back. "Now let's go before the travelers and their friends defeat them before we do." Afterwards, they head deeper into the hideout to catch up with the other team.
As time passes, Kiana, Fu Hua and the twin travelers traversed through the hideout, evading the traps and defeating numerous Fatui Skirmishers along the way. They eventually reached an elevating platform, leading towards the final room. And when they arrive at the room after opening the gate, they were shocked to find a young woman trapped inside a cage at the far end of the room.
"There's a hostage here?!" Paimon exclaimed.
"Hmm..." Fu Hua pondered with her hand on her chin. "If I recall, Beidou was looking for Yanfei, thinking she was captured. And I believe this must be her."
"Damn kidnappers." Kiana frowned.
"Are you sure that's Yanfei?" Lumine asked.
"Only one way to find out." Aether replied as he and the others approached the trapped girl sitting on the floor. "Excuse me! Are you Yanfei?"
"Huh?" The woman blinked, turning to the one speaking. "You guys don't look like the Fatui."
"That's because we're not." Lumine replied. "We were searching for the remaining Fatui in this hideout. But we never expected them to capture someone."
"I see." The woman noted before standing up. "It's good to finally see some friendly folks who are willing to help fight against the Fatui. And by the way, I am indeed Yanfei, top legal advisor of Liyue Harbor. Nice to meet you."
The woman named Yanfei has bright teal-green eyes with ovoid pupils; and salmon pink hair flowing past her shoulders, fading to a pale peach at the tips. The hair around the sides of her head is chopped short at ear length in a fringe, revealing a pair of cream colored antlers. Also, the sides of her chest, ankles, and the backs of her hands have white diamond-shaped markings that resemble scales. Her outfit consists of a dark red and black backless cropped top accented with gold; a white scarf-like wrapped collar accented with dark red; and a pair of detached, long, puffed white sleeves with black cuffs along with a large white pom-pom attached to each. She wears a large, dark red xiezhi hat accented with black and gold. Her collar and hat are both adorned with gold tongbao-shaped buttons. She also wears a short dark red skirt lined with gold swirls akin to clouds, fastened with a yellow ribbon tied in a bow on her left hip over a pair of uneven black shorts with lace trim. Her footwear consists of a pair of red and gold upturned-toed boots with white fluffy lining and gold heels and soles. She carries a thick book, fastened by two leather belts on her right hip where her Pyro Vision affixes; and she also carries a large decorated steelyard.
"Nice to meet you too, Yanfei." Kiana greeted back. "I'm Kiana Kaslana, and this is Fu Hua, Aether, Lumine and Paimon."
"Now then, is there a way for us to open your cage?" Fu Hua asked the adviser.
"Well, there should be a switch somewhere in one of the rooms." Yanfei glanced at the open rooms, two on each side. "But there's one teeny-tiny problem..."
"And what's that?" Paimon asked.
In response, the gate behind them closed and out came several groups of Fatui grunts along with some Geochanter Bracers who were coming out of the rooms with their weapons ready.
"Ohh... that..." Paimon paled as the group noticed the ambush, prompting them to prepare their combat stances.
"I should've known things won't be this easy." Kiana frowned, gripping her guns.
A Fatui Agent stepped forward to speak with a glare. "If you're thinking about freeing that prisoner of ours, you're surely mistaken. So be good and surrender, or face our wrath."
"We'd rather go down fighting. We'll never bow down to the Fatui." Aether replied, gripping his sword.
"Then no further diplomacy is needed, especially you, Honorary Knight." The agent glared at the male traveler. "Because of you, we were forced to abandon our base of operations within Mondstadt City by orders of Lady Signora, who was lucky enough to survive the sudden ambush..." He then turned to the female traveler. "And you happen to be part of that ambush according to her report. This... will not go unpunished."
"So she managed to survive despite the combined attacks, and she remembered my face." Lumine thought.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Fu Hua taunted, preparing her combat stance. "Defeat us, if you can."
"Gladly. Fatui, get them!" The agent ordered, prompting the grunts to rush towards them.
"Kiana, Lumine, take down one of the Geochanters so that they won't provide support for the grunts. Aether and I will handle the other one." Fu Hua ordered.
"Right!" The three nodded.
"Paimon, you might want to hide. This is about to get ugly."
"No need to tell Paimon twice!" Paimon complied before vanishing.
"I'll just stay here and read for a moment. Let me know when you're done." Yanfei said, sitting down on the floor and reading a book to pass the time since she's still trapped inside the cage.
Kiana and Lumine began fighting against the grunts, evading their attacks and then countering with sword slashes and numerous kicks. But then the Geochanter generated a Geo aura around himself and summoned a large dome around himself and the grunts, boosting their attack power.
"Tch... I hate it when these mages do that..." Kiana muttered, recalling the info about the Geochanters. "Lumine, can you hold off the grunts while I go crush that mage?"
"I'll try, but it'll be a bit difficult since their attack power are boosted thanks to that dome." Lumine replied.
"Then let me give you something to even the score." Kiana replied back, generating an aura around herself and Lumine with a magic circle briefly appearing below them before vanishing. "There. My aura will give you an attack boost along with health regeneration. It's Divine Prayer's special battlesuit ability."
"Thanks, Kiana." Lumine smiled before turning to the grunts. "Now leave them to me! Hurry and defeat that mage!" She then rushed towards the grunts with her sword glowing with Anemo energy and Kiana's divine aura, while Kiana took the other route to reach the Geochanter. Lumine evaded several attacks from the grunts, before countering with sword slashes, slash-waves, and using her Palm Vortex to group them up before sending them flying.
As for Kiana, she had the Geochanter in her sights, before the mage launched several Geo rocks towards her, prompting her to dodge and slide away from them. Once she got close, she summoned her large neko paws and delivered a triple swipe onto the mage, then followed up with a paw thrust straight into a wall, which is enough to break his aura, causing the dome he created to break apart. For the finishing touch, Kiana launched the mage skywards with a neko strike from below, then leaped into the air and unleashed a spinning bulletstorm onto the mage, and then followed up with a paw thrust, slamming him into the ground which knocked him out cold while Kiana landed safely. With her target down, she picked up the Geo staff and broke it in half, preventing its usage. After that, she threw away the broken staff and rushed towards Lumine to assist.
Fu Hua and Aether are holding their own against the grunts, until they saw the Geochanter generating aura around himself and launched several Geo rocks at them, prompting them to dodge.
"Aether, can you handle the grunts while I go after the Geochanter before it becomes a problem later on?" Fu Hua asked as she delivered a palm strike at a grunt.
"You got it!" Aether nodded as he unleashed a Palm Vortex at a group of grunts. "I can hold my own against a group this many!"
"Good! I'll come back to assist when I'm done!" Fu Hua replied before rushing towards the Geochanter while breaking through the grunts with ki blasts. Once she got close to the mage, she was able to deliver a ki-enhanced punch, only for it to miss when the mage teleported in time. Fu Hua looked around for when the mage will show up, until she decided to close her eyes and let her ears detect his movements. And the moment she heard him reappearing from behind, she turned around with her eyes still shut, dodged the Geo rocks that he launched, and then countered with a ki-enhanced double palm strike that sent him flying into a wall and breaking his aura. But she wasn't done yet as she flash-stepped in front of the mage and delivered a ki-enhanced one inch punch to the chest, knocking him out as he fell to the ground while Fu Hua opened her eyes, picked up the mage's staff and broke it in half using her knee, and threw it away before heading back to Aether to assist.
As for Yanfei, who was still reading her book, briefly glanced at the heroes holding their own against the Fatui despite the large enemy numbers. She can't help but feel impressed at their resistance, never giving up and kept on fighting. Unknown to her however, a magic portal appeared behind her and out came a very large hand that grabbed the legal adviser without warning and pulled her into the portal before it vanished.
The Fatui Agent however was not amused as his troops are having trouble dealing with the heroes despite the number advantage. "What the hell are you idiots doing?! There's only four people here! How difficult is it to crush them?!"
"That's because they knew that they have to be a a one-man army to deal with this many of your grunts." Zi-O in his BladeArmor replied to the agent, arriving from a room that leads to the exit of the hideout, alongside Geiz in his WizardArmor and Starlight standing beside him.
"Huh?!" The agent responded in shock. "Who are you three?!"
"Just passing through Kamen Riders, and Pretty Cure." Geiz replied with his arms crossed. "Also, don't bother asking for reinforcements. We've crushed and captured every last one of them, and you and your boys are the only ones left."
"What?!"
"Zi-O, Geiz, Starlight, you've made it!" Lumine replied as she and the others smiled at the arrivals.
"Sorry we took a while to show up." Zi-O apologized. "Like I said, had to deal with the Fatui reinforcements on the way here."
"That's fine, we're glad that you're here to help us out." Aether replied with a smile.
"Also, we've also rescued the prisoner while the Fatui Agent is not looking." Starlight mentioned.
"Huh?" The agent responded before taking a look at the cage, until his eyes widen in shock that his prisoner vanished. "What the... Where did she go?!"
"I'm over here." Yanfei replied, arriving next to Zi-O and the others, and shocking the agent.
"You got out?! How?!"
"You can thank this one over here for getting me out of the cage." Yanfei answered, gesturing to Geiz. "Though I was surprised at what he did to free me."
"So that's how she escaped. Well played using your armor's power, Geiz." Fu Hua thought with an impressed smile.
"Sorry about that, Yanfei." Geiz apologized.
"It's fine." Yanfei replied before summoning her Catalyst book, Mappa Mare. "Now that I'm free, I believe payback is in order, though a dear friend of mine wanted to join in as well."
"What friend?" The agent asked.
"You can come out now, Beidou! The last remaining Fatui are over here!" Yanfei called out after turning her ahead around briefly.
"Well... it's about damn time." The one named Beidou replied as she arrived, wielding a black and red claymore called the Blackcliff Slasher resting over her shoulder before she planted it on the ground.
"Whoa... That's Beidou?" Kiana thought as she glanced at the new arrival. "She looks pretty strong, not to mention beautiful."
Beidou has a red eyepatch covering her left eye, while her right eye has a deep ruby-colored hue melting into gold. She also has long, waist-length dark brown hair, with the top of her hair tied up with an intricate gold hairpin with a pale blue tassel hanging from one end. Her fringe parts around her right eye, slightly covering her left. Her outfit consists of a black leotard underneath a bright red sleeveless qipao dress, with side slits going up to her hips and the chest area cut out. A vivid purple Electro Vision is also chained below her left breast. She also wears an imposing fur-lined red shawl around her shoulders. Lastly, she wears a pair of fingerless, elbow-length black gloves.
"Everyone, this is Beidou, Captain of the Crux Pirates." Yanfei introduced to her, who was cracking her knuckles in anticipation.
"She's also a pirate captain?!" Kiana's eyes widen in shock. "Wow, I think Risky Boots might have some competition."
"Hello friends... and Fatui bastards." Beidou greeted as she pulled out her claymore from the ground. "I'm not late for the party, am I?"
"No, you're just in time." Kiana smiled. "Nice to meet you, by the way."
"Likewise, Miss..."
"Kiana. Kiana Kaslana." She introduced before gesturing to the others. "And this is Fu Hua, Aether and Lumine."
"Greetings./Hi there./Hello." Fu Hua, Aether and Lumine greeted.
"Fu Hua?" Beidou raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to be from Liyue, right?"
"No." Fu Hua shook her head. "I'm an outlander from a distant land."
"Ah, gotcha."
"The captain of the famed Crux Pirates?! Here?!" The Fatui Agent mentally exclaimed in shock, knowing about Beidou's reputation.
"Hello, Fatui scum."
"Oh what now?!" The agent turned to the voice coming from the gate leading to the moving platform, before his eyes widen in shock again as the gates was raised, revealing to be the arriving Eula, Kallen, Maria, Chris, Regina and Miriam, before the gates closed behind them.
"This time..." Eula summoned her claymore with a cold glare. "...you will not escape our vengeance."
"The Knights of Favonius too?!" The agent exclaimed as he and the rest of his grunts stuttered in shock at their arrival.
"You think you've trapped them? Well guess what, think again." Chris, with her crossbows armed, smirked at the Fatui.
"Usually we'd ask you to surrender quietly, but judging from the atmosphere in this room, I believe that's no longer the case." Miriam stated with her Titanium Flail ready.
"Grr...!" The Fatui Agent growled.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, Eula." Zi-O said.
"Once again, this place is crawling with Fatui, so we had to do a thorough search for any remaining Fatui hiding." Eula replied before turning to the Fatui Agent and his grunt. "And these should be the last ones to deal with."
"I think I'll let you crush the leader." Zi-O replied back. "Everyone else can deal with the grunts."
"I'll approve of that suggestion." Eula nodded.
"Maria, Chris, which one of you will sing before we start kicking ass?" Geiz asked, summoning his Zikan Zax Ono Mode.
"I think a duet would be a better choice for this occasion." Maria replied before turning to Chris. "Wouldn't you agree, Chris?"
"Well it's been a while since we sang a duet so, why the hell not." Chris replied back with a grin.
"Then let's give the Fatui a song they'll never forget!" Maria smiled back before she and Chris began to sing.
(Play BGM: Change the Future by Chris Yukine and Maria Cadenzavna Eve)
"What?" The Fatui Agent blinked as he saw Chris and Maria singing for some reason. "Why are they singing at a time like this?"
"A duet between Chris and Maria?" Eula thought with a raised eyebrow. "That's something I did not expect, though I have to wonder what kind of song it is. Nevertheless, since the song is being sung at the moment..." She prepared her combat stance, holding her claymore and moving it behind her back. "Shall we dance?" She taunted the agent with a confident smirk on her face.
"Let's Ragna-Rock and Roll!" Aether and Lumine declared as the heroes began their assault against the remaining Fatui, while Eula began to duel with the Fatui Agent as their weapons clashed back and forth.
Chris and Maria immediately got to work against the grunts with the former firing a storm of energy arrows and the latter swinging the whip-sword as it tears through the grunts.
QUEEN'S INFERNO
EMPRESS†REBELLION
Regina rushed towards a group of grunts, defeating them with spear swings and thrusts before stabbing one of them in the chest, lifting him up in a 45 degree angle, and fired a beam from her spear, sending the grunt flying. Another group of grunts were about to attack Regina from behind, but we're quickly dealt with by Miriam swinging her fire-imbued flail onto them. She then wrapped an arm of a grunt with her flail, pulled him towards her before delivering a flurry of Anemo enhanced kicks, and then finishing it off with a forward jump kick, sending the grunt crashing into another group of grunts, knocking them out.
Regina whistles in amusement while Miriam pulled back her flail. "Nice moves there, Miriam."
"You're not too bad yourself, Regina." Miriam smiled back before they continued their assault.
Fu Hua quickly defeated another group of grunts with her martial arts and ki blasts with Kallen providing support by leaping right above the grunts and unleashing a storm of Cryo bullets, freezing them in place while she landed behind them. When she looked up, she noticed that a Geochanter was about to generate a Geo aura around himself... only for it to be halted by Kiana from above, unleashing Gungnir Fire with her large gun which immediately knocked him out.
"Not this time, buddy." Kiana grinned after landing beside Kallen and shared a high five with her.
"Good work stopping him before he could generate that aura again, Kiana." Fu Hua praised as she approached them.
"Like I said, I hated when these guys do that."
"Well support units are essential for survival." Kallen stated. "Now let's go after the next ones."
"Right!" Kiana and Fu Hua nodded as the three rushed towards the next group of grunts.
While the heroes continued the gain the upper hand defeating the Fatui, Eula and the Fatui Agent continued to clash blades with each other, until one clash pushed them back on opposite sides. The agent flung six spinning Pyro daggers towards Eula, making her dodge with swift movements and spins like an elegant dancer while approaching the agent. And when she got close, she delivered a Cryo swing onto the agent, only for him to vanish in a puff of red smoke just before the blade reached him. "Tch... this trick again." Eula muttered, quickly regaining her composure. "In that case..." She closed her eyes and carefully listened to any sudden movements made by the agent. And when she heard him appear, she quickly turned and delivered a Cryo counter slash onto the approaching agent, only for her to slash a shadow clone instead, while the real one quickly appeared behind her and began rushing towards her with his daggers ready.
However, Beidou quickly went in front of Eula's back and prepared a guard stance with her claymore while also generating an Electro shield. And just before the agent's dagger began to reach her, she delivered a powerful Electro counter-slash that sent the agent flying. Yanfei followed up by summoning a giant Pyro magic stamp above the agent and used it to slam him into the ground.
"You let your guard down." Beidou said to the knight.
"J-Just a minor mistake, that's all." Eula replied.
"Said mistake might cost you your life."
"Are you judging me, captain?" Eula glared at Beidou, making her glare back.
"Now now, there's no need to fight." Yanfei quickly intervened. "We've got more important things to take care of."
Beidou and Eula continued to glare at each other, before the latter began speaking. "Very well, but I will remember this."
"Fine by me." Beidou replied before turning to the agent who's slowly standing up. "I'd make a move if I were you."
"I plan to." Eula replied back before rushing towards the agent as her claymore began glowing brightly in an icy blue light. And with one powerful swing of her claymore, she sent the agent flying while also causing his body to freeze completely. "Now, travelers!" She shouted to Aether and Lumine, prompting them to unleash a combined Gust Surge towards the frozen agent, trapping him inside. It also sucked up any nearby Fatui grunt remnants into the tornado.
"Geiz! Starlight! Finish Time!" Zi-O declared as he slotted the Blade Ridewatch onto his Zikan Gilade Ken Mode that electrified his blade, while Geiz slotted the Wizard Ridewatch onto his Zikan Zax Ono Mode that ignited his axe, while Starlight summoned her twin energy swords and fused them into a double sword before spinning it rapidly.
=FINISH TIME!=
=BLADE!=
=WIZARD!=
=GIRI GIRI SLASH!=
=ZAKKURI CUTTING!=
And then the three founding heroes threw their weapons like boomerangs onto the tornado as the blades began tearing up the trapped Fatui.
"Let's kick things up a notch!" Chris grinned, aiming her Armed Gear at the tornado. "Maria, you with me?"
"Of course." Maria nodded with her daggers ready. And then she launched the daggers while Chris fired energy arrows as both attacks went into the tornado, tearing up the trapped Fatui even more.
PHANTOM†BRAVE
QUEEN'S GUST
"Eula! The finale's all yours! Go for it!" Maria shouted.
"Gladly!" Eula complied as her claymore glowed once more before leaping right above the tornado. "Shatter!" She yelled, plunging her claymore downward and pierced through the trapped Fatui in one blow which also caused the tornado to disperse which also sent the grunts flying all over the place, while Eula landed on top of the fallen and frozen Fatui Agent with her claymore planted onto his chest, and the Zikan weapons flew back towards the Riders' hands. Eula glared at the agent as she pulled out her claymore and dispersed it. "Enjoy your time in prison, Fatui scum." She spoke to him before walking away.
(BGM End)
"Well, I guess that wraps up the party." Kiana declared as they dispersed their weapons while the Riders reverted back to their Base Forms and Paimon appeared beside Aether and Lumine. "Now how are we going to carry all of those knocked out and frozen Fatui to Mondstadt?"
"No need to worry. The rest of the Knights are waiting outside for my signal to come in and apprehend them." Eula replied.
"I've also brought along some of my crew to help with the clean-up." Beidou added.
"Oh good. So we don't need to carry the bodies ourselves after all." Regina said with relief.
"By the way..." Yanfei turned to the two Attuned. "That's a nice song you both sang together. What was it called?"
"Change the Future." Chris answered. "Now that I think about it, this song seems appropriate for Eula."
"How so?" Eula raised her eyebrow.
"You were willing to follow your own path to protect the people of Mondstadt instead of conquering it like what your Lawrence clan elders did in the past." Maria explained. "You saw something they don't, the meaning of freedom. If you keep following the path you chose, maybe someday, the people of Mondstadt will respect you as who you are and not your clan. That's what I think when you're changing the future of Mondstadt." She finished with a smile.
"So that's what the song means..." Eula mused before smiling back. "At least I have all of you supporting me, along with Jean and some of the Knights."
"Heh, well said. Guess I was wrong about you after all." Beidou also smiled, before turning to Yanfei. "Now then, I think you owe us an explanation as to why the Fatui captured you."
"Ehehe..." Yanfei sheepishly chuckled while rubbing the back of her head. "I know I was supposed to head back to your ship after I've gathered some nearby materials, but I can't help but notice what the Fatui were doing while I was on my way back, so I decided to follow them instead and see what's going on. Eventually I saw the hideout, but then I was suddenly knocked out by a grunt from behind, and the moment I woke up, I ended up in a cage. Not even my Pyro magic can break through those bars."
Beidou sighed and facepalmed. "I know you're trying to deal with things on your own, but that was kinda reckless. At least come back and let me know first, then me and my crew will definitely give those bastards a beating."
"Sorry, Beidou. I should've asked for your help instead." Yanfei apologized and bowed.
"Meh, that's fine." Beidou replied with a shrug. "At least you're safe and sound. You should owe the Knights and their friends their gratitude for saving you."
"Yeah, I'll do that." Yanfei nodded before turning to Zi-O and the others and bowed. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. I'll repay my kindness to you someday."
"No problem, Yanfei." Zi-O replied.
"We're originally planning to find out if Schubert Lawrence is working with the Fatui." Aether explained. "Didn't expect we would rescue a captured prisoner too."
"Wait till Ningguang hears about this." Beidou said. "She's not gonna be happy at what the Fatui did to Yanfei. And honestly, I don't blame her one bit."
"Who's Ningguang?" Lumine asked.
"She's the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. You could say that she's one of the people in charge of all of Liyue Harbor." Yanfei answered.
"Wow." Starlight commented. "And we were planning to visit Liyue in a few days time."
"Really?"
"Mhm." Paimon nodded. "We're planning on witnessing the Rite of Descension to get a glimpse of Rex Lapis."
"Is that so?" Beidou raised her eyebrow. "I take it that you're gonna travel to Liyue on foot?"
"Well..." Paimon poked her index fingers together.
Beidou chuckled in response. "Tell you what, how's about you guys board my ship so I can take you to Liyue Harbor a lot quicker."
"Wait, really?" Kiana responded.
"Mhm." Beidou nodded. "Consider this my way of gratitude for helping me find Yanfei and keeping her safe. You're gonna love the Alcor."
"I assume that the Alcor is the name of your ship?" Miriam guessed.
"Got that right." Beidou confirmed. "She's the pride and joy of the Crux Pirates. I'll be sure to send a good word about you guys to my crew. They'll welcome you with open arms."
"Thanks for the offer, Beidou. We'll gladly accept." Geiz accepted with a bow.
"Great!" Beidou smiled as she clasped her hands. "Now let's clean up this mess first before we head out, yeah? Just give me a moment to bring some of my crew here to help out. Come on, Yanfei, let's go."
"Right behind you, Beidou." Yanfei complied as she followed Beidou to the exit of the hideout.
"I should go too and call in the Knights here to clean up. I will not let that pirate captain outperform me." Eula said before heading for the exit.
"Good luck with that, Eula." Kallen said to the knight as she left.
"So... what do we do now?" Regina asked the group.
"Let's just wait for them to come back with their helpers." Zi-O answered. "After that, we can head back to base. Though sis, Geiz and myself will need to visit Jean for the report. Also..." He turned to the twin travelers. "...send me a copy of Schubert's conversations from your Zikan Phones to mine so I can let Jean hear the evidence."
"Got it./No problem." Aether and Lumine nodded.
"Very well then, Zi-O." Maria also replied as she and the others nodded. "By the way, have you made your decision about recruiting Eula as an honorary member of our team?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Zi-O nodded. "However, I think I wanna add Beidou and Yanfei to the list too."
"Wait, really?" Kiana blinked while everyone felt surprised. "I can understand Beidou since she has a ship and is a very strong fighter. But why add Yanfei to the list?"
"I can tell she's a very talented Pyro mage after seeing her fight earlier." Zi-O explained. "Though I question her choice of summoning a large stamp and crushing them."
"She is a legal advisor after all." Fu Hua pointed out. "It's her way of delivering judgement to criminals."
"A lawyer that's also a mage. Well that's new." Chris remarked.
"Anyway, let's invite the three to our base later tonight. We'll reveal them Team XDR's secret and see how this goes after that." Zi-O said. "Oh, and we'd better invite Amber over just to see Eula's reaction."
"You do realize she's gonna remember that and add it to her vengeance list, right?" Paimon asked.
"I know." Zi-O nodded and smiled. "And that's why she's Eula, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Dragonspine, Fatui Camp
Elsewhere, the Fatui Agent, with his knee on the ground, had reported to his superior at what he learned from observing Team XDR while being hidden from sight. "That's all I have for my report, Lady Signora."
And said superior turned out to be Signora, one of the Fatui Harbingers, who managed to survive the attack from Gunvolt, Amber, and the twin travelers a few nights ago. After hearing the agent's report, she frowned and clenched her fist, briefly emitting a Cryo glow. Now she knows the ones who foiled her attempt at stealing the Gnosis from Venti, the Anemo Archon. And they will pay dearly for ruining her plans.
"Lady Signora?"
The harbinger finally calmed down and dispersed the Cryo glow before answering. "It's nothing. However, thanks to you, we now know who's responsible for ruining our plans; Xross Drive Rebellion, and their leader, Kamen Rider Zi-O, and those meddling twin travelers are with them. They are also the reason why our diplomatic relations with Mondstadt had been burned to ashes since they exposed our plot, which forced our troops to move from Mondstadt to Dragonspine."
"How dare they..." The agent scowled.
"Do not worry, we'll have our revenge." Signora assured. "But after hearing about your report on their abilities, we need to be more cautious. That said, I have an important task for you."
"Do you want me to assassinate their leader?"
"No." Signora shook her head. "We need to learn more about this... Rebellion, so I want you to continue observing them and then report to me or any of the harbingers for any new info you've learned. If they chose to fight our forces, let them try, but you must not intervene or we'll lose our only source of information gathering."
"As you wish, Lady Signora." The agent bowed.
"In the meantime, I'll be heading for Liyue Harbor to prepare a contract for a certain someone. If this Rebellion plans to go to Liyue, follow them, but do not get detected. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." The agent nodded.
"Good." Signora nodded back. "Now continue your job. Dismissed." Afterwards, the agent vanished in a puff of red smoke while Signora briefly left the camp and observed the City of Mondstadt from a distance. "You may have gotten your hands on the Anemo Gnosis, but I will not let you have the Geo Gnosis." She scowled. "One day, you'll feel the true wrath of the Fatui Harbingers. Mark my words, Xross Drive Rebellion..."
Mondstadt City, Team XDR Base
Nighttime
When nighttime came around, the members of Team XDR, alongside honorary members Diluc and Amber, waited patiently in the dining room for Zeo, Gaius and Akira to bring over Eula, Beidou and Yanfei to their base so they can reveal their team's secret before letting them decide if they want to become honorary members or not.
"They should be done reporting to Jean about the commission by now." Fu Hua said. "It won't be long before they arrive."
"Eula's gonna be surprised that I'm a part of their team as an honorary member." Amber smiled.
"Though I'm even more surprised of Beidou and Yanfei's appearance in Mondstadt." Diluc said before turning to Kallen. "Those two are from Liyue, correct?"
"Mm." Kallen confirmed with a nod. "They were there only for material gathering that's not native to Liyue. But then the Fatui happened, and well, the rest is history."
"I'm just glad that Yanfei is safe from harm." Noelle said. "But I'm even more surprised that Schubert Lawrence was requesting help from the Fatui to get revenge on the Knights."
"But thanks to Aether and Lumine, we're able to expose that rotten aristocrat when he revealed the hideout, along with the diagram that contains patrol routes and key areas of the city." Kiana said as she glanced at the twins with a smile, making them smile back.
"Paimon helped too by stealing the diagram from under the Fatui's noses." Paimon chimed in.
"Fufu, of course, Paimon." Fu Hua chuckled. "You were a great help."
"By the way, thanks for the spare mask, Diluc." Lumine thanked. "That helped out a lot blending in with the Fatui without being noticed."
"No problem." Diluc nodded and smiled. "You're his sister, remember?"
"But you know, none of this is possible without Eula's assistance." Maria stated. "Her lessons came in handy when Aether and Lumine tried to converse with Schubert."
"See? I told you she's a really good friend who's willing to protect Mondstadt unlike the rest of her clan." Amber said.
"And thanks to her, Schubert and his Fatui allies are gonna be behind bars for a long, long, time." Chris smirked.
"Heh, serves that bastard right." Kanade also smirked.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Einstein greeted as she arrived from the basement alongside Elfnein. "Oh and hello Amber, Diluc."
"Why is everyone gathered here in the dining room?" Elfnein asked.
"We're waiting for Zeo, Gaius and Akira to bring over some new friends who might become our newest honorary members of the team." Aether replied.
"But only after we tell them our team's secret." Lumine added.
"I see." Elfnein noted.
"By the way, why are you here, Einstein? Shouldn't you be at the Zi-O Liner working as usual?" Sucrose asked.
"Ah, about that. Elfnein and I have an important announcement to make." Einstein replied.
"An announcement, dess?" Kirika repeated.
"What is it about?" Hibiki asked.
"I'm about to reveal that part." Einstein replied. "Remember that Dimensional Gateway the scientists are working on back at the Symphogear world?"
"Yes, we remember." Tsubasa nodded. "What about it?"
"The testing phases on the gateway have concluded, and I'm happy to announce that its in one hundred percent working order."
"Meaning we can finally start building the Dimensional Gateway here in our base!" Elfnein added.
"Whoa!/Alright!/That's great!" The group responded in a positive note.
"I've already deployed the drones to the basement via the Trans Server to begin building the gateway." Einstein informed. "Thanks to the parts from those defeated Ruin Guards, along with the collected Electro Crystals during those commissions, and the spare parts we still have back at the Zi-O Liner, it should speed up the building process."
"How long will it take for the gateway to be finished?" Gunvolt asked.
"It should be done by tomorrow night, which is the night before leaving for Liyue the next day." Elfnein answered.
"Oh, that. The question is though; who will be going to Liyue?" Mei pondered. "I don't think all of us can go at once."
"Ah, that's right." Joule responded. "Some of us are planning to stay here in Mondstadt to help out Jean; some of us might need to return to the Symphogear world; and some of us will go to Liyue."
"I know for sure that Aether, Lumine and Paimon will go to Liyue since they need to touch Morax's Statue of the Seven to obtain Geo powers." Miku recalled.
"Don't forget about me." Miriam raised her hand. "I'm also eligible for receiving the Geo archon's blessings, just like what happened when I touched Barbatos' statue which gave me Anemo powers."
"Ah, of course. I remember that moment when we first arrived in Teyvat." Sucrose recalled.
"Like I said to Miriam, Diluc, Noelle and Miku this morning, I'm staying in Mondstadt to help out Jean with her duties." Regina mentioned.
"You're not heading back to our world?" Kanade questioned.
"Maybe when I feel like it." Regina replied.
"Anyway, I believe we should wait for Zeo and the others to arrive so we can decide which one of us will go to which location." Woz advised.
"You are correct, Woz." Fu Hua nodded. "But let's wait until after hearing Eula, Beidou and Yanfei's decision if they want to join the team."
"Indeed." Woz nodded back, until the group heard the door knocking. "Ah, they've finally arrived. Noelle, be a dear and open the door for them."
"Understood, Woz." Noelle nodded, standing up from her seat and approached the door.
"Elfnein, let's stay here and watch. This might get interesting." Einstein said.
"Very well, Einstein." Elfnein replied.
Noelle then opened the door, allowing Zeo, Gaius and Akira inside, with Eula, Beidou and Yanfei following behind before Noelle closed the door.
"Huh, nice place you got here." Beidou commented as they looked at the interior before she and the others took their seats. "A little different from the houses in Liyue, but it looks pretty cozy."
"Well we had to do a little redecorating since the Fatui are no longer taking residence on this hotel." Akira replied.
"The Fatui were using this hotel?!" Yanfei gasped.
"Probably as a secret base of operations in order to conduct plans without earning attention from the Knights." Gaius explained. "Those sneaky bastards."
"But thanks to you and your team, you've exposed their operations, forcing them to leave the city for good." Eula recalled. "Once again, good riddance."
"And I was the one who helped them!" Amber chimed in with a raised hand.
"Yes. Yes you di- huh?!" Eula's eyes widen in shock upon noticing the Outrider. "A-Amber?! What are you doing here?!"
"I'm a part of this team as an honorary member." Amber answered before gesturing to Diluc. "Diluc is also one of the members."
"Surprised to see us, Spindrift Knight?" Diluc greeted.
"Zeo." Eula turned to him with a glare. "You never told me that Amber and Diluc are part of your team?"
"We have our reasons to recruit them to the team. That, and we're not allowed to reveal who joined the team in order to prevent the public from knowing." Zeo explained, raising his hands in defence.
"Sorry I had to keep quiet about this, Eula." Amber apologized.
Eula sighed before nodding. "Well at least you have your reasons for not telling me or the Knights about this." She then turned to Diluc. "And I was not expecting the former member of the Knights to join this team."
"I have my own reasons, and they're willing to help with my problems." Diluc answered with his arms crossed.
"If you say so." Eula replied before turning to Zeo. "Alright, I think it's finally time to hear about Team XDR's true motives, so you'd better explain everything."
"We'll do our best to explain." Zeo replied back as he, Gaius and Akira nodded.
"I get the feeling that there's more than meets the eye about this Rebellion of yours." Beidou commented.
"You're right about that, Beidou." Gaius replied.
"You have our full attention, guys." Yanfei said as Zeo, Gaius and Akira get seated in front of her, Beidou and Eula.
"Okay..." Akira took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing. Brother, start us off."
"Gotcha, sis." Zeo replied before beginning to explain to Eula, Beidou and Yanfei. "Right then, it all started with a complete relic called Gjallarhorn..."
As time goes by, Zeo and his team began the introductions to the team before explaining the events that happened so far, the reason why Xross Drive Rebellion is formed, and even revealing the Fatui's plans about the Gnosis. Once they finished their explanation, Eula, Beidou and Yanfei are left speechless at what they've just heard.
"Wow. Just... wow. And I didn't even drink my liquor yet." Beidou remarked while blinking.
"Yeah, that's a lot to information to take in." Yanfei agreed. "Gjallarhorn, the Neo Time Jackers, the existence of the other worlds beyond Teyvat, and even those Dimensional Quakes."
"Speaking of those quakes..." Eula turned to Noelle and Sucrose. "Do you have any idea how long I've been searching for you two ever since you never returned to Mondstadt? I thought Stormterror killed you on sight."
"Forgive me, Miss Eula. That was a huge mistake on my part." Noelle apologized with a bow. "I promise that I won't do anything dangerous ever again."
"I-I'm sorry that I was unable to stop her in time." Sucrose also bowed and apologized. "You know how stubborn she can be in order to prove herself."
Eula sighed and shook her head. "No matter. The important thing is that the both of you are safe and sound. But if something like this happens again from the both of you, you will face my vengeance. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am." Noelle and Sucrose complied with a bow.
"Still, it's not all bad since we're able to learn more about Mondstadt and Teyvat thanks to Noelle and Sucrose." Joule stated. "And we're even lucky enough for Lumine to reunite with Aether a lot sooner."
"Why does Paimon think that it must've been fate?" Paimon pondered.
"Fate, huh?" Aether responded.
"By the way... I didn't know Venti the bard is Barbatos in disguise!" Amber spoke up before turning to Diluc, Aether and Paimon. "And you three and even Master Jean knew about it?!"
"You can thank the Abyss Mage for revealing the archon's identity during the Stormterror crisis." Diluc mentioned. "But we promised Venti not to reveal his identity to anyone, or it will cause serious problems."
"I see..." Amber noted. "Well in that case, I'll be sure not to tell anyone, even the Knights of Favonius, about this secret. Only Team XDR will know about it. Right Eula?"
"I still find this entire story hard to believe... but seeing is believing after witnessing how Team XDR fought without their Visions, not to mention how advanced their technology are compared to the Fatui. And I still remember that one wormhole above Cape Oath, so the existence of the multiverse and that Dimensional Quake Noelle and Sucrose were victims are, makes sense in a way." Eula remarked. "Very well, I'll be sure not to reveal Barbatos' identity to anyone. And I'll also won't reveal my involvement with Team XDR."
"Good. We're counting on you two." Diluc acknowledged Amber and Eula with a nod. "And you'd better not tell the Knights that I've joined this team. Got it?"
"As you wish." Eula replied.
"Don't worry, Master Diluc. I didn't tell the Knights about your involvement with Team XDR either, so your secret is still safe." Amber assured.
"Good. Keep it that way, Outrider." Diluc smiled.
"So anyway, I guess the Rite of Descension is not the only reason why you guys are heading to Liyue, correct?" Beidou asked, earning a nod from Zeo, Gaius and Akira.
"Yup." Zeo replied. "One; Aether, Lumine and even Miriam need to pay a visit to Morax's Statue of the Seven to earn his blessings, giving them Geo powers. And two; we may need to warn Rex Lapis about the Fatui planning to steal the Geo Gnosis from him, and the Rite of Descension is the only way we get to chat with him about that."
"Got it. Then you guys are definitely boarding my ship to head straight to Liyue Harbor." Beidou replied back.
"And once we arrive there, I'll pay a visit to Ningguang to request a private audience with her so you can explain your mission without the Fatui eavesdropping." Yanfei added.
"Thanks, you two. This will really help us out a lot." Gaius smiled at Beidou and Yanfei.
"No problem, guys." Beidou smiled back, punching her open palm. "We're not gonna let those Fatui bastards have their way, and they, the Neo Time Jackers, or even the Abyss Order, better not get their damn hands on those Gjallarhorn fragments and the Gnosis, or this could spell trouble for all of us."
"Agreed." Yanfei nodded before turning to Zeo. "With that said, Beidou and I hereby accept your contract for joining Team XDR as honorary members."
"I... uh... don't remember preparing a contract like that. Just a simple handshake is enough to confirm." Zeo sweatdropped before smiling and raised his hand. "But still, Beidou and Yanfei, welcome to the Rebellion."
"Thank you, Zeo." Yanfei smiled back, shaking Zeo's hand. "And if you ever need a lawyer, then I'm the right person for the job." She released Zeo's hand and gave him a card from inside her pocket. "Here's my business card. It has my contact details and office address so you'll know where to find me."
"Uh... thanks... but I'm not good with that kind of stuff, especially courtrooms." Zeo replied.
"Mind if I take that card instead?" Fu Hua requested.
"Sure Fu Hua, all yours." Zeo accepted, giving the card to Fu Hua.
"Yanfei, can I have one too? Just in case I might request for your help someday?" Gaius requested with a raised hand.
"Oh sure, no problem, Gaius." Yanfei complied, giving another copy of the card to Gaius.
"Is there a reason why you wanted Yanfei's cards?" Beidou asked Gaius and Fu Hua.
"Because these two are experts when it comes to investigations." Zeo answered for them.
"Though Fu Hua is more experienced than Gaius." Akira added.
"Hey, I'm trying to learn here!" Gaius retorted with his eyebrow twitching, resulting in the group laughing.
"I wonder if I get to set sail with my crew in the Alcor as we travel to other worlds beyond Teyvat?" Beidou pondered. "That'd be a pretty exciting voyage in my book."
"You'll have to wait and see for now, Captain Beidou. But I will put that thought of yours into consideration." Einstein replied.
"Great! Let me know when the time comes, doc. The Crux Pirates and I are ready for anything." Beidou grinned with excitement.
"Okay Eula, your turn." Zeo said as everyone turned to the Spindrift Knight. "Want to join the Rebellion?"
"...Before I make my decision, let me ask you a question, Zeo Naotora." Eula replied. "Why do you want me to be part of your team?"
"I don't know what the Lawrence clan did to you in the past, but after Maria and the others told us about what you said to Schubert, it must've been hell." Zeo answered, earning an agreed nod from Maria, Kallen and Regina. "Not only that, the people of Mondstadt are still wary of you despite being a member of the Knights of Favonius. So you know what? I think it's time to give you the life you should have gotten a long time ago. And making friends within Team XDR will be the first step."
"Zeo..." Eula whispered, until Amber stood up and held Eula's hands together, surprising her. "A-Amber?"
"Give these guys a chance, Eula. They can help you with your loneliness." Amber insisted. "I've been with them for a few days and I'm having a good time. Whatever problems you have, they're willing to help out without a second thought. So please, do it for me, okay?"
"Amber-san's right, Eula-san." Hibiki spoke up. "Just listen to your heart. Don't be afraid to ask for help from the people who cared about you. I should know because I was able to open up their hearts for the people I wanted to help, and in return, they cared for me back." She glanced at Chris, Tsubasa, Maria and Kirika with a smile, making them smile back.
"Hibiki.../That's my little kouhai." Miku and Kanade smiled at her words.
"O-Oi, baka. If you die, a lot of people are gonna be sad, which is something I do not wanna see." Chris said to Hibiki, crossing her arms while hiding a small blush.
"Hehe. Don't worry, Chris-chan. I'm not planning on dying yet, as long as I have support from you, Miku, and all of my friends, new and old." Hibiki smiled back, slightly punching her own chest.
"Well said, Hibiki." Lumine said as she, Aether and Paimon smiled.
"Okay Eula Lawrence, one more time." Zeo said, offering a hand while Amber stepped away. "Will you join the Rebellion?"
Eula took one more look at Amber, Diluc, and the rest of Team XDR with supporting smiles and nods before she pondered at what Zeo, Amber and Hibiki said. And after a few moments, she began to speak. "Zeo Naotora, you'd better keep true to your word, or you will face my vengeance."
"Noted, ma'am. I won't break that promise." Zeo nodded in confirmation, with Gaius and Akira also nodding.
"Good." Eula nodded back before smiling and shaking Zeo's offered hand. "From this day forth, I, Eula Lawrence, shall hereby join Xross Drive Rebellion. Neo Time Jackers, Fatui, Abyss Order, mark my words... vengeance will be ours!"
"Welcome to the Rebellion, Eula!" Amber cheered as she hugged her close friend after Zeo released the handshake.
"Y-You don't have to hug me all of a sudden!" Eula retored with a small blush. "You'll pay for that one day, Outrider!"
Everyone rejoiced with cheers as the Spindrift Knight had accepted their offer to join Team XDR. This was a chance for her to make even more new friends who are willing to support her, and Zeo, Gaius and Akira were grateful that she made the right choice.
"Heh, something tells me that this calls for a celebration." Beidou grinned.
"Just try not to go overboard, Beidou. You don't want to leave a bad first impression." Yanfei warned.
"Oh relax, Beidou can handle her liquor." Beidou assured and waved off.
"...I'll be the judge of that." Yanfei deadpanned.
"Ahem." Woz cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Eula Lawrence, Captain Beidou, Yanfei, could you come over here for a moment?"
The three in question responded, approaching the chronicler who materialized a case on his hand via his Zikan Phone before putting it away, and showed the case to them. He then opened the case which revealed to have three Zikan Phones. One in icy blue and white, one in red and purple, and one in red and pink. "These are your new Zikan Phones as proof of joining the team." Woz explained. "These gadgets have a wide variety of functions such as contacting others from long distances. The instructions are inside the 'Help' menu so you'll know how to use them properly. And one other thing, do not lose it or even reveal it to anyone, especially the Fatui."
"Whoa..." Yanfei spoke with awe while Eula and Beidou had looks of amazement at what these gadgets can do. "How are you able to know which colors represents us?"
"Simple really. The colors of your clothes, the hair, and even the Visions are how we're able to know which colors suits you best." Einstein answered. "I was the one that made them, even the ones for Amber and Diluc." She glanced at the two in question who briefly showed their own Zikan Phones.
"Oohh... You have a good eye, professor." Yanfei mused before picking up the red and pink one. "Then this one should be mine in this case."
"I've never used this kind of gadget before..." Beidou said before picking up the red and purple one. "But what the hell, I'll give this a shot. First time for everything."
"Hmm..." Eula picked up the icy blue and white one and began examining it. "At least you got my color right. But if you ever get it wrong somehow..."
"You'll have your vengeance against me. Yeah, I know." Einstein finished, slightly rolling her eyes away.
"Gh?! I was going to finish that sentence, mind you!" Eula retorted.
"I really wanted to call her a tsundere just like Chris-sempai, but I don't want to face her cold vengeance, dess." Kirika thought with caution.
"Now then, with that out of the way, Zeo, Akira, Gaius, there's something you should know." Einstein said.
"Hm? Something up?" Akira responded.
"The Dimensional Gateway back in the Symphogear world is now in working order, which is why Einstein-san sent her drones to this basement to begin building the gateway for this base." Elfnein informed. "And when it's finished tomorrow night, the portal to Earth will finally be opened."
"Best news I've heard all day, doc." Zeo replied as he, Gaius and Akira smiled. "With that said, I think this calls for a celebration."
"Alright! Time for a party!" Paimon cheered.
"Then let's go prepare some food and drinks so we can get started!" Beidou declared. "Good thing Yanfei and I still have some cooking ingredient, so you guys are about to have a glimpse of Liyue's finest dishes!"
"We're not as good as Xiangling, but we can still make some delicious Liyue cuisines." Yanfei added.
"That's fine, we're willing to try them out anyway." Kiana replied.
"Right then." Beidou clasped her hands together. "Anyone willing to give us a hand with the cooking?"
In response, Noelle, Mei, Miriam and Lumine head for the kitchen before Beidou and Yanfei went after them.
"(Oh crud, I forgot to tell Zeo and the others about who's staying and who's going in two days time.)" Kiana whispered in realization.
"(...I think it's better if we wait for tomorrow.)" Fu Hua silently replied. "(Let's enjoy the moment for the time being. But soon, we'll be heading for Liyue, and I will be joining them.)"
"(So you're going to Liyue because it reminds you of China?)" Kiana guessed, earning a nod from Fu Hua.
"(What about you, Kiana?)"
"(...I think I'll give it a bit more thought before I can make my choice.)"
"(Very well then, you're free to take your time.)" Fu Hua smiled.
"(Thanks, Fu Hua.)" Kiana smiled back. "(I'll have my answer when the time comes. But for now...)" She turned to the group having their own conversations with one another. "(...we've got a party to enjoy.)"
Chapter 5: The Spindrift Knight
END
(Eula Lawrence, Beidou and Yanfei has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)
Author's Note: Another chapter is finally complete. I've been busy exploring the Chasm in Genshin, and man that place is huge, not to mention the Archon and World Quests there. That, and I'm currently having my fasting month until the beginning of May. Don't worry, I can handle it.
But anyway, now Eula, Beidou and Yanfei has officially joined the team, especially Eula because she has one heck of a backstory that I feel really sorry for her. So I figured she deserves to have more friends that she can rely on within Team XDR, not just Amber, Jean and Diluc. If there's one team that can mend her cold heart, it's Team XDR. Also, since Beidou and Yanfei joined the team, with the former providing transport via her ship, the Alcor; and the latter planning to schedule a private meeting with Ningguang the moment they arrive in Liyue Harbor; expect plenty of changes in the Liyue arc to look forward to. Oh, and don't worry about that one other notable crew member from Beidou's team, they'll meet him soon.
Unfortunately though, thanks to an eavesdropping Fatui Agent, the Fatui and a still living Signora are now well aware of Team XDR's actions that can disrupt their plans, especially involving the Gnosis. They've earned their attention and it's not a good thing, so it won't be long until they encounter the rest of the harbingers, especially the one stationed in Liyue. I think you guys know which one who I'm talking about.
Anyway, speaking of Jean, it's time for her character quest coming up in the next chapter, which might be the last one as I'm planning to write the Liyue arc in another book. Until then, stay safe and see you next time!
