Disclaimer: Own anything, I do not.
A frozen wasteland. A blizzard on a mountain. A temple, surrounded by snow and stone. A pillar floated high above, like a spear ready to fall and impale its victim. White walls surrounding them, a harsh wind pelting them with hail and sleet.
Keqing started up, but she wasn't in her bed. She was standing in front of the temple. The doorway suddenly glowed blue, and slid open. Keqing looked around her. A dream? But it felt real, down to the snow crunching below her shoes and the wind screeching behind her. Looking around her, Keqing noticed a great pillar embedded into the ground, most of it covered by snow and rocks from years of blizzards.
Dragonspine. Once a thriving civilization, filled with the world's most renowned warriors and heroes. When the original dragon of wind, Dvalin, fought the shadow dragon Durin, they battled above this very spot. When the shadow dragon was defeated, its remains fell to the ground below, where Dragonspine was built. The people here were special, rumored to have extraordinary abilities, some say their military came from Celestia itself. As such, they were hailed as gods at times.
But not long after the Great War ended, with the Dragonspine warriors decimated, a larger catastrophe occurred. A giant pillar, known now as Skyfrost nail, fell out of the sky and hit Dragonspine. It caused this desolation, and wiped out the people of this place. All that was left was the Nail, a few ruins, caverns filled with ice, and...this. This temple of sorts.
Inside the temple was a mystery room, completely devoid of anything. Empty except for an odd structure at the end of the hall. Keqing's breath hitched. A throne?
A slight noise alerted Keqing, and she whirled to her left. A warrior in white stared at her curiously, before bowing his head at her. Keqing turned to the other side, and another warrior bowed at her, his sword pointed down as a sign of respect.
A line of soldiers formed a honor guard, and Keqing approached the throne. This wasn't a temple. It was the remains of a palace. A throne room. Keqing stared at the warriors. Were they looking to her...as their queen?!
Keqing stopped in front of the throne. Should she sit on it? But she wasn't a queen, not a ruler! What did all of this mean–?!
A crunching sound came from behind her. Keqing had hunted enough to know what the sound was: the sound of steel cutting through flesh.
Whirling around, she saw a dragonspine warrior fall. An Abyss Soldier stood behind him, a sword in his hand. Keqing turned frantically to the others, but they were cut down too. In front of her, the door burst open, and darkness consumed it, leaving nothing behind. A figure stepped toward her menacingly, twirling a golden sword.
The Abyss native had golden hair and matching golden, deadly, eyes. The Abyss Soldiers waited behind him like he was their leader. The man stomped toward her, every step sounding like a clock ticking down to her death. Keqing, terror gripping like an iron fist, reflexively took a step back, but suddenly there was no floor. Her foot met nothing, and she tumbled down to the Abyss below.
Keqing gasped, waking up in cold sweat. "What was that?"
But before she could ponder anymore, an indignant hiss from Viola caught her ear. She was outside. With Mr. Yuheng, who seemed to be quite annoyed. "Now listen here, you thieves!" Thieves? Keqing grabbed her blade and ran outside, where Mr. Yuheng was shouting at two men, who had the dragon stone! "I'm going to report you to the Knights of Favonius, they're gonna–"
"Shut it, you old goat!" Raptor, annoyed with this blabbering old man, knocked him to the ground, with the dragon stone in hand. Viola indignantly hissed and screeched at the two treasure hoarders, but they both ignored her. Keqing stood in their path, glaring at the thieves.
Raptor smirked, drawing his knife. "Go back inside, little girl. No need to get yourself hurt."
"Put the stone down." Keqing demanded, her heartbeat racing. Why was she so protective about that stone? She wasn't thinking straight, it was the middle of the night. All Keqing knew was that that stone was hers, and she needed to keep it safe.
Raptor's smirk faded, and he narrowed his eyes at Keqing. Turning, he handed the indigo stone to Razor. "Try not to lose it again."
Razor mumbled something unintelligible.
"I'm going to give you one last chance, girl." Raptor spun his dagger menacingly, circling Keqing, who returned the action, sword leveled at him. "No?"
Keqing struck, a quick feint and a jab at the face, but Raptor, with an overconfident smirk on his face, knocked the strike away and kicked her back onto the ground. Keqing gasped at the blow, her breath catching. Raptor, just twirled his dagger up and down, sneering at the downed girl.
Meanwhile, Razor was playing keep-away with Viola, trying not to get scratch or bit while still keeping a firm grip on the stone.
Keqing charged again, slashing and stabbing. She thought she was a decent sword fighter, but the thief weaved around her strikes, parrying only when absolutely necessary, which wasn't much. He was tiring her out. Raptor pulled the same move, dodging and kicking Keqing back to almost the same spot. The hoarder approached and swung the killing blow.
Demanding her still sleep-ridden body to move, Keqing propped herself up into a flip and just managed to block the strike that would have ended her a second slower. They were in a standstill, blades locked. Viola and Razor looked in awe, momentarily forgetting what they were supposed to be doing.
Keqing pressed harder. He was using a dagger, her a sword. She had to take advantage of that. Keqing jabbed at him, forcing him back, keeping her distance with her longer blade. Raptor tried to step in close, but Keqing slashed at him and he was forced to step back. "Not bad, not bad at all, kid." Raptor smirked. This had been entertaining, "but I don't have time for this."
Locking blades with her again, he side-stepped in and threw a punch that left stars in Keqing's eyes.
"Razor, let's go." Razor nodded, as Viola frantically ran over to her owner, mewling desperately.
"Wait..." Keqing weakly reached forward. "Don't...you...run..." Exhausted and in pain, Keqing fainted.
Bennett sighed in satisfaction at his catch. His luck wasn't bothering for once, and he got quite a haul. Got a fire cooking, and meat roasting on his blade. Things seemed peaceful, but behind him, up on one of the many trees, a person inspected the young adventurer. They moved across to another branch, trying to get another angle.
Bennett stiffened slightly, noticing the slight sound. Years of adventuring hones your senses. Slowly, very slowly, Bennett clenched the hilt of his blade, ready to attack. The moon shone down on him, and the figure leapt down from the tree like an angel of death. Bennett, expecting it, rolled backward, the arrows striking only dirt and wood. The figure then took out a blade, as Bennett smiled confidently with his sword ready.
That is, until he realized a piece of meat was still stuck to it.
The figure feinted, and Bennett moved to parry, only to be kicked backward, landing hard on the ground. "...ouch."
"You have got to be the worst teramancer I've ever seen." A feminine voice criticized.
"Hehe. Sorry to disappoint, but you've fallen for my trap!" Bennett swept her feet from under her, picking his sword up.
"And what were you trying to catch?" She challenged him, pulling out her bow again and drawing an arrow.
"Teramancers...like you!" Bennett lunged, but she easily dodged him.
"I'm not a teramancer! I'm hunting them!"
"So am I." Bennett reached for a torch, lighting up the area. In fact in front of him was not a teramancer mage, but a girl. A blonde, kinda pretty girl in purple. Her hair was tied up into short pigtails, and she wore an eyepatch, her other eye examining him thoroughly. He wasn't too sure what teramancers looked like, but it probably wasn't this. "You're not a teramancer."
"Neither are you." The girl realized, lowering her bow. "Apologies for the misunderstanding. So you're hunting them too? Have you seen any?"
"No. Not even a monster yet." Bennett admitted, taking a bite from his meat. "I think they're not coming tonight."
"I think you're wrong." The girl pointed, indicating a squad of hilichurls who came out of nowhere, blabbering inconsistently. "They snuck up on us."
Bennett gasped, or at least tried to with his mouth full. "Momthters!"
He jinxed it!
"These aren't just regular monsters." The girl grimly added, drawing an arrow. "Over there."
A dark-clothed individual with a staff, a dark hilichurl mask covering his face, stepped out from behind a tree. He raised the staff, and the hilichurls moved on one accord. A teramancer. Bennett swallowed his food nervously. "This is our chance! We can–hey! Where'd you go?"
The girl had disappeared, probably ran off, and Bennett nervously stared at the oncoming horde, at the silent teramancer. His chances of beating this whole horde, not to mention the teramancer, wasn't good. Nervously backing away, Bennett decided, screw it, he was supposed to just investigate! No need to fight!
So, he ran in the opposite direction. The teramancer tilted his head, as if confused that he suddenly decided to flee. The hilichurls garbled and chased after him.
Bennett panted, dropping his sword to try and outrun the monsters. He managed to outpace them, getting a good distance ahead, but he could still hear the terrifying growls and shouts of the hilichurls. Looking around him, Bennett wasn't sure he could lose the monsters. Could he climb a tree? Looking up, he noticed movement near the tree. The girl was scaling the tree with terrifying efficiency. Bennett looked behind him in a moment of hesitation, then followed her.
Jumping and grabbing a branch, Bennett pulled himself up, occasionally checking to see if they had found him. "Climbing trees, chased by monsters...what's next?"
Up at the tree was a faint light, mostly covered by leaves and branches, but noticeable. Bennett heaved himself up, finding a room built into the tree, hidden well by vines and leaves. It was empty. "Hey! Where'd you go–"
"Shh!" A hand closed over his mouth. Bennett shut up, glancing down. Not a moment too soon. Hilichurls scampered into the area, looking around, and moved on after a few seconds. They escaped. The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "You followed me."
"Yeah..." Bennett sheepishly answered. "I didn't have any better idea. Besides, I need your help."
The girl raised an eyebrow, but then smiled. "Yeah, I can tell. Come on inside."
Bennett grinned back, climbing into the tree house. It was small, only containing the basics of necessities, a small bookshelf, a clock, a chest of supplies, one lantern; it was made specifically to be hidden. He would have never realized this room existed if he hadn't spotted the girl climbing up the tree. "Woah...did you build all this?"
"Yeah. Well, I had help." The girl propped herself up on a ledge, relaxing. "So, why were you after teramancers?"
Bennett sighed. Those were bad memories. "Ever since surviving the attack on the Chasm, I was tasked–"
"Wait, you're the survivor?" The girl jumped to her feet. "You're Bennett, aren't you? What happened there? What was their attack strategy?"
"Woah, calm down!" Bennett protested. "I don't know anything about these attack strategies, or teramancer plots...I just got unlucky, and forced into this."
He sighed, walking to the edge of the room, looking over the peaceful night forest. "I'm not a fighter. Or a hero. I'm just...trying to get by in life, even though my luck always screws things up. Right now, getting by in life means hunting teramancers."
The girl paused at his speech, noting, "I'm surprised the nations acknowledged their existence. The ability to control monsters was rumored from the Abyss, but not many believed it. Less so when rumors that people in Teyvat could do the same. I've been hunting these teramancers for years."
Bennett blinked, his trademark grin coming back in spite of himself. "Maybe we could work together?"
The girl started in surprise, hesitating. "I...sorry, but I'm better off alone...you can stay here tonight, but tomorrow, you're on your own."
"Oh..." Bennett sadly said. "Alright then."
The girl turned away from him, and Bennett stared back at the night sky. What a beautiful night it was. He could have really enjoyed it, if not for the fact he barely escaped a dangerous situation. How did he get thrown into this? All Bennett wanted to do was explore the world, not deal with freaks who would attack anyone and everyone. Bad luck had followed him ever since he was born. Buildings had been known to collapse our catch fire for no reason when he was near. He rarely found any loot on his adventurers, as opposed to every adventure finding some treasures. Honestly, he was lucky to still be alive. Along the years, at some point Bennett had come to terms with it, tried to find joy in everything, even despite everything going wrong.
But of course, the universe decided to add extra salt in the wound and set him on this suicide mission.
The Next Day...
Fischl yawned, awaking to the birds chirping peacefully atop trees, and light shining down from above. Sitting up, Fischl did a quick scan of the room. No one. Empty. Frowning, she took a quick sweep of the tree house (which was tiny, so didn't take long), to find nothing.
"Bennett?" It seemed he had left. Oh well. She had said he would be on his own. Sighing in disappointment, Fischl caught herself. Why was she sad? She said herself, she worked alone. So why did Fischl feel disappointed?
Shaking herself awake, Fischl opened her chest to grab her map, only to find...it wasn't there. Looking around hastily, "Where'd I put my map?"
"You mean, this map?" Bennett suddenly appeared behind her, holding the map in his hand.
"Hey, give that back!" Fischl snatched it back, an odd sense of relief rushing through her (which she quickly stamped out in replace of annoyance). "I told you, i'm hunting the teramancers alone."
"You mean, hunting with this bow?" Bennett took out her bow, handing it to her. "Look, you might be the 'lone wolf' type, but we have a common goal. We should use that and work together!"
Fischl sighed. He obviously wasn't going to give up. Maybe it was his grin, or his infectious energy, but she said, "Fine. But once this is over, you're not staying around."
"Deal!" Bennett grinned. "Oh yeah, um, what was your name again?"
"Fischl." She held out her hand. "Try not to slow me down, Bennett."
And thus began the partnership.
Two people riding a horse, cantered into Liyue territory. The signs passed, and they entered a small city, where Zhongli nudged Ajax. "Look, Ajax. We're entering Wagnshu."
"Wangshu?" Ajax tested the name, searching his mind. "Where's that?"
"We are in Liyue, Ajax." Zhongli gestured to the land around them. Farmers cut wheat, a windmill was spinning high above, people worked peacefully as birds chirped in the air. A Liyue flag waved slowly in the air. "The nearest nation to Monstadt."
"Who are they?" Ajax pointed to a small group of oddly dressed individuals. They were wearing longer robes, and didn't have the air of the locals.
"Inazuman refugees." Zhongli answered, but his voice was cautious. "Leave them be."
"Stay close behind me, Ajax." Zhongli instructed. "Capital cities can get rough."
They walked through the gate, and Ajax stared in awe around them. The buildings were sculpted in a different style, the people looked so different than the ones in Monstadt. Everything was so different. Electo lanterns hung from every house. Machinery and new technology littered the area. It was all so advanced. Ajax now knew why Liyue was called the most prosperous of all the nations.
Ajax followed close behind Zhongli, trying to remember everything and taking every little detail to tell Lumine when he returned. Lumberjacks cut firewood, blacksmiths forged their weapons, and sketchy cloaked individuals wandered in and out of alleys. Zhongli walked up to a stand, saying something and handing the person some Mora.
He returned with a piece of paper. "We are cleared for travel to Stygia."
"Wait, we're still traveling?" Ajax realized. "We must be at the end of the world by now!"
"Ajax, we've barely crossed a fifth of Teyvat." Zhongli chided. "We haven't even left the east yet."
Ajax sighed, rubbing his aching legs. He wasn't used to such long walks, though it seemed Zhongli didn't hav the slightest problem. The walked up the steps of a tower to reach a platform, empty except for a floating decorative pillar glowing with blue light.
"What is this place, Zhongli?" Ajax questioned. "What is that? And where are we going?"
"That, is a teleport waypoint." Zhongli answered, putting a hand on Ajax's shoulder. "Oh, you might want to close your eyes. Things might get a little bright. And loud. And–ah, you'll see."
The waypoint began humming, as Ajax braced for impact. It glowed brighter...and then faded. "Huh. Was something supposed to happe–WOOAH!"
A bright light filled the area, and Ajax was suddenly weightless, with the amazing and terrifying feeling of being whisked across the sky, up into space. They were going so fast Ajax felt like his face was peeling off. All he could see was flashing lights, and a rushing noise burst his eardrums.
And then as soon as it happened, they started falling. Up, then down. Ajax wanted to scream, but it was probably drowned out by the roar of teleporting. Zhongli and Ajax slammed to the ground, and the light faded, revealing a completely different setting.
Ajax stumbled to regain his balance. He was terribly dizzy, but looking up at Zhongli, he wasn't affected at all, or just didn't show it. "You'll get use to it." He assured Ajax. "Welcome, to Stygia."
Ajax's awe of Wagnshu was completely dwarfed by the awe here. A great city, filled with white and grey buildings, carved in an expensive manner, this place looked like a capital city of royalty. Walls wrapped around the city, with literal glowing gems used instead of lanterns. "Back when the Dragonspine warriors ruled Teyvat, Stygia was their seat of power."
"What? I thought it was, well, Dragonspine."
"Dragonspine was their origin, but it's terrain of mountains and cliffs made it difficult to access for most. Therefore, they set up the capital city here: in the heart of Teyvat." Zhongli explained, as more people teleported in behind them. Zhongli then gestured to the seven flags waving high above. "But the last king, Boreas, split the kingdom when the people rebelled."
"Hmm...there are six flagpoles, because Snezhnaya isn't in the union." Ajax noticed. "But one of the flags in missing."
"Ah, yes." Zhongli's face took on displeasure. "Inazuma, not long ago, closed itself off from the rest of Teyvat, withdrawing from the union."
"Why?"
"Well, I can tell you about that later, but it's a long and complicated story. Keep up for now." Zhongli reminded. "We're almost there."
Ajax and Zhongli stopped at a house, which seemed like any other house. Before Ajax could ask, however, Zhongli knocked on the door three times. Seconds later, a man opened the door, his brow arching when he saw them. "Zhongli Terrae?"
"Eroch." Zhongli greeted. The doors were promptly slammed shut. Ajax and Zhongli looked at each other. Zhongli, sighing, knocked again.
"What do you want, Zhongli?" The man opened the door again.
"That is a question best discussed in private." Zhongli advised.
Eroch raised an eyebrow, smiling wryly. "What kind of trouble are you brewing again, old friend? Well, enough standing around. Come on in."
Ajax hesitantly followed the two into the house. Inside was actually quite fancy, and Eroch was probably a very wealthy man. They walked down the stairs, Ajax quietly listening to their conversation, which Eroch was getting more and more annoyed about. "Are you serious? The mines are running dry, monster attacks are increasing in frequency and number, and there's even talk of teramancers returning! Out of all this madness, you're worried about an army that disappeared decades ago?"
"Eroch, if you fought the Fatui as I have," Zhongli warned. "You will know they are more dangerous than these other threats combined!"
Ajax stopped listening to their conversation and began walking around the room. Hilichurl masks and trophies hung from the walls. Books piled the shelves. And there was an odd thin doorway, at the corner as if not wanting to be noticed, inside having an odd contraption.
"Yes, yes, the great war. The war's over, Zhongli." Eroch said.
Ajax frowned. What was that? Cautiously approaching the door, Ajax was about to enter when a hand pulled a hidden lever, and the door slammed shut. Automatic doors?
"Keep you nose out of trouble kid." Eroch warned, then turned back to Zhongli, who raised an eyebrow and Ajax. Ajax lowered his head. That was a stupid thing to do, and Ajax wasn't thinking. But now, all he could think about was that contraption. It looked kinda like a vision, now that he thought about it.
The trio walked to the balcony, where Eroch started bragging. "The most expensive house in Stygia, which I deserve, for doing all to keep my business alive. Only thing you have to worry about is the drop." He gestured the railing. "Twenty five meters straight down."
Sighing, Eroch sat down a reclining chair and stared up to the sky. "You know, there was a time, where Dragonspine Warriors ruled the land, long ago. Dragons soared through the sky, and they clashed with the Abyss in an unimaginable battle. These monsters were a menacing threat indeed, and humans wielded their visions for battle." Eroch spread his hands across the sky, but set them down. "That time is over, Zhongli."
It was. Dragonspine warriors were extinct, and the Abyss had retreated. Visions were getting rarer each generation, with only a few appearing every year.
Yet Zhongli was steadfast. "I believe that time is coming again. Eroch, I need you to safeguard, a Gnosis." Zhongli took out the Anemo Gnosis and locked eyes with the man. "Can you do that for me, Eroch?"
The man was silent, but outstretched his hands. He took the gnosis, and his eyes widened. A faint grin broke across his face; slight, but noticeable. "Can you safeguard–"
"Yes, yes, I've got it." Eroch nonchalantly stretched. "Will that be all, Zhongli?"
Zhongli sighed. Ajax narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Eroch. This man would safeguard a gnosis? Why did Zhongli trust this man? Admittedly, he knew nothing of Eroch's history...but if Zhongli did trust him...
"That will be all. Thank you for your help."
"Yep, that's...what I do." Eroch agreed, hiding the gnosis.
They left quickly after that. Ajax, sure that they were out of earshot, warned, "I don't trust him, Zhongli. Are you sure giving him the Gnosis is a good idea?"
"He may seem difficult," Zhongli admitted, "He is what is good at what he does. Nearly all his life he has run a black market business without being found out, which is a skill I am counting on."
Ajax frowned. A black market? "A black market on what?"
Zhongli dodged the question, and Ajax's suspicion deepened. What was that contraption in the secret room? And this man had been running a black market! Who's to say he wouldn't pawn it off for money? But Ajax didn't voice these concerns, something which he would regret later.
But I digress.
"Come on, Ajax. We have another long journey back home." Zhongli patted his shoulder, and they began their return.
At the duel farm, Keqing groaned, as she awoke with a MASSIVE headache, and to something licking her face. "Hmm?"
Her lynx, seeing that she was awake, mewled excitedly and bounced on her lap. "You're awake! I was about to send for a doctor."
Keqing rubbed her head, turning toward Mr. Yuheng. "How long was I out?"
"All day, Keqing. It was getting worrying." He softly answered. Keqing staggered to her feet. "Easy there, Keqing. You're in no condition to be moving around yet."
Keqing ignored him, and walked slowly to the road. Noticing the path, her memories came rushing back. "The dragon stone?"
Mr. Yuheng grimaced. "Those thieves made off with it. Don't let it trouble you." He sighed. "Well, this is what happens when we meddle with affairs that don't concern us. We're just farmers."
Keqing stared across the path. Slight footprints still marked the path the hoarders took. With the dragon stone. With her dragon stone. "No." Keqing's answer surprised her as much as Mr. Yuheng. Her protective instinct was going overdrive, and Keqing knew she had to get that stone back. Not as much to why, but it was like working on something to completion. She had to finish what she started.
"What?"
"I'm not just a farmer!" Keqing denied. Viola looked up with her big cat eyes. "I'm going after the stone. If we alert the Knights of Favonius it'll be too late. But Viola and I can track their scent while it's still fresh, right Viola?" Her lynx looked up in surprise, before mewling apathetically.
"Keqing, I forbid you to do this, it's too dangerous!" Mr. Yuheng demanded.
"I know. And I'm sorry." Keqing grabbed her sword and her vision. "Come on, Viola!"
The two ran off, as Mr. Yuheng tried to call her back in vain. Keqing smiled as she ran. The headache was gone already, and she knew what she had to do. Keqing was going to get the stone, and she would get it back. She had never left a work undone.
Well, the chapters are elongating quickly. That's nice. Oh, by the way, while most claim dogs are the best trackers, cats aren't slouches either. Their sense of smell is 14 times better than humans.
One more thing, I know i'm writing a story with Childe and Zhongli as main(ish) characters, but this is NOT a Childe/Zhongli story. I don't know if i have to say that, but their is a ridiculous abundance of Childe/Zhongli stories, and it ticks me off. So, y'know, don't count on that. I think you would know who Ajax's actually going to end up with.
Eventually.
Finally, I ditched Fischl's over-the-top role-play speech. It might have sounded fun, but it's tedious and really just doesn't sound fun to write consistently. I'll try to mimic her personality as best as I can, but she might turn out a little OOC.
