Sorry for the cliffhanger. Well, i'm not too sorry. Isn't it weird, that Mondstadt city, is the same name as the nation? Like, Liyue has Liyue Harbor. Inazuma has, well, Inazuma City. Mondstadt city, is literally just named Mondstadt. Oh, and quick definition here: Allogene: a human who wields a vision.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Raptor forced himself to calm down. The canyon walls seemed to stretch up forever, and Razor and him were stuck inside it. But that wasn't the real thing he was worried about. It's fine, he told himself. They made it to the rendezvous point. It would be fine. In front of them, two cloaked individuals came out from the darkness. Soon, more Fatui appeared around them.
"We were beginning to think you backed out of our arrangement, Raptor." The leader dryly said.
Raptor shrugged. "Yeah, we had few...delays on the way." He glared at Razor.
"Apolo...gies." Razor mumbled. He reflexively backed away from the Fatui.
"I was informed that you were to come here alone." The Fatui growled. "Your companion is not part of this agreement."
Raptor smirked. "Neither was the trouble we ran into. I believe some compensation is in order. After all...this is a dragon egg we're talking about."
The Fatui chuckled darkly. "Have it your way, hoarder. We will compensate for your extra...trouble. But your companion...the Fatui will not pay a second share."
"Don't worry about it." Raptor dismissed. "Razor is my problem. So, how much are we talking?"
"I'm sure you'll find the amount sufficient." The Fatui promised. "Now...hand over the egg."
"I don't think so." Raptor frowned. "Show us the reward, or the deal's off."
The Fatui circled them, and Razor took out his claymore, setting it on the ground.
"Or..." The Fatui glared. "We could kill you and forget about the reward."
They surrounded him. "This might be unwise, Dottore." Another Fatui warned. "The other one...I believe he is the Legend of Wolvendom."
"Shut it, Ivan." The Fatui glared at his subordinate.
"Your second's a smart man." Raptor smirked. "The Lupical is with me. Has a debt to pay off."
Razor turned his head slightly, but said nothing, gripping his claymore tighter.
"By my calculations, you're outmatched."
"Outmatched?" The Fatui, Dottore, turned red with rage. "Kill them!"
They charged, and Razor blade crackled with electricity. The first he slammed back with the hilt of his blade, then swung swiftly at a lunging Fatui, slashing across and killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Raptor charged at Dottore, blocking his first strike then kicking him in the face. He knocked the other one down, then stabbed at Dottore. He parried the strike, and his second attacked Raptor. The two exchanged slashes, Raptor pushing forward, narrowly missing his jabs and swipes. The Fatui wildly slashed at him, but Raptor dodged it and kicked him into a wall. Dottore leveled his fancy spear, and charged. Raptor spun to meet it, but the spear easily knocked his dagger out of his hand. Raptor grimaced. He swerved around the first thrust, then blocked it when Dottore swung it like a baseball bat. Ducking under another wild thrust, Raptor managed to get a glancing hit on Dottore's face, the impact of his fist, felt real good.
A Fatui axeman pushed Razor back, but Razor quickly jumped to his feet and delivered a Electro Claw, the purple electricity raking through two Fatui soldiers. Two more attacked him, but Razor ducked under a strike and stabbed the foe, and as the other one ran, Razor narrowed his eyes, concentrated, and a purple wolf mirage with electric fangs, leapt forward and chomped on him.
Raptor turned, grinning at Dottore. "Looks like your men are down. Outmatched, I said."
Dottore glanced to his right and left, a flicker of doubt flashing across his face when he realized he was alone. Raptor charged, but Dottore regained his senses and sent him flying back. As Razor ran toward them though, Dottore raised his hands, and the earth began shaking.
Rocks started flying. A earthen meteor came out of the ground and sent Razor flying. "I believe you, are outmatched." Dottore sneered.
He raised his staff, and swung it at Raptor. The stones shot out toward Raptor, and he just barely avoided them. Dottore laughed, raising his hands in triumph.
That is, until he died.
He had neglected the fact that in his gloating, Raptor had grabbed his dagger. And threw it.
The Harbinger fell dead, his vision losing power. Raptor smirked, picking up his dagger and staring with distaste at the corpse. "All bark, no bite." He taunted. Picking up the Masterless Vision, he shrugged, tucking it away. If it awakened, sweet. If it didn't, well, they sold for a lot.
Razor got up from the ground, picking up the egg. "Now...new...buyer."
"Yeah." Raptor groaned. "We need a new buyer. Come on. The Treasure Hoarders should be able to find us one."
They jogged away, and behind a rock structure, Keqing breathed a sigh of relief. She almost got caught up in that fight, and there was no way she would survive that. She could still see their backs. If she chased now–
Viola growled, snapping her out of her thoughts. Keqing followed her lynx's gaze, to a defeated Fatui. He was alive, wounded, but alive. Keqing approached him. "The two thieves. Were are they going?"
"Hell if I know." The man groaned. "We were just sent to intercept them."
Keqing glanced at his insignia. That mark...she read it in books before. "Are you a Fatui?"
"Never seen one before? Don't blame ya." He grimaced in pain. "Well? Finish the job, girl."
"I'm not here to kill you." Keqing sheathed her sword. "I just want the dragon egg back."
The Fatui didn't answer, and looked away bitterly. Keqing decided to leave him be. She had no sympathy for him.
"They're heading northeast." The Fatui croaked out, and Keqing stopped. "Follow the border of Sumeru and Monstadt."
Keqing blinked in surprise, then nodded gratefully. She and Viola walked off, leaving behind the battlefield of corpses.
Lava bubbled in pools. Bennett yelped as he nearly stepped on a lava spill. This was dangerous!
Looking up, he spotted some stone pillars. Definitely man made. This was the place. But why the heck were teramancers gathering here? Sure, it was underground with monsters, but who would want to live in the hot hole of death?
A curious gwah? came from behind him, and Bennett spun around. Two hilichurl came from behind him, looked at him, and decided he was a threat. "Uh oh."
They approached him eyeing in hostility. Bennett drew his sword, then remembered something. "Wait..." He took out the teramancer's staff, and pointed it at the hilichurls. They stopped, and looked at the staff in an expression Bennett didn't recognize. But they stopped. "Yeah...that's right."
Steps behind him. Bennett whirled around, and pointed the staff at more hilichurls. They stopped too, but the hilichurls behind him shook out of the trance and advanced. He couldn't delay them both. The hilichurls approached, about to beat Bennett to death.
Suddenly, a second figure leapt out of nowhere and landed next to Bennett. Swinging his blade around him, he carved a circle at the ground, with them inside. Then, he held up his own staff.
The monsters went slack, completely fixated on the staff. Then, he slammed the staff on the ground, and the hilichurls dispersed. "I expected you would have learned by now." The teramancer told Bennett who stayed silent in abject terror. "I presume you're the new rookie?"
Bennett mustered enough courage to nod.
"And I suppose you haven't killed the allogene?"
Bennett looked away.
"What happened to the monsters under your control?" The teramancer questioned.
Bennett hung his head.
"No need to be embarrassed about failing a mission." The man shrugged. "At least you survived. The girl is more resourceful and dangerous than we imagined. We'll have to report this to his Lordship."
He walked away, and Bennett gave a sigh of relief, before following him. They walked deeper into the volcanic cave, and Bennett was both horrified and impressed at what he saw. Lava poured down from the ceiling, but stone paths were built in the cave, as bridges, walkways, and more. Teramancers, all wearing the same garb and mask, patrolled the area. Dangerous and rare monsters, like geovishaps and regisvines, dwelled in cages hanging from the ceiling. A large pit contained more common monsters, hilichurls and slimes, some who were aimlessly wandering, fighting each other for no reason, and some were being practiced on by teramancers. This place was huge, and Bennett was shocked at the number of teramancers. They were more of a threat than Monstadt realized.
At the end of the cavern, a small area was floating on lava, a lone figure hunched over on it. Then, he suddenly turned, and it took all of Bennett's willpower to to yelp or gasp. Instead of a normal hilichurl mask, he was wearing a plague doctor mask. It's eyeholes seemed to empty out to nothing, and the mask gave an aura of death and suffering.
Weird, considering it was a 'doctor' mask.
Bennett gulped, trying to avoid contact, irrationally thinking the Teralord might have some sort of power to tell he wasn't a real teramancer. The Teralord didn't walked up to an elevated platform. All the teramancers looked up to him as their leader, as if expecting a show.
And a show he gave them. He raised a different staff, one similar to the ones Teramancers used, but more decorative and intricate. The top was a curved crescent, and a black energy condensed right above it. Raising the staff, at once, every monster froze and turned toward him. Their will gone, dominated by the power of the Teralord.
Bennett slowly began backing away, but he thought he saw the Teralord glance up at his direction. "You." He nearly jumped out of his shoes. "Come with us. We have a new mission."
Bennett nodded a bit too hastily, all too ready to get out of the vicinity of this terrifying individual.
"Ajax! Wait!" Ajax jumped down the hill, landing in the water, frantically sprinting toward the flames. How could this had happened?! His home, aflame and burning to a crisp by the second. He had to get there...he could save it! With his Vision, Ajax desperately believed he could get rid of the fire. Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
Lumine.
Zhongli caught up to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Let go of me!" Ajax screamed. They could still be in there. She couldn't be dead!
"Whoever did this could still be here!" Zhongli growled, tightening his grip. Ajax crumpled to his knees, despair written over his face. "Wait, here."
Zhongli leveled his spear and walked toward the ruins. "I'll check for survivors. Cover me."
Ajax nodded numbly, standing shakily, drawing his bow. Despair was soon replaced with anger. Whoever did this would pay. For destroying his home, for wiping out the only people that accepted him. He followed Zhongli at a distance, watching the man jog into the flames. Here and there, he doused flames with his Vision. He looked at the ruined buildings, the burned trees. He still remembered the antique shop that he and Lumine would go to every week to build their collection. It was now a barren ruin, the flames consuming what little was left of it. And–oh gosh, was that Diluc's tavern? And the Knights of Favonius headquarters!
Did anyone make it out? Ajax's eyes narrowed, flames reflecting off his eyes, the fires like his anger kindling. He stared at their home, or what was once his home. A hand touched his shoulder, and Ajax nearly put an arrow in between Zhongli's eyes. "Ajax. We have to leave, now!"
Ajax immediately snapped out of his reminiscing, and urgently followed Zhongli. They walked cautiously but quickly through the wasteland. "We're going to Aozang City." Zhongli said. "You'll be safer there."
Ajax didn't question it. He just wanted to get out of here...before he ended up like the inhabitants of his city. They almost made it to the river when Zhongli stopped Ajax. "Zhongli? What's wrong?" He whispered.
Zhongli turned slowly, narrowing his eyes. Ajax peered too, but nothing was there. That is, until several figures emerged from the flames like angels of death, a Fatui insignia on each of their cloaks. "Run, Ajax! Run!"
"What? No! I can fight too!" Ajax protested, drawing his bow.
"Look out!" Zhongli pulled him out of the way as an arrow nearly ended Ajax's life. "We're outnumbered here! Get to the river! I'll delay them!"
"But–."
"Go!"
The Fatui charged, and terror gripped Ajax. Despite his hatred and anger, fear took over and his legs took off, running in the opposite direction.
Zhongli dodged an arrow, parried the first strike from a Fatui, and quickly stabbed him in the stomach. He spun around the second, elbowing him in the face. A third slashed at him, but Zhongli flicked his wrist, sending the sword up into the air, where he quickly caught it and ended the foe with his own weapon. Now duel-wielding, Zhongli disarmed and killed the next attacker quickly. Behind him, Ajax was fleeing as fast as his legs could carry him. A Fatui warrior came out of nowhere and swung an axe at him, but Ajax reflexively ducked and summoned his hydro swords, decapitating the ambusher. "That was from the Knights of Favonius!" He spat, then kept running.
Zhongli spun aside as an arrow flew by him, throwing the sword at the archer, impaling him. Pinning another's weapon to the ground, Zhongli kicked him back and summoned earthen spikes from the ground, throwing another wave back. As he retracted a spear from one's body, however, another took the distraction, jumped over the flames and thrust a spear at him. Zhongli stumbled back, spinning his spear wildly to block the attacks. Eventually, he wrestled the enemy to the ground and thrust his spear through their skull.
Ajax reached their horse, leaping on it. "Go! We have to get Zhongli!"
The remaining Fatui surrounded Zhongli, who leveled his spear left and right, gritting his teeth. He had been in sticky situations before, but this was probably was the most deadly of them all. They were waiting for something. No...someone. A figure approached from behind them, clapping maddeningly. "Zhongli."
Zhongli narrowed his eyes and pointed his spear at the man. "Are you a Fatui Harbinger?"
"I am." The man smirked, lowering his hat. "I am the Balladeer. And in honor of my fallen comrade, the Jester, I will kill you in his stead."
"The Balladeer, huh." Zhongli muttered. "Why are you here?"
"I noticed you moved the Gnosis." The Balladeer smirked maniacally. "And I need them. Can you not see?" He gestured to the flaming ruins around them. "Look, look what you have made me do." He said in a mockingly sorrowful tone.
Zhongli sighed, evidently tired. "I have fought against your people for all my life, Balladeer. Whatever the Fatui are planning," Anger returned to his eyes, and he swung his spear, determined. "I will stop it."
Ajax rid toward him, stopping as he noticed the predicament.
"You won't escape this time, old man." The Balladeer taunted. "Finish him!"
The Fatui slowly closed in. Zhongli narrowed his eyes at them, before discreetly palming the Geo Gnosis. He needed its power. Shouting, Zhongli summoned the raw Geo energy, and slammed the ground. A huge quake sent the Fatui flying away. Taking advantage of their disorganization, Zhongli charged, quickly impaling one disoriented Fatui agent. Another approached from behind, but an earthen spear brought him down before he even got close. Zhongli looked up, as if taunting the Balladeer. He knew that the Fatui Harbinger saw that. And indeed, the man smirked, and pulled out a Inazuman katana. "I'll be taking that Gnosis."
A soaring leap, as the Balladeer brought a crushing overhead strike. Zhongli raised his spear, blocking his strike and pushing him back. The Harbinger merely flipped to a landing, before charging again. Striking fast and hard, Zhongli could just barely deflect his strikes, trying to find an opening in the Harbinger's attack pattern. Their blades locked, and in a brief struggle of strength, the Balladeer sidestepped, letting Zhongli swing his weapon down at thin air, then dealing a ferocious kick that sent Zhongli reeling. Dodging a strike, Zhongli swiped at him, forcing him back before he could keep attacking. Taking advantage of his longer range, Zhongli jabbed at him, forcing him back. The Harbinger stumbled back, and Zhongli leveled his spear at him. He had the advantage.
Suddenly, the Harbinger grinned madly, and an electric pulse lit up the area. His eyes suddenly glowed purple, and his sword sparked, like a thousand volts of lighting was coursing through it. Zhongli wasn't about to be outdone, and harnessed both his Vision and Gnosis. The ground began to rumble, and earth spikes shot out of the ground toward the Balladeer, who laughed maniacally and shattered them to electro-charged pieces. Zhongli wasn't deterred, and raised two walls of earth, pinning the Harbinger in place.
"You can't defeat me." Zhongli calmly declared. "You're no match for the power of the Archons."
He leveled his lance and charged, intending to impale the Harbinger once and for all.
As he reached the him however, the earthen walls containing him suddenly froze and shattered like thin ice. Zhongli flung himself back to avoid deadly icicles coming his way. "No way...a Delusion?"
The Harbinger grinned. "This is the end, Champion!"
He charged, and they exchanged blows, both elemental and physical. The two elements gave the Harbinger an advantage, forcing Zhongli on the defensive. Ice and electricity surrounded the Harbinger, forcing Zhongli away. Finally though, Zhongli managed to push him back with a powerful earth wall, giving him a breather. Ajax came riding down, shouting at Zhongli to get on.
Zhongli looked up, and instantly summoned a small earth pillar, carrying him toward them. But he sadly, forgot about the Balladeer. The Harbinger noticed his dead subordinate next to him, picked up his discarded spear, and launched it with deadly accuracy. Ajax's voice failed him.
Zhongli staggered, the tip of metal protruding from his chest. Ajax's hand dropped. His mouth hung open mid-shout, his warning choking and dying in his throat. Behind him, the Harbinger grinned in dark satisfaction. Zhongli dropped his lance, breathing in and out. Shock and pain filled his senses, and he found himself fixated on the weapon that pierced him. And slowly...he fell to his side, never to move again.
Everything seemed to slow down after that for Ajax. He remembered the Gnosis and Vision spilling out from Zhongli, the vision now dull and grey. He remembered Fatui releasing projectiles at him, as Ajax fled in terror on horseback. Arrows and blasts of energy missed him by inches, as the Harbinger collected the Gnosis from Zhongli's corpse. Ajax urged Spirit to gallop faster, tears streaming down his cheeks. His home lost, his friends gone...and now, his mentor, possibly his last friend alive, fallen on the ground, lifeless. Ajax had hit rock bottom.
Meanwhile, Scaramouche, the Balladeer, silently smiled as he put away the Gnosis, and discarded the Vision. Finally, he picked up the fallen warrior's lance. A great victory for the Fatui, and a devastating loss for the rest of Teyvat.
Sorry, Zhongli. I suppose he died sooner than expected, if anyone expected it at all. Oh yeah, and Scaramouche has a Cryo Delusion. It might not be canon, but I'd say it works for now.
So anyways, how was this chapter? Review!
