Genshin Impact Brave the Lightning

by Axkalaba

Follow the hilarius tale of Simp Bad. Inuzuma public enemy number one also know as the Paper Cut Samurai in his “honorable” quest to split the lightning!

5. The Favonius Four

The Favonius Four

Part 1

Inside the old wine cellars of somewhere.

"Welp… I'm already used to the procedure, but I still am going to need an explanation of how I got here or what I even agreed on doing." I said.

This rodeo is nothing new to me. People telling me I promised something and then forgot about it? Been there, done that. I just need to know if it's true or they're just messing with me.

"My, how convenient. As expected of an honorable samurai. Even the most crippling of mental illness means nothing to your kin." A very educated gentleman said.

I'm starting to like this guy with the opportunistic grin. He sure knows how to speak nothing but the unbiased truth.

"Allow me to bring you up to date my friend. Yesterday night you arrived at this brooding gentleman's tavern, the Angel's Share." The gentleman said, bringing my attention to the other gentleman.

This one has red hair and stood silently as he analyzed everything about me and even my very breath.

"His name is Diluc, he's the owner of the Dawn Winery and leads the wine industry here around Monds. And I'm his brother Kaeya." I heard.

Ah, they're nobility, that makes so much sense.

The deer is always being so unreasonable and telling me off for calling peasants like I see them, but geez just look at the difference when mens of class speak to each other's.

"You entered the tavern and we shared a few drinks together. You said you have boat problems, do you remember that much?" Kaeya said with a flick of the wrist.

I nodded, though I don't remember going to the tavern, it does sounds like a place my problems would take me.

"Ah, it seems you remember. Well after a few drinks in our merry chat, you slipped out how you wouldn't remember any of that next morning."

"And then Sir Kaeya here let it slip, on purpose if I might add, that we had a job to carry on. All just to see if your memory held true or not."

"My, how offensive of you bro. I was merely too drunk to know what I was doing, hehe." Kaeya jested.

I could see like a telepathic battle going on between the two.

"So we made a promise together. You see, given the rarity of today's line of work, we are kind of understaffed, and what better partner than one who won't remember a thing once we pay him a drink? And of course, for your troubles this grumpy gentleman here will provide a boat from his own business and the best deer hunters Springvale can afford." Eye-patch said.

"I see, that's quite the good deal. You get the help you need and I get my hands on a boat and a deer hunt— wait hold on there a minute. Did you just said I needed a deer hunter?" I asked feeling a little throw off.

"Why, yes. You told us how in order to get the boat you needed, you had to sell your deers body, and how it wasn't sitting well with you. So since we can't really do much about something that's already been served on a dish somewhere, we promised to get you a new deer."

I get the distinct feeling these two think I sold the deer to some hungry sailor or something.

…Well technically, they're kind of right. She will get eaten voraciously if I don't do something quick and that VK sure was cursing me a lot like a sailor would.

So that was it, the reason I went drinking huh…

"Alright, everything seems to be in order, I just need one last bit of information before we get started. What's he doing here?" I said, directing a finger at the guy resting his back against the wine kegs.

The Jade haired Jaksha began walking for the table where our conversation was taking place.

"Oh him? He showed up here out of nowhere yesterday night and started wrecking my manor demanding we hand you over… I don't blame him though, I blame sir Kaeya for the indiscreet way he let everyone and their mothers know he was shouldering an outsider when he brought you here." The red haired responded for once.

And very spitefully I must add. I'm not offering to pay his repair bills with that attitude.

"Xiao, where you worried about me?" I asked, feeling a little moved but making sure to not get my hopes up.

"I've a message for you. 'Tell that birdbrain I'm giving him as many nights out as he can have strikes, and if he knows what's good for him he'll better not get a Game Out!'" Xiao mimicked the voice of a hateful creature.

Oh my.

"'And tell him if I so much as hear a noise complaint about him while he's out. He knows what's up!'"

Oh deer.

"'And tell him if he causes you any trouble he's reeeeally going to know what's up!'" Xiao said, finishing his relay.

Oh my deer.

"Tell her I don't really know 'what's up' squat cause forgetting things is kind of my stitch, and if she has any problems with the way I live my life she can see me in court." I recorded the message I wanted to send back to that insolent girl.

Seriously what does she thinks she owns me or something?

Here I am looking to join a life of crime just to protect her chastity and she's trusting my judgement so much she's threatening with incarceration.

Perhaps I should just refuse these gentlemen, ask for a refill and go home.

"Well I hope that clears any doubts you have about us my friend. And as a bonus you brought us none other than an Adeptus and the Conqueror of Demons himself. This is going to be one fun night to go out with friends." Kaeya's skin sure be looking glossy.

"Your Adeptus friend already signed a non-disclosure agreement with us, and given what he is, we have accepted his presence and help with today's work." Diluc said, pulling out a sheet of paper with Xiao signature in it.

I guess even out here in Monds, people know Adepti never break their contracts.

"Amazing Xiao, I didn't know you cared about the deer's chastity so much."

"Protecting her is literally the reason I'm here, did you forget?" He said.

Oh right, I guess he's right. This task is more or less like an earned vacation when compared to his usual work, but It'll be stupid if he went and failed his one job instead.

"Your Adeptus friend will remember to make sure we keep our end of the deal once this is over, in exchange you'll help us overturn a Fatui plot that has gotten out of hand and later forget everything. Let's get moving." Diluc said, grabbing a cape from the wall perch and a bird mask.

Kaeya went to one of the drawers and brought out a set of clothing that he later presented to me.

"This is an old relic my dear brother has kept around, we hope you can put it to good use." He said, presenting me a set of clothes.

I see, this texture and craftsmanship is definitely something worth keeping around. It felt so nostalgic seeing something from my homeland, I almost shed a tear.

A ninja suit.

"Well now brother, all that's left is to give our merry hand a name and explain everything on the way there." An enthusiastic Kaeya said, pulling a coin in advance.

"I don't think a one night stand needs to be named, but knowing you I refuse to see what you come up with. And we are using my coin, yours is double a face." His brother replies.

"Ahahaha, well you caught me there." Kaeya shrug it off.

I took over the ninja suit and stood from my seat. Xiao turned around and began leading for the door.

As I passed I saw the red haired flipping a coin into the air, and so our merry band was born.

Part 2

Atop the moon bathed rooftops of Monds, the intrepid band know as the Favonius Four traverse till we came face to face with our target, the Goth Hotel.

We where standing atop the Windmill behind the hotel, this city sure sees a nice breeze even in the death of night.

According to my partners, the Fatui have been trying to reinforce their hold on the city ever since the backlash with Liyue.

It appears monsters attacks have gotten unnervingly present and my partners seem to believe the Fatui are the ones drawing the monsters around the city.

Fix what you started only to get credit for it. The results are many injured citizens and the Favonius guards caught defending them. Meanwhile the Fatui arrive at the scene once the guards have done most of the job and steal the show.

I'm familiar with the tactics, I just didn't think anyone was stupid enough to abuse it so much as I'm hearing about it today.

We watched as a group of six envoys left the hotel and spread around, four to the main gate and two to the east gate of the city.

They want to cause a monster invasion tonight. It is the reason we are here.

The Fatui are using a concoction they intend to spread all over the city which will in turn attract hordes of monsters.

Alerting the guards will only cause the Fatui to rearrange their schedule for another time, which is why Kaeya said we are taking this approach instead.

The plan is for two of us to sneak inside the hotel and acquire a sample of the concoction along with the documents used in it's conception. Later Kaeya will submit our findings to the Favonius and compare it to the ones spread tonight over the city while it it's still fresh.

The other two are to follow around the envoys and stop them once they leave enough evidence behind.

We don't need the city to get flooded by monsters, so it's crucial we don't allow them to reach all their destinations.

Finally once both groups carry their tasks, Kaeya will present the evidence to the Favonius Acting Grandmaster and the rest of us will fight the waves of monsters until the guards arrive and we'll retreat back to the winery.

"It's time. I'm counting on you, Conqueror of Demons." Diluc told Xiao.

In return Xiao just scoffed and went ahead. The two left gliding and jumping trough the rooftops.

They'll get along just fine.

Diluc wore a long cape and a bird mask to hide his identity while Xiao conformed with just keeping his mask on as usual.

Kaeya is crucial to handle the documents and evidence to the Acting Grandmaster as soon as possible, he needs to be in the infiltration team for this plan to work. And Xiao is no good with human houses or structures when it comes to stealth. Those two had their positions mandated so I thought the teams where pretty obvious but…

These two brothers where really abhorrent about working together.

"Be in your care tonight, partner." The thug styled man besides me said.

Diluc came here dressed like a dark night vigilante, he sure knows what he's doing. Xiao made do with his usual mask, but I was never expecting much from him to be honest.

I put on the ninja costume from my homeland, kept my striped scarf and left my ponytail sticking out the back of my mask.

We all more or less had our acts together, but then there's this guy.

He had an old brown sweater with leather pants, a kerchief covering his mouth, fingerless gloves, a solid cuff beanie and still had his eye-patch on. I could see like one eye of his entire face which is really effective for hiding your identity but come on now.

Honestly he looked less like a vigilante and more like he was here to rob the place.

"You know, you're making me feel stupid for the way I'm dressed right now." And I wasn't afraid to tell him how much he was ruining the moment.

He and Xiao should feel ashamed for not taking this seriously. This is the one job in life one cannot be allowed to show up under-dressed. This I like the dream of every children in the planet and is us adults jobs to keep the dream alive.

"Haha, sorry about that. I've never thought I would be forced to resort to this kind of work and this was the best I could get my hands on… Now how do you want to do this, partner?" He asked me.

I had some dealings with actual ninjas and my Vision is kind of useful for stealth operations. However…

"I hope you're not expecting me to do everything around here?"

"Hehe, why that'll be so boring. I was just being generous, I'm all for doing this whole thing by myself."

"In your dreams pal! I want to give this a try too." I responded, though I feel I'm playing into his games for some reason?

Could it be he's manipulating me so I'll end up doing all the work later?

"Well then, let's play it like a game, fair and square. You'll handle one thing at a time and I'll get the next. If you ever need my help when it's your turn, you lose and I lose when vice-versa. What say about that sweet deal, partner?" He proposed to me.

Never mind what I said, nobody's dumb enough to backseat trough something as fun as this. He was genuinely just being generous before.

"Very well, let's get going." I said.

"Yeah."

Part 3

We landed on the right-most balcony of the Goth Hotel. Before us a locked door and to our left a barrel with planted flowers.

"Your call partner, make sure there's no one inside before you open the door though, wouldn't want to get caught this early in the game." A very competitive Kaeya said.

Why yes, wouldn't want to get caught so easily.

I crouched down and emptied the contents of a pouch I had by my waist. Inside held about a hundreds of my origami's.

They began to scurry all over the hotel in hasty silence. Each sticking to the walls and roof tiles until the whole place was covered.

"What are you doing over there?" Kaeya asked me.

I put down my hand and fired a spark that bounced all over the origami's. The spark accelerated and soon was bouncing simultaneously amongst all other paper figures. It caused an increase on the energy reaction inside the place, and reflected on the light that came out.

I handed over one of my origami's to Kaeya and kept one to use as a lent myself.

Kaeya began to look in surprise to the view presented trough the paper figure. All the Fatui inside the building could be seen clearly even trough walls.

"There, now we know there's no guards on the other side of this door, and so long as we have my origami's we can see inside. Your turn now, partner, this lock isn't going to pick himself." I said, gesturing for Kaeya to take the lead.

"Hold on a second, something isn't right here. I remember when we where drinking that you said your Vision power was Elemental Magnesis, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Isn't that like , pushing and pulling things around you know force related power? How come you used it to make people visible trough walls?" He asked.

Ah, I see the misunderstanding now.

"Pushing and pulling things around is my primary power, as my Vision requires me to adapt to elemental energy over time and consumes part of me to work, but that isn't all I can do… Well I'm not sure how to explain it correctly, but since there's not much research on the matter, think of my power as electromagnetism instead since I just have a variation meant for elemental energy."

"Electromagnetism…? Isn't that just pushing and pulling things around too?" He once again asked.

Ah… I see someone went to school in order to sleep nicely.

"Alright Kaeya, time for a quick study course. There exist four Fundamental Forces in the world. Gravitation, which is the weakest of the four. The Weakest Force, and and yes that's it's name, and also despite the name, the Weakest Force just so happens to be 10 of the 25th power stronger than gravity. Meaning is not twice, is not thrice stronger, you need to take a 1 and add 26 zeros to get the exact number of times the Weakest Force is stronger than gravity." I explained.

Kaeya one eye blinked as if I was talking riddles.

"You ever read all those super heroes or villains in books by the Yae publishing, those who happens to control gravity and are praised as the strongest? Well an user of The Weakest Force would be 10 to the 25th times stronger than them, but see, those two I just mentioned, gravity and the Weakest Force just so happens to be the two weakest of the four forces." I explained as I put away my origami in order to save power for later.

If I'm not careful the origami's spread all over the hotel will run out of hair to sacrifice and come on down.

I looked up at a confused Kaeya and continued my explanation.

"Then there's the next of the four fundamental forces, the one that governs most aspects of our everyday life, standing in at a total of 10 to the 36 power stronger than gravity, or 1 and 37 zeros if is easier this way. Basically, electromagnetism is the second strongest of the four fundamental forces and just so happens to be the one we see and know best because it's present in all of our everyday day reactions like the things we see, the atoms split or any and all chemical reactions. The final and strongest of the four is funnily called The Strongest Force by the way but that's just overkill if I'm honest." I pointed out.

Kaeya made a strange head holding gesture as if he was about to faint for my explanation.

"Which means…?" He asked, likely not understand very well what I meant with my long and detailed explanation.

"Which means my Vision doesn't just push and pull things around. Saying pushing and pulling things around is my full power, would be like saying 1% of my power is 100% of my power. I can bend light and split atoms at will, generate alchemical reactions on the spot, push and pull things, produce a light so bright it could fry someone's brain, produce illusions by bending light, make plants grow, eliminate poison and toxins or create them, magnetize the iron of the blood and make it take a gory walk out of somebody's body, ect. Basically, I can do lots of things, but because my Vision needs to consume parts of me to work and time to adjust to someone's elemental energy, I can't just do as I please unless I have time to prepare and hair to lose." I said.

And of course I have no intention to go bald over this which is why I rarely do nothing more than the basics.

"Didn't you said you had bad memory?" My Thug Life accomplice said.

"Well yeah, duh. But I only forget stuff that's not important. Who in their right mind considers the things they study at school, not important?" I asked.

Kaeya jabbed a thumbs his way and I decided I'm ignoring his F score bum till I can finish.

"Visions are based on their wearers ambitions. Some wish to become the best chefs there is, some wish to rule as kings, some wish to become gods themselves, and some wish to dominate gods like myself. Is just a matter of ambition. The reason my Vision comes with some many restrictions for its use is because of how powerful it is. Take a friend of mine for example, she has a Pyro vision, she makes painful anvils and hate-homing fireballs, at worst she gets tired while using her powers but she always has access to 100% of her powers. I on the other hand have to start at 0.1% of my power wherever I meet some new and wait out until it get to 1% before I can do the basic push and pull. And because my vision needs sacrifices to work, even if I manage to get something like 40% over time I'll probably lose every hair follicle in my head and an arm or two just for using that level of power even once."

I don't think I'll ever do something that stupid though.

"Just like you would assume a Vision that could control gravity would make it's wearer one of the strongest Vision holders in the world, the same is true for me, in countless times stronger than a gravity Vision user would be, to be exact. But because of my restrictions I'm never going to be able to draw my full power. What you just saw me do was like 2% of my power in general, which was static vision. Nothing special, I control Elemental Magnesis after all." I gave a smug smile to my partner.

It took a few seconds for Kaeya to process our conversation. Then he regained his composure and walked towards the door.

He places his hand on the door knob and a gust of cold air formed.

Kaeya twisted his wrist and I heard the click of a mechanisms. The door opened as Kaeya pulled and ice key out it's key hole.

"Interesting information, partner. So basically what you're trying to say is, that you got a bunch of powers but can't use any…? You're like a wind-bag, anyone's ever told you that?"

"I prefer to be compared to a Potato Chips bag, thank you very much."

"Haha, seems this will be easier than I thought. Now no resting on your laurels partner, the game is still on, and would you know, that door right now was an obstacle. Is your turn." Kaeya points for me to take the lead.

I get the feeling he still wants to compete with me despite everything I just explained to him.

How cute.

"You're going down you know that? Thug Life."

"In your dreams Potato Bag." Kaeya replied with a competitive smile.

Part 4

We stepped inside the hotel balcony door and locked it behind us.

It was dark inside, as though there where lamps adorning the walls, these weren't being put to use at the moment.

I had a chance to see this place from the outside and Kaeya had told me he's been here many times before.

The hotel appears to be three stores tall, with the third being the place we find ourselves in.

By the way they move or stand around, it doesn't appears the Fatui treat this place as a fortress of sorts, but more like a place of residence.

That's good in a way because it means there won't be guards patrolling, but on the other hand it means everyone could be everywhere at any given time.

In places being treated like a fortress, you usually have something called guards patrol rounds. The point of these rounds is to keep the place under strict watch so nobody can move whiteout permission or go to places they're not supposed to be.

Guards placement is much more tight and strategic, and they try to cover as much ground as possible.

For us the break-ins, a fortress like scenario means we can't risk taking someone out of commission or we'll get caught for sure.

Back in Inuzuma I've read stories from the Yae Publishing where the heroes just knock someone out as they go sneaking around.

The ninjas I used to interact with shot down this fantasy for me in seconds.

In a fortress kind of scenario, doing this will result in a guard missing when it comes time to cross paths with another guard, and this comes with an immediate full-alarm.

Basically, if we where to take someone out because he caught us or because there was no way to pass the guard whiteout being seen by him, if we did that we'll be found out not matter how much we hide the body, simply because guards can't be missing on duty when everyone is patrolling around.

There's also roll call's. If this place was handled like a fortress, everyone would be forced to stay in their rooms by now and nobody would be allowed to walk the halls or corridors but the guards.

This is done in order to prevent the patrols rounds from being disturbed, and to ensure if the guards see anything at all during their rounds, they can act upon it and call for backup whiteout fear of sounding a false alarm.

On the other hand, the benefits of a fortress-like scenario is that clearance isn't given to everyone, and once you figure out the guard rounds, it becomes very easy to trace a path towards your goal, if you can bypass the stationaries somehow.

In cases like those you could technically take out a guard or two if you know the next patrol to take something like, tenth minutes to arrive, meanwhile you could be out at five.

In that case you'll take out as many guards as you need if you don't mind them finding out someone was stealing around.

Not to mention the roll call would mean less people for us vigilantes to worry about when moving.

Fortress scenarios are simply put, well organized, and have a pattern. They're meant to deal with thieves and break-ins. Though if a spy from the inside, figures out the guards patrol rounds and sells the information to some thieves. Robbing becomes exceedingly easy in a fortress-like scenario because you'll know where everyone would be and where they'll be at which time.

That's not our case however.

This is a residence scenario, with few guards in-between to protect only the most crucial points like stairs and the entrance, everyone else just goes about their business.

This means no amount of study would net us a pattern for the way people move around here, and taking out someone would be something of a wild card, since anyone could come around the area whiting the minute or nobody could show up for the whole night.

There's also the fact that if someone goes missing, we can't know if someone is looking for them or not.

In the end, the residence scenario is easier but also much more chaotic.

All this is more or less what the ninjas taught me. Is basic knowledge everyone needs to keep in mind when it comes to stealth.

Kaeya looks cunning and it doesn't seems like he's sweating this one bit. I assume I won't need to bring up all this basic knowledge with him.

I used my origami to highlight the positions of the guards trough the walls like I did before. Kaeya took a look himself too.

There's four standing stationary Fatuis. One is standing in the second floor, which appears to be where the stairs are, he's probably in charge of keeping people from coming here to the third floor. There is another stationary right below him which would likely be where the first floor stairs are, another stationary one that looks like he's by the door outside the hotel, and one more near the left-most corner of the first floor.

Everyone else appears to be moving around first and second floor, or sleeping in their rooms.

"Where do you think they'll keep the proof we need?" I asked Kaeya.

"… Experiments would likely be carried underground to make as little noise as possible. The samples we need should be in the basement. On the other hand, the documents could be anywhere, I have no idea." Kaeya said.

If we get caught all evidence might be destroyed. Is better we look around as much as we can.

"There's nobody in this floor with us, and our goal is likely the basement right now. Open the doors, let's see what we can gather here before moving on to the second floor."

"Your call, partner. For now at least." Kaeya said and produced an ice key for one of the doors.

As per our game, I've got handle of sensory while he has lock-picking so far. I got to be careful I don't end with with too many task and lose to him.

If the rooms on this floor are all empty is better we check them now. Once we move down we might not be able to come back for clues.

We found a well furnished bedroom, much more than would the necessary for hotel accommodation. This could be where the guy who leads the place, sleeps.

Other than that we found his studio and an art gallery where it looks like meetings of importance take place.

Overall we wasted fifteen minutes because this floor seemed important, but nothing.

"What a disappointment partner, not even even a letter reporting the plan to one of the Harbingers." Kaeya seemed annoyed.

The full floor seems to serve for the guy in charge to do his scheming, yet not a single sample paper on what we came here looking for.

The Fatui in this place seem to work for La Signora, given the letters and documents we did found, the problem is that no one detailed the operation we're trying to sabotage today.

And that's bothersome.

"The guy that runs this place isn't doing this under orders from a Harbinger, he's acting on his own." I said as I neatly returned some documents back to the drawer I found them.

Both Kaeya and Diluc said they found out about today's operation trough their own unique means.

What's going on today wasn't something spontaneous if the plans where leaked to two people working by different means…

"Why does it matter though…? Do these guy's need to be supervised by a Harbinger wherever they do something?" Kaeya asked, as he folded back the letters he was reading.

….

"I'm just assuming... If this Fatui operation was successful, there will be a lot of casualties from monsters breaking inside the city. I don't remember much, but what I do know of the Fatui is that they take advantage of the debts they create to further on the will of their empress, and the dead can't pay back debts." I responded.

Kaeya held his chin, thinking for a moment, and then he looked right back at me.

"I guess this is it for this floor… It was nice confirming some of the connections I had in mind now that I'm here, but everything I found can just be dismissed even if I brought it up with Jean. We need to do what we came here to do."

"Right…" I said, and we both headed out of the office.

Part 5

We gathered by the stairs down into the second floor.

By what I've seen with my static vision, the second floor is all bedrooms. The first floor seems to have some too but according to Kaeya, there's the lobby, the kitchen, a dining hall and the janitorial office, which is where the way into the basement is at.

There's half a dozen people walking around the corridors of the second floor, the rest look like they're resting on their beds, and one Fatui guarding the stairs.

"Well, don't get cold feet now partner, lead the way." Kaeya pressures.

The guard job is likely to keep anyone that isn't his boss from wandering inside the third floor.

He has his arms crossed and his back to the stairs which we where at, and no other way down.

With the guard positioning I see no angle where we could sneak by whiteout him seeing us once we climb down the stairs, and because there's people hanging around the corridors, with this being a residence-case of lair, anyone that decides to pass by the stairs and doesn't see the one guard that's supposed to stay on his post well…

Immediate alarm… I guess I'll have to use my Vision again here.

There's two candle lamps on each of the walls to the sides of the stairs, I can shut one off with my origami's in order to distract the guard for a moment.

Next we need a place to hide. It looks dark down there, likely because this is an hotel, there aren't that many lamps as to not disturb the guess if they have to move around at night.

My static vision shows Fatui hanging down there and far from the stairs we find ourselves at. First to the sides are occupied bedrooms, and if we kept going down the stairs during the distraction we could reach the first floor, but then I'll have to deal with the next guard and the others down there…

"Here put this on under your soles." I handed a pair of paper cutouts to Kaeya.

He followed my instructions and with a slight use of my vision, they stuck to the downside of his shoes, and levitated him a few centimeters from the floor so he was just lightly hovering with his steps.

I did the same for my ninja shoes. The floor is wooden and it'll creak like a mandragora when we'd rush downstairs.

"Are you ready Kaeya…? Then follow my lead." I said pulling one more of my paper cutouts.

The origami flew along the ceiling, making use of the shadows and hiding from the peripheral vision of the guard.

The I had it launch down as fast as I could and blow the candle lamp.

The guard got a little jumpy, he must've seen a shadow before the light of the lamp went off. Nevertheless he still had the lamb light from the other side to see there was nothing there, and I had my paper cutout slid right behind one of the portraits near the lamp.

I'll leave it there for now.

After a moment of tense silence, the guard regained his composure and went to the candle lamb by the wall. I jumped downstairs and Kaeya followed me.

The guard brought up a lighter while we ran for the first door on the left corridor.

In the distance I could see three Fatui sharing a drink near a window. They couldn't make more than shapes of us because there's not enough lamps to light this place up, it was an hotel after all.

Kaeya brought up his ice key in a hurry and we opened the lousy door.

We entered the room just as the guard lights up the candle and turn his back to the noise of the door. This noise didn't alert him as there wasn't any roll call going on, and anyone could come and go so long as it wasn't the third floor.

Inside the second floor room we had chosen as our hiding point, the Fatui who was sleeping on his bed, awoke to the sound of his creaky door.

I walked past Kaeya and socked the good nights to the dude. He'll be out cold till we get out of here.

Theres no better place than a bed to knock someone out. Nobody will notice this guy who went to sleep, was out of service.

"Impressive, partner. You managed to make us move down a floor but, what now?"

"Your turn, that's what. Moving down a floor has to count as an obstacle." I said.

"Hmm… Fair enough. I'll get us down and not a soul to tell, watch me."

"Easier said than done." I replied.

I saw Kaeya making use of my origami for the static vision, he was likely seeing what he was up against.

After a while of looks-around, he clicked his tongue annoyed and walked to the center of the bedroom.

He removed the carpet and brought down his hand on the wooden floor.

I noticed the temperature inside the room got colder. Kaeya hand was buried in an ice that stretched in webs. I heard the sounds of cutting rapidly and simultaneously. Then like it where a lid, Kaeya picked up a part of the floor. Next he jumped down to the bedroom below by the first floor.

"Phuarg!" Someone cried.

I decided to get down too using the hole in the floor Kaeya just made. In the bedroom below laid a Fatui girl in sleeping gown. Kaeya had mercilessly knocked the lights out of her too when the noise began to wake her up.

I guess the same ideas that apply to me, work for him too. I just feel stupid it didn't occur me to get down a floor by breaking the ceiling.

"Easy… Also that's a floor gone just now partner. Your turn." This smug little shit.

I brought up my static vision. Floor one was looking to be the hardest one to clear, Fatui everywhere and only a few where asleep. Especially near the janitor office. There's four that look like they're drinking outside, five who remain firm and stationary and below in what seems to be the basement, three more.

I could encompass us in an illusion to get trough, but opening doors would immediately give us away.

As I was thinking of a way into the basement, something in particular caught my attention and I decided to ask Kaeya about it.

"You've been here before right? What's the room next door for?" I asked.

"Next door… why that'll be a dining hall for the quest of the hotel."

"I see… and the one right next to it?"

"The kitchen, but the basement is to our left not the right. Why do you care about those rooms?"

"Because the Fatui are gathering by the dining hall." I pointed out.

Kaeya got to observe the situation with his own static vision. So I followed up with a plan.

"It's likely time for dinner around here. I'll be blunt, there's too many people near the basement entry and I don't think we can open a hole in solid ground as easy and rapidly as we did the wooden floor. But don't worry, I've got a plan that shouldn't take us too much time."

Part 6

We headed straight for the kitchen. Men eyeing us and wolf whistling behind our back's but we paid them no heed.

I outstretched my hand and opened the door to the kitchen.

"Huh…? Hey you hungry grubbers, I said to stop hurrying me up already…? Wait who are you two?" Asked a big fat Fatui with apron and chefs hat.

With a curtsy, a wink with our masked faces and a big wide smile we introduce ourselves.

"Simpa-desu."

"And I'm Kaya-desu."

The bedroom Kaeya took us down had costumes after all, from the girl that stays there. Bit of a problem is that it only had girl clothes though. But we made it work somehow.

The mask and the long winter coats sure helped with the disguises.

There was even bona-fide padding in that closet to make our costumes more believable.

"Desu…? Are you two recruits from Inuzuma or something? Wait nervermind, this is my kitchen and I set the rules here! No intruding even if you look pretty!" Facook yelled back at us.

"Aw, but please Facook."

"Who in abyss is named Facook—"

"After we so miraculously escaped from Inuzuma before coming all the way from Liyue Habor, and now there's nothing for us to fill our little stomachs with? We'll die starving Facook, you meanie waaaaaahh!!" I cried, convincingly enough I could hose down a plant with my tears.

And Sara said my drama club classes weren't ever going to pay off.

What now Sara you simpleton!

"Onegai Facook, these melons don't grown on an empty stomach you know?" Kaya made her lies jiggle.

Facook went bug-eye at the sight of it, and pulled a white handkerchief out his pocket to wipe his sweat.

"Ehmm… coughum! I-a… I'm sorry the food isn't ready yet girls… B-but maybe if you could lend me a hand we could—"

"Make it faster!? Yay yay! Facook you're a genius!" I girlied.

"You must've read our minds just now, we came here to help out in the kitchen."

"R-really? That's, that's really kind of you two."

"Yay! Facook praised us!" I hopped and soaked that praise like a yellow sponge.

"Actually I take that back. You two look cute but sure got some venom tongues. Who the blazes are you calling Facook!? I have a name you know!?" It would seem we made Facook angry with our little pranks.

"Aw, but Facook sounds so cute."

"Well I don't like it."

"And fuzzy, bubbly, warm and cuddly…"

"My name is now Facook! Never cared what my friends called me anyways." Seems I won this battle.

I felt a cook hat land in my head and I turned around to see Kaya put I on me to match hers.

We nodded discretely as both of us knew what needed to be done.

"Alright girls, just do as I say and this won't take five minutes. First do you see that pot of soup over there? Add some Bamboo Shoot while I finish cutting the meat." Facook indicated as he began drawing a cleaver into a boar.

With Facook's back turned to us, we approached the huge barrel sized cauldron.

"Oh my deer, he's making Tonkotsu Ramen! I haven't had that for a whole year since—" *Slapped*

"Focus Simpa, remember what we came here to do."

"R-right… then if Facook said we use Bamboo Shoot, I say you can't have that whiteout some Mint to make it more appetizing." I proposed, but waited for no ones approval to add my ingredient. "Facook, we're done, what ingredient comes next?"

"Next you need flour for the noddles." I heard.

I was about rolling my Fatui uniform sleeves when Kaya put a hand on my shoulder.

"I got it Simpa, leave this to me." And very lowly Kaya whispers." I'll soak the noodles in Jueyun Chilly juice for some spice." She said.

What a mean b— I love it.

"H-hey girls so… you two came from Inuzuma right…? I-I've heard the climate is pretty nice there— wherever it isn't raining lightning. Ohhhhhh but I don't meant like it's something bad or anything! I love lightning— wait what am I even saying!? Ahmmm….! What Harbinger baptized you!!?" A nervous Facook asked.

Think he was trying to make conversation or something but couldn't find a good topic.

I traded looks with Kaya, who seemed a little confused about the details of what Facook was asking.

Hmm… what should I respond with here…? All Fatuis need to be baptized by a Harbinger when joining the organization, but that's not something anyone would know outside the organization. And we can't just stay quiet or Facook will begin to suspect us…

It was as I was wondering that my eyes wandered down to Kaya's plastic melons and my higher brain functions shut down.

"The ginger— I mean Tartaglia Childe." I corrected myself.

"O-oh, lord Tartaglia y-yeah… He's a cool guy…. Really popular with the ladies too… Oh but I'm popular too and… His hair color reminds me of my nephew…. Oh right, I love your hair!"

"Thank you Facook. You won't believe the trouble it takes to maintain it. There was this one time I got a knot so bad I had to cut it whole and wait two whole years for it to grow back." I said.

There was also that one time I had to waste a fortune in hair repair gel because some savage thought it would be funny to drop a flaming anvil on my head.

"Really, that's amazing, bet you looked good even with short hair…. And…. Well… Hey speaking of long blond hair, girls did you hear about the new Harbinger—"

"Facook, less bothering us when we're in the kitchen and more spitting up the next ingredient darn it!" I hurt his feelings so he'll stop asking stupid questions.

"W-wait but I'm the… never mind, we'll chat later, just get some eggs and I'll do the rest." Facook instructed.

Kaya was just in time with the noodles and moved on to the eggs so our job looked convincing enough to put in your mouth.

However convincing was enough for now, which is why I dumped with a Puff an entire bottle of Pepper inside the ramen.

Few moments later Facook brought the meat and gave the finishing touches to the ramen…. Then he tried to taste our creation.

Smack* "Ouch! What was that for!?" Facook cried when I hit his chubby hand with the soup ladle.

"Not eating before it's served! You'll get fat— fatter!" I said standing between him and the ramen.

This clown wants to ruin our plans by acting like a proper chef. Is so annoying when people actually care about doing their jobs properly.

"Ouch! That hurt even more than the ladle wallop. Look I know I'm overdue for some diet but I need to taste this so that buncha babies don't come crying and whining to me later. Let me have just one taste."

"No! How dare you insinuate the food we made together is going to taste bad!"

"This ramen is the fruits of our love and hard work together. Facook you cold hearted teddy bear!" Kaya chimes in.

"Neigh!" Facook was repelled at last.

He really can't say no to Kaya can he? I knew I should have borrowed the bigger rack for myself…

Now that I think about it, that Fatui girl had two sizes of padding inside her closet. Like, does she thinks men don't notice when your rack keeps changing, or was that more like, 'this rack for day to day life and people I don't care about, this other rack to bring home the bacon' sort of thing?

"Well… I guess one time doesn't hurts, and it does looks kinda good… It even looks more appetizing than all the times I've tried the recipe before." Facook said analytically as I was pondering the pads logic.

Personally, I've been wanting to ask Kaya what kind of sorcery she used. How does she makes something as evil as this ramen look so innocent and charming?

I've tried this prank before in school and I always got as far as Sara glaring down the black tar substance I was trying to pass as ramen.

"Well, I guess is time to serve the whinny babies. You girls enjoy your food I'll be right back." Facook took off his apron and grabbed a few bowls of ramen to take to the rest of the personnel.

Both Kaya and I cut in front of him. This is the chance we been waiting for.

"We'll take care of that Facook, you enjoy your rest and have some rame— I mean make us some dessert!" I demanded.

"Huh? Dessert? Sure I guess you two helped me out… and it was kind of sweet to have someone helping me out in the kitchen for once… alright girls. Take those bowls of ramen to the whiners and the guys down the lab, I'll make you one sweet cake to celebrate your recruitment to the Fatui organization!"

"Yay! Facook you're the best!" I cheered.

"My healthy growth thanks you kindly." Kaya tented.

We shared a smile with each other's, and so we began the final phase of my brilliant master plan.

Part 6

Kaya and I entered the dining hall with a cart full of hot ramen.

The Fatui received their dishes with hunger as they made small talk.

"I heard a new chapter of Snehznaya Snowporter came out."

"Oh yeah, I heard about it too. I think it was Mysterious Jester P who wrote the article. Think it was called, 'The Top 10 reasons the Fatui fight for justice.' And I think reason number 1 was called, 'The law-bending flatness of the Tsaritsa.'"

"Ah yes, another jewel from Mysterious Jester sensei. It even comes with a picture of milady rosy face when the mysteriously masked interviewer brought up the topic."

"Hey, this ramen looks very appetizing, did you two made this?"

"Nope, you have Facook to thank for this wonderful meal." I'm starting to feel bad for Facook.

"Mysterious Jester P…? That's lord Pierro again isn't he? He really needs to pick better nicknames when doing stuff like this. One of these days he's going to get turned into a clown popsicle for making fun of her."

After we made peace with our act of serving all the dishes, we left taking the cart to the janitor office. Inside we found three guards that received their bowls and opened the trap door for us.

"No cart beyond this point." One of them said.

We obeyed and hurried down. The ramen was steaming hot which is why no screams had been heard yet—

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" CLUNK, the trap door made a sound as the screams had begun.

Luckily sound can't reach here very well. Finally we managed to see the Fatui lab we where looking for.

There where some strange mechanism that transmitted Electro energy for some reason. Vials of distinct colors and I saw some monsters in a cage nearby.

"Oh finally, I was wondering what was taking so long, I'm starving!" A Fatui said.

One by one they picked their bowls and sat down by an old worn-down table.

"What are you making there?" Kaya decided to ask something out of the blue.

The plan was to wait for everyone feel the food poisoning and run to the infirmary or the toilet, I didn't think it was a good idea to keep these guys from eating by asking them questions.

The Fatuis traded a look, but I noticed it didn't went much farther when one of them just shrugged his shoulders.

"Is a substance meant to counter our monster attracting concoction. We'll need this to wipe out the scent from today's job, otherwise the monsters won't stop coming no matter how many are slain." The Fatui said.

I felt a strange cold air emanating from Kaya.

I wanted to say it's only a matter of time before this is over, that there's no need to worry.

"Hey you, do I know you from somewhere?" One of the Fatui asked.

That seemed to snap Kaya out of her ire. She posed a pretty smile for our three scientists.

"Who me? I don't know what you're talking about mister, I've never seen you before."

"Not you, the other—ummmmm!" I grabbed the chopsticks and shoved Malicious Ramen noddles inside the talkative scientist mouth.

The other two where just about to try their ramen themselves when it happened.

"""MY MOUTH!""" All three cried in unison.

Oh my deer, their faces went purple and they look like they want to puke their organs. Does it taste that bad?

"What war crime to nature is this dish!?"

"My stomach… ugh my stomach is killing me!"

You two! Which one of you made this!!?" A very enraged Fatui got all over our faces.

"Uh-uh, it wasn't us. Facook did it." Kaya said.

"Facook? Who the hell is— Viktor! That slow-ass bear in a suit! He'll pay for this!!!"

After a moment of outrage, the three scientists ran out the basement holding their stomachs and their butts together.

We have like tenth minutes to get as much evidence as we can before the Fatuis stop agonizing from our Malicious Ramen.

"So what are we looking for exactly, Kaya? These potions all look the same to me."

"The documents is the first thing we need to find. There should be details on how the concoctions we are looking for look like." I heard.

Looking for documents instead of guessing any random potion, we where able find some sketches on the ones we where looking for, as well as some details of the operation we where trying to stop.

I grabbed a bag with as many documents as I could find and tossed it over my shoulders like a robber.

"Hmm… interesting…" Kaya said.

"What, did you find something new?" I asked as I was ready to leave with the evidence.

"There seems to be a demand for forces to gather in Liyue, by a Harbinger under the nickname La Signora."

"Huh?"

"Seems she wants any personal available to gather and bring with them any boats they can find. Something about a monster giving them trouble out at sea." Kaya said.

I pretended to be surprised, though that's nothing I didn't know already, even Childe told me as much.

"But that's not the good part. There's a list here that details the locations of four Harbingers no less."

"… The locations of four Harbingers?"

"Yes, Harbinger are dangerous schemers to watch out for. Knowing they're far away is always a pleasant feeling. Look, it says here there's La Signora, who's stuck waiting in Liyue Harbor. The Balladeer whose trapped inside Inuzuma with the rest of the agents that where dispatched there. Tartaglia Childe whom the Fatui received a distress signal, seems like he's marooned on an island in the way to Inuzuma, and is dying of starvation because a creature called Mob Ivory poisoned the entire region…."

Childe is marooned on an island? That imbecile really went out to fight the god of evolution at sea.

"…. And there's one more, last time seen he was heading here for Mondstadh… A new Harbinger by the name, Cancer Innamorato… Do any of these ring a bell, partner?"

Part 7

I reached out to take a look of the documents and pretended to read.

"…Not really. I only heard about Tartaglia because he was popular in Liyue, where I was staying. Never heard or seen the rest." I lied as naturally as I breathed.

Kaeya looked strange at me because of my answer, but unfortunately for him, I've a lawyer looking at me like this everyday and I have plenty of experience when it comes to not getting caught.

If a little pressure was enough to get me to spill the beans I would've been incarcerated a long time ago.

Still even I found it surprising when I heard the details of this operation. However…

Sometimes you just got to get up from bed and clean dirt, no matter who or what shoes they came in.

With my bag full of documents and Kaeya bag full of samples, plus the counter to the scent concoctions, we headed for the trap door leading into the janitorial office. There we passed trough whiteout much issue and came out into the hallway of the hotel, where every Fatui in the whole place was waiting for us.

"There they are, those girls are the impostors! I'm going to slaughter them for this hate crime against culinary arts!"

"My favorite underwear was ruined, I'm going to kill those girls!" A guy wearing unmatched lower to torso wear, said.

"You think this is funny? I'll make you clean the restrooms after this is over and we'll see whose funny!" A guy with a janitor plaque shouted at us.

"Simpa, Kaya you… you played with my feelings!" Poor Facook.

The Fatui where in various degrees of eagerness, waiting in line for us, and I think there was one line which wasn't for us but the toilet.

Going by their looks and the smell seeping trough the hallways, I can guess they all lost a few pounds and some bowels even.

Besides me Kaeya began emitting cold air.

"Guess is time to fight our way out of this mess, partner."

"Oh, are you admitting you need my help then?" I tried resting my arms inside my sleeves and failed.

Kaeya looked at me in confusion for a moment before it started to dawn upon him.

"Yesssss partner. I took us to the evidence and that was it for my turn, now get us out of here by yourself."

Kaeya one eye blinked in surprise, before an amused laughter began coming out of him. The Fatuis closed in on us.

"Guess is still game-on then!" The cold air intensified.

Kaeya took out one of the potions he had in his bag and tossed it against the Fatui. The bottle was shot down by a Pyroslinger Bracer, causing it to shatter into many pieces and spill.

Kaeya extended a hand and biting cold blasted out, causing the liquid to become a spiky burb of emerald ice like the potion it originated from.

Next Kaeya made a run for the stairs as the Fatui struggled to pass trough the giant ice burb blocking the hallway.

I followed, carrying with me a bag of documents from the lab.

Kaeya seems to want to head upstairs. We could have broken out the windows, but I guess losing so many Fatuis on the streets could get complicated. The roof would make our escape much cleaner.

As we finished climbing the stairs I heard a loud snap of ice shattering. Icicles pierced the curtains and walls of the first floor, and I noticed an Anemoboxer Vanguard triggering a wind vacuum.

I held onto the handrail of the stairs to keep myself from being sucked into the vortex. It was at this moment that I looked up the stairs and saw Kaeya taking the plastic melons out his dress and freezing them until they looked as heavy as bowling balls.

He launched both against the Anemoboxer.

A Geochancer Bracer jumped in between before the Anemoboxer and blocked the bowling padding with a Geo shield, only to blink and find Kaeya shooting his way in a dragon kick.

The kick landed square on the ribs and the force of the blow knocked the air out of the Geochancer, causing him to smash against the Anemoboxer, putting a stop to the vacuum effect.

Kaeya rolled on the floor and kicked off running upstairs again. I went ahead as I had a lead on him now, and when I looked behind I saw him shattering another potion.

He then proceeded to freeze over the liquid and cause the stairs to become a slippery mess behind him.

I heard the Fatui curse as they slipped and fell trying to follow us.

One of them, an Electro Cicin Mage flied over the ice and followed us into the second floor, and then there was an Electrohammer Vanguard blocking our way ahead.

It seems like we didn't get everyone to try our Malicious Ramen before the gig was up.

"Think that was a floor just now partner, time to work your magic!" Kaeya urged me to do something and passed my sword out his Vision, where we had stored our equipment.

I caught my katana, guard and all, and smashed open a window as I passed running with Kaeya. The moment the Cicin Mage and her Cicins flied by they where swarmed by the origami's I had spread all over the hotel before as a way to use my static vision.

The origami's managed to hold down the Cicin but disintegrated when coming into contact with the mage Electro shield.

Ahead the Electrohammer was gaining momentum with his steps, as he prepared to bring down the hammer on our squishy heads.

I rose a hand and fired a spark from my pinky and one from my thumb, which became a lightning current between the hammer and the flying Cicin Mage.

When I brought my pinky finger and my thumb together, the two Electro wielders gained slingshot impulse towards one another.

I crouched and slid down just like Kaeya as the Electrohammer flew overhead, screaming in horror. His hammer smashed with the sound of thunder against the Cincin Mage shield and sent a shockwave that shattered all the glass on the second floor.

We managed to get to the stairs and climbed once more. The third floor had dim lighting coming from the wall candles.

Seems like Kaeya noticed it too, this floor wasn't like this when we had arrived. The biting frost coming out of him began to materialize scorch across the entire floor, ahead of us a previously invisible silhouette now became slightly more visible.

The silhouette blitzed and Kaeya brought up a sword made of ice to meet it's charge.

The cleaver knife and the frostbite blade clashed with the sizzling sound of ice meeting fire.

"What pests intrude inside the bears lair?" A deep voice spoke to us.

"Why, the landlords of the cave of course." Kaeya snarked.

With a kickback the two separated, bringing forth a current of elemental energy from both Vision and Delusion.

The Fatui Agent lowered his stance and Kaeya set aside the bag of potions he gathered.

The Fatui agent next sent an incandescent afterimage which crashed against Kaeya ice wall, which spontaneously formed in response to his enemy attack.

The steam of melting ice spread across the corridor in a most unsettling manner.

I took a step back as not to get caught in their cross fire. The sparks of a clash went on inside the steam curtain.

Kaeya drove his ice blade on the floor as the agent rolled sideways, sending an upper kick. My partner in crime caught it with a hand and froze the agent leg all the way to the kneecap.

"Don't get frostbite."

Kaeya then tried to seize the moment and sever the agent head from his shoulders, only to find a similar strategy in the way of a Pyro cleaver spinning his way trough the air.

My friend brought up his defense just in time to block, when a second and a third Pyro cleaver clashed against the frost sword, knocking back and leaving him open.

The Fatui responded by rolling on his back and landing on his feet, before trying to kick off into a full lunge for the falling Kaeya, but he was stuck in place.

The ice covering his leg had grown larger and glued him to the floor, stopping him on his tracks.

Ahead, Kaeya rolled with the fall and concentrated on his Cryo Vision to create a weapon. Later landing with a backflip and a Cryo lance in hands, then thrusting forward.

Before he could blink, the Fatui Agent brought his attention from thwarting the ice shackling his leg to blocking the coming Cryo spear.

"Dodge this!"

The result was a flying cleave and the cyan spearhead soaking in red.

"Oh, so sorry." Kaeya mocked, sadistically.

"Gurk!" The agent swallowed the pain, as the biting cold of the lance drove into his left shoulder.

Kaeya pulled the lance out and spun in place immediately, before bringing the spearhead to meet the neck of the agent, in an effort to once again decapitate his enemy before it could recover.

The spear blade crashed against frozen spikes coming out the floor, encircling the agent on all sides and defending him. It was a Cryo Cicin Mage, along with the entire Fatui gang we lost since the first floor.

Kaeya took a step back and gathered his bag of collected potions.

"Seems like now would be a good time as any to make a run for it, don't you think so, partner?" He asked of me, but sure didn't wait for my reply.

We began running full speed for the balcony door. Behind us the Cryo Cicin Mage charged two gigantic icicles, preparing to fire our way.

I began to let myself lag behind Kaeya, this caused him to sense something was amiss and turn around, only to see my bag of documents flying his way.

"Get going, I'll buy us time." I said, bringing back my arm.

Kaeya had no time to ask questions as I flung my Vision power past him and blasted the balcony door open, then I flung my power again, but this time catching Kaeya in it's wake. The Cicin Mage fired and I turned around deflecting the icicles from my frame, which passed by and smashed against the wall near the fallen balcony.

Kaeya was sent flying out the hotel just in time for the icicles to hit and freeze the entire wall, blocking the way out. The Fatui who came running now where to face against me, drawing their weapons.

"Agh… make quick work of that one, and bring me the other before he gets away!" The wounded Fatui Agent issued a command for his subordinates.

I could see him and Facook trying to get his leg out of the ice Kaeya had made. Then I noticed a gun being pointed at me.

With Kaeya out of here, I tired of pretending, so I simply removed my mask, and all abyss broke lose.

"""!!!???"""

Before me the guns began to fall off my subordinates hands.

"No… way…"

"Milord… Cancer…!"

"Since when…. how…. why….?" The leader was left flabbergasted.

I began walking trough my now docile subordinates.

"Anyone care to tell me the reason we where robbed today?" I asked.

The Pyroslinger who once pointed a gun at me, tried to answer.

"T-those where from our lab my lord! The intruder probably knew of our—"

"I know, I helped him get away with it, after all. What I'm truly asking is why did I allow it? Can anyone take a guess for me?" I asked again, but all I received was silence.

It seems they're starting to understand, I didn't come here to listen.

"I just woke up a few hours ours ago and I have two vigilantes asking me for help, because our people wants to kill half a city in order to in-debt the other."

"My lord, it was all a plan to reassert our influence in Mondstadh after the Liyue international fiasco!" The agent cried, as he stayed frozen to the floor still.

"Oh I see, it was all just necessary and well calculated loses. Then, which Harbinger issued this order?" I didn't wonder.

The rest of our subordinates fixed the agent with a stare, as if they where expecting he would get them out of this predicament somehow. It seems they took this as a fully fledged Harbinger scheme. It was as if they where expecting better justification for their actions than what they really had. But I already knew, there was no justification their leader could make, just like there weren't words that could save him.

"Please mercy, my lord!" He pleaded, causing the others to step back in shock.

Well, I stand corrected, he did had something to say, just not something that could save him.

"I'm afraid your little scheming got in the way of my own. Did you know I'm traveling with a good friend of mine? How would you compensate me if something happened to her, because of your brilliant plan?" I asked, but I only got only silence for my questions this time.

Seems everyone finally understood, not to talk back. They really aren't as bad as I made them out to be.

A single example should suffice.

I gathered four floating origami's in the palm of my hand.

"Find out the colors in you . Peparaito."

The four origami's gathered to form a ball for trapping light.

The agent started desperately trying to free his leg from the ice.

"If there's something we Fatui aren't known for, is lenience." I said, releasing the ball of paper light.

It began hovering as it gathered altitude and stopped right before hitting the roof, then it's magnetic pull began. The agent felt the sparks of Electro dancing over his body.

"Ahhh!" He cried as the force removed him from the icy shackles Kaeya had left him with.

He tried futilely to swim in the air to escape, as he gained elevation.

"Facook." I called.

"Y-yes my lord!"

"You're in charge now. Also, I wouldn't stay here if I where you." I warned and left.

Behind me I heard running, as my subordinates rushed downstairs.

I reached inside the coat of my disguise and pulled out some documents. I picked a large amount of worthless reports to mask the real evidence back when we where on the lab, and swiped out the only ones who mattered while Kaeya was busy fighting the agent.

I tore the evidence absentmindedly and tossed it across the floor as I approached the balcony.

With a flick of my wrist and my Vision, I easily shattered the wall of ice trapping me inside the hotel. Seems like Kaeya really wasn't around here anymore.

In the distance I picked on a battle going on by the fields outside the main gate. Guess we still have one more job left to do.

I jumped off the roof and down to the streets, where I hurried to help the others.

Behind me exploded a light so bright just seeing it once would take away your life.

Part 8

I passed right out the main gate and ran past the bridge. Before me a horde of hilichurls and slimes had gathered and a dozen guards retreated inside the walls.

Ahead I found two masked vigilantes holding our line of defense.

"What took you so long?" The dark knight whined as he drives a claymore down on an Electro slime, bisecting it.

"Technical difficulties." I responded, emphasizing the fact I was still crossdressing because I hadn't had time to change. "How are you doing over there, Xiao?"

"Just candy." He replied.

I set the scabbard of my katana by my waistline and held my sword.

The monsters looked agitated, both seeing their numbers laying motionless on the grass and likely by the scent coming from inside the city.

Even if Kaeya already reported to the Acting Grandmaster, reinforcements won't arrive just yet. Before they can come and help us they must go around cleaning all the scents left behind to attract the monsters. The only reinforcements we have right now are the dozen guards who retreated inside the gate.

But we need to make our stand here. As vigilantes we can't exactly team up with the guards behind the gates.

Katana, claymore and polearm, we took our stance.

A Woden Shield Mitachurl leads the charge with a group of berserker and normal hilichurls following behind.

Xiao summersaulted over the Mitachurl and plunged down on the group behind it, causing them to rise as many spearheads came bursting out the ground.

I loaded Diluc already searing greatsword with my Electro energy and he met the shield of the Mitachurl charge, causing an overload reaction that knocked back the monster defense.

Diluc followed it up with a sideways ascending strike and a spinning cleave-down. Taking the life of the Mitachurl.

Before we could regain our bearings, all around us fences of thorns and vines began sprouting out of the ground.

A Dendro Samachurl growled a strange command and two red hilichurls tossed Pyro slimes our way.

The vines lighted, forming a ring of fire around us. I felt my lungs burning from the heath as I looked outside the ring of fire and saw three jade lines tracing.

Diluc put off the flames of his claymore and set about carving us a path out the flame thorns. We didn't have much time which Is why gathered the elemental energy and sent all the flames around us up into the air, where they extinguished twenty meters high, leaving only the sooth covered vines.

When I pointed my sword at the Samachurl and the hilichurls who trapped us inside the ring of fire, I found them down and motionless, as Xiao was already clashing with a Mitachurl wielding a flaming axe.

"Useless."

Xiao drew an ascending arc with his lance, as the Mitachurl blocked using his axe, causing a shriek of metal hitting metal and lifting up the guard of the monster.

The moment the arc of his attack ended Xiao maneuvered his spear behind his back and an horizontal strike tore at the Mitachurl left flank before he could bring down his guard.

The Mitachurl pushed forward enraged, bringing up his guard and armbands as a means of defending, hoping to bulldoze trough and knock Xiao down. The Conqueror of Demons footwork brought him besides the lunging Mitachurl where he swung down his lance as they passed besides each other's, tearing the top leftmost side of the Mitachurl mask.

The monster growled in pain and fury as he spun on the ground, swinging his axe back with his left arm. A Jade spear pierced right through his forearm and into his heart, causing him to release the axe and be sent flying.

With the way his techniques worked, Xiao could use the monster very offensive as if it was his own, and end the battle whiteout even needing to tire himself by exerting much force.

I guess centuries of polishing your technique isn't just for nothing.

I was about to speak to him when I saw him jumping high, just as a volley of Pyro and Electro arrows rained down on his location.

I saw him crush and deflect some of the raining arrows with his Anemo infused spear, before he blitzed a long distance trough the air and plunged down on the row of hilichurl archers. Skewing all of them with Anemo pikes coming out the ground.

I just finished trading a few blows with the shield of a hilichurl when the ground below me and Diluc started turning blue.

I jumped out of the way only to find ice spikes coming out of where I just was, killing even the lone hilichurl I was trading blows with.

Before our very eyes three ice totems rise up from the grass, elevating a Cryo Samachurl and two archers along with him, and a band of club wielding hilichurls march.

Diluc reached inside his pockets and launched an array of trowing knives to the marching hilichurls.

I started to notice the ground had begun to shake as this happened.

Diluc long dark cape flowed whilst he started zigzagging around the Cryo arrows, before he jumped over the hilichurls and landed near one of the archer totems.

His claymore lighted up in flames and he cut trough the ice like butter, causing the archer to fall and be met with a fist to the face.

The ground continued to shake as this happened.

Besides him and the fallen totem, the other archer took aim at Diluc, only to be completely knocked down as a jade blitz whistled trough, that ended right above the panicking Cryo Samachurl on the last totem.

"Boring." I heard Xiao comment as he was about to end the Samachurl.

But just as Xiao was about to plunge down, something collided with him in midair. Something huge and glowing gold. A Stonehide Lawachurl.

The monster snatched Xiao off the air and smashed him on the ground, forming a crater where they happened to land.

Grunts* "Good." I heard Xiao said with a corner of his mouth sticking out the mask side.

"RGOOOORRRRRRR!" The Lawachurl roared, pinning down Xiao with one hand and bringing back the other.

I triggered the power of my Vision and magnetized myself to the hand of the Lawachurl and it's kneecap.

With the speed of lighting I blitzed forward, cutting behind the creature knee and also the hand which he was holding Xiao, before sheathing my sword.

Two almost simultaneous burst of spark where generated from the spot I had cut. The Golden hue all over the creature body was a sign it had a Geo armor. My attacks did nothing but cause sparks to fly out and about. But this was a good sign.

Just as the Lawachurl was about to pound down on Xiao, I immediately used his own Geo armor to hold him in place.

The fist stopped right before hitting the Yaksha mask, but the creature was too strong and I hadn't had enough time to get used to him. I directed my full power towards wringing open his fingers and Xiao blitzed out of there, leaving a jade trail before the earth rumbling fist made a new crater where the previous one rested.

The three of us regrouped from a safe distance.

"I think I'm going to need some time with this one." I said, focusing on the Lawachurl elemental energy as much as possible.

"I don't think that's an option now." Diluc said, jerking a thumb behind us.

The gate of the city opened and several squads of Knights of Favonius charged out, lead by a blond girl wielding a rapier. Behind her was Kaeya back on his knight uniform, a girl in red, a maid and even VK.

"Late as always, typical Knights of Favonius."

"Party poopers." Diluc and Xiao didn't look very happy to see them for some reason.

"RGOOORRRRRRRRR!" The Lawachurl roared.

Far behind him, coming from the fields, a new horde of hilichurls was marching our way.

I can see what Diluc meant before. The battle is about to enter a new stage between the monsters and the Knight of Favonius, and if we don't leave right now, us adorably incarcerable vigilantes are gonna get caught in the middle of it.

"This guy doesn't looks like he wants to let us leave. Let's end this quick and run for it." I proposed.

"Fine by me, I don't need to hold back anymore."

"Hmpt!" Diluc and Xiao took stances.

"Get me five seconds." I said.

The Lawachurl charged. Xiao Jumped into the air and blitzed, colliding right with the monster head as Golden sparks flew out from the Geo armor.

The Stonehide thumbled and kneels right before us, causing the earth to tremble.

I began gathering all the origami's I had left in my clothes.

The Lawachurl recovered and brought down his fist, it clashed against Diluc claymore, sending Golden sparks out. If it wasn't for the Geo armor that surely would have costed the Lawachurl a few fingers.

The monster launched into a fist barrage, clashing repeatedly and violently against Diluc claymore. Some of the hits from Diluc getting past the fist and shredding at the armor around the torso and the horns, while some of the blows Diluc had to sidestep before bringing up his next crescent swing.

The monster lost his patience and brought both fist overhead to pound down on us.

"All ready Diluc. Let's get out of here." I announced.

Behind Diluc, a floating ring of origami's had formed, producing a powerful Electro current inside the ring.

The Lawachurl was about to bring both fist down on us when Xiao stomped on his head from behind and interrupted his attack.

Xiao landed by our side as they looked back at the origami's ring and saw me jump right in. The force sent me flying a good forty meters away and two meters up the air before I needed to roll with the fall. Xiao was next to go trough the ring and the sudden burst in momentum sent him right besides me.

We managed to put some distance between us and the Lawachurl, but that wasn't the real purpose of that ring I made.

Soon Diluc landed and rolled on the grass right before us. He understood well what the ring was for.

"Time for — retribution!" He roared.

Diluc shoulders his massive claymore and a torrent of Pyro flames spills out of it, causing his long cape to float.

"Your verdict is…" He swung the flame torrent.

A massive Phoenix formed out the flames and shot forth like an arrow for the Electro ring I had set.

The Lawachurl looked through gritted teeth as dawn seemed to dow on him.

"Burn."

The Phoenix pierces through the Electro ring I left behind and the sound of thunder erupted. A bright light that made day of the night shines with the Grand Overload reaction.

Out the flames of the explosion I spotted the Phoenix taking off to the skies with a feisty Lawachurl, it's golden hue no longer present around his body.

The Phoenix flames died down midair and the Lawachurl began to lose altitude. Swinging his arms and legs as he begins to catch up to terminal velocity.

I heard a few steps besides me and found Xiao building momentum.

He tossed his spear, cutting trough the air like a falling star before it sunk on the ground, making Anemo spears to come out.

Whiteout his Geo armor the falling Lawachurl skewered brutally on the many spears as it made impact with the ground.

I looked wide eyed at Xiao. He turned his masked face on me.

"What?"

"Nothing, I have said nothing?" I deadpanned.

He stole our kill like it was truly nothing.

"Stop romancing and run for it!" Diluc shouted.

The shockwave of our Overload scared off the monster army, but when I turned my back, I saw the Knights of Favonius right on our tails.

I turned to see Diluc and he was sprinting away.

In black and wearing a long and majestic dark cape. But it was all open fields around us so he had no choice but to sprint away like a lunatic.

I turned back to Xiao for help and he wasn't there anymore. Looking above my head I saw a green light trail disappearing already, meaning he blitzed out on me.

And I was out of origami's for flying after I used the lasts to make that Electro ring.

"Fatui…! Stop right there!" The blonde girl leading the charge shouted.

I'm going to jail aren't I?

Part 9

Under Diluc mansion.

I did not went to jail, but I nearly end up at the hospital.

Heavy Panting* "What… is wrong with that… huff… what is wrong with that… bunny girl? Why wouldn't she quit?"

I made some fond memories of sprinting all over Springvale.

"You're Fatui so you must be the one behind all this! Stop running you criminal scum!" A bunny girl in red demanded I hand myself over.

I never had a chance to change back into my ninja outfit. For the knights who probably had been alerted about the Fatui being behind this mess…

Well that got ugly.

I was lucky the Knights of Favonius went ahead to try and disperse the monster horde instead of focusing on me. So why couldn't this girl do the same?

"Nobody can escape the best Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. Amb…" I'm sure I heard her name and how great she was multiple times through my morning sprint, but I forgot all about it.

All I remember is that I had to physically exhaust her before I could lose her, and it nearly kills me.

"Tsk. So long as she didn't follow you here, I don't care." A very sweaty Diluc said.

"Have a cold one Dilu, you look like you could use it." I teased.

Running around with that big cape can't be easy.

Me though? I was feeling really cool right now. Really, really cool.

"Haha, you should have seen it. The moment we managed to clear all the monsters and went after the main culprits, they had the nerve to deny everything." A terrifyingly smiling Kaeya said.

The reason I'm feeling so cool right now is because of my partner oozing killing intent and Cryo energy from the seat besides me.

We used the incriminating documents to find out the potions related to today operation after all, so when he arrived at the headquarters and noticed he hadn't not a single one of those documents with him, only the potions…

Let's just say I'm ready to block an ice dagger to my throat any second now.

"Get on with it. I tire of standing around." Xiao hurried me.

Guess he wants to go home already. Well, at least he looks like he had some fun here. As hard as it is to tell when it comes to him.

"Well you read my mind." Diluc said, placing a mug of red liquid on the counter before me.

A yes, this part was coming after all. I need to forget everything about today events and go home.

I looked over at stone-face Diluc as he waited for me to take the mug. I looked to the side to see killer-smile Kaeya waiting for me to sip the drink. I looked over to demon mask Xiao playing with his mask absentmindedly.

I took a deep breath and resigned.

"This is just grape juice Diluc, bring me a real drink." I complained to the bartender.

For once I could see Diluc stoic face turn red in embarrassment. I think I just made him angry.

"So you want a strong drink samurai? Then I'll get you something to make you forget even the day you where born!" Diluc stormed off hangry.

Is the intention what counts. After all, we went trough so much together, I guess he just wanted to see if I would take the drink, as a last test to see if I could be trusted. If I would still go trough with it in the end, so he served me grape juice as if it where wine.

Hearing me demand a real drink to forget everything anyways must've made him a little angry.

But it seems someone else found my actions a little curious.

"What's wrong Kaeya? Is getting a little hot in here you know?" I teased.

Guess he knew his brother too well, and was expecting me to try and walk out of here with my memories intact.

"Entertain me for a minute here partner, why would you want to do that?" He asked.

"Oh come on, give me some slack. I helped out didn't I? I never approved of today agenda anyways."

"I see… and was for that reason that you eliminated the only evidence we had to stop this from ever happening again, perhaps?" Kaeya questioned me in a stern tone.

"Yes, I still disapprove of today agenda. But I was simply caught in the middle and forced to minimize damage for everyone."

"Interesting, and I assume you asked your lackeys to keep their murdering in check from now on, right?"

"Even better, I put Facook in charge." I blurted.

Kaeya eye widened. He simply deflated. My response must've really caught him off guard, because a smile curved on his face.

"Pfft, hahaha…! That guy? You really put that sweetheart in charge?" My partner asked incredulously.

I smiled, and brought up my left hand, taking a longing look at the Electro elemental ring on my finger.

"Everyone has their circumstances, Kaeya. I need all the power I can get for what I must do, and that's all there is to this." I simply said.

Perhaps he'll try to kill me once I get drunk, but now all I can say is that the room got a lot more warmer.

"Hahahaha ohhhh partner… You remind of me of myself a long time ago… Alright then, share a drink with me today, and is all in the past." Kaeya rested his arm over my shoulder.

I guess I made peace with him somehow.

Diluc soon arrives with a mug and a bottle of wine I've never seen before.

"Ohhh, that's the strong stuff partner. You really made my bro mad."

"Here you go, Lost In Memory Lane. Strongest wine in history and a mind-erasing weapon of my clan for when accidents happen more than it is a drink itself. Swallow it all down and get off my property you pair of alcoholics!" A pissed off Diluc set the bottle and two empty mugs with a heavy thud.

"Hahahahaha!" I guffawed.

"Look partner, he's angry because you rejected our friend request. Pfft hahaha!"

We gathered together. I had to drag Xiao along and hand him a glass of Lost In Memory Lane. Kaeya was all too eager to pop the cork open and even Diluc joined us.

With a mug of grape juice for some reason?

"To forgetting about all your troubles! To my stubborn brother and the path he's chosen! To sailing for Inuzuma and getting a new deer…. And for demon slaying I guess…? Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

""""Cheers!""""