It isn't Kaeya's every day Tuesday when a cooing, half-dazed pigeon crashes into one of the outdoor tables of Good Hunter, scattering feathers all over him while sending his food flying off the counter's surface.
Yelping, Kaeya leaps backward, attempting to avoid the alcohol-based marinade of his fruity skewers from descending upon his shirt, scrambling away just in time. The wooden chair that once stabilized the cavalry captain topples backward, the sudden motion providing enough momentum for the fall. Catching himself before he falls back, the cavalry captain digs the soles of his shoes into the stony blocks comprising the ground's surface, the newly-found anchor allowing him to regain his balance.
Looking at the mess deposited all over the floor, Kaeya groans in disappointment. Goddamn, 400 mora worth of food had disappeared instantly, all by one dazed pigeon colliding with the table. Hearing the commotion, a couple of bystanders glance toward the scene, a look of concern etched in their eyes. Raising his right hand towards the bystanders, Kaeya smiles winsomely, the expression reassuring the bystanders that nothing serious was to be made of the ruckus.
With their attention shifting back toward everyday monotony, Kaeya looks at where the pigeon had collided, his eyes flickering over the scene. Attempting to find a paper concerning the dispatch from the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya notices crumpled-up message inches from the toppled chair. With a sigh, he quickly grabs the ragged report, glancing over the message.
Seeing the bolded statement of URGENT hastily scribbled, with Jean's signature placed below, Kaeya frowns slightly before meticulously folding and putting the letter in his trousers' back pocket.
Just as Kaeya had secured the vital information with him, the owner of Good Hunter had charged out, attempting to find whatever the source of the commotion was. Her eyes dart back and forth among the sizeable outdoor seating area, an expression of concern on her face. Suddenly noticing the cavalry captain and the toppled plate of Fruity Skewers near his feet, she approaches him hurriedly, her sense of urgency amplified by her customer's status.
"Oh, Captain Kaeya! What happened?" Sara exclaims, her eyes wide with both surprise and worry. The cavalry captain rarely dined at Good Hunter, with most of his experiences with the venue being takeout orders involving private occasions or the Fatui at the Goth Grand Hotel. So when she sees that Mondstadt's cavalry captain had reserved an order, with the mess at his feet being the only indication of the food he had ordered, she becomes temporarily stupefied before snapping back to attention. The owner of Good Hunter begins to reach forward, about to grab the remnants of Kaeya's meal off the ground before Kaeya moves forward, grabbing the metallic ends of the skewers holding together his meal.
"Allow me to deal with this," Kaeya declares, flashing a charming smile at Sara before motioning her to step away from the disarray. Bending over, he grabs the spilled food, hiding a slight wince as his fingers become covered with sticky marinade. "After all, should a gentleman not clean up after his mess? And to answer your question, a pigeon recently crashed into this table. Quite an unexpected turn of events, don't you think?"
"Are you sure I cannot provide assistance?" Sara asks, noticing grey feathers scattered around the toppled chair and over the wooden table. Regaining composure, she grabs a clean plate from a nearby dining cart, placing the recently-immersed skewers on the white plating. "Either way, would you accept reimbursement for your meal? I don't want the unexpected turn of events to negatively affect your dining experience."
"Oh!" Kaeya exclaims, throwing up his hands defensively as if he's about to reject the proposal, offering a sheepish smile. "I appreciate your generosity, but I have no need for it at the moment. Perhaps I could instead reimburse you for damages regarding your seating arrangements? I'm sure that the wooden chair's fall must have caused some damage."
Anticipating Sara's persistence in offering reimbursement, a reflection of the retention strategies that any good business owner would adopt, Kaeya cuts her off before she can respond.
"Anyways, just think of it as a small donation," the cavalry captain states, flashing Sara a wink. The owner of Good Hunter becomes relieved by the expression, her posture relaxing and body language mellowing after understanding the meaning behind the cavalry captain's world. "I'm not particularly disappointed. In fact, I actually have some work to deal with the Knights of Favonius that needs to be addressed soon. I appreciate your service!"
Making his last statement, Kaeya departs in the direction of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, leaving Sara to deal with a new influx of customers that had just arrived.
Walking back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Kaeya reaches into his trousers' back pocket, pulling the folded note out. Unraveling the message, he reads the message once more, his brow slightly furrowed in both anticipation and worry. For the deputy grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius to convene a personal meeting, it meant two things: Either something serious had occurred, which was not surprising considering the circumstances in recent times, or a critical task whose responsibilities fell under Kaeya's domain of duties and exclusively required his participation. Considering Mondstadt's heightened tensions with the Fatui in the past few years and the deterioration of both countries' diplomatic relationship, it seemed to be a combination of both rather than solely one particular issue.
Continuing to make his way toward the Knights of Favonius headquarters from Good Hunter, Kaeya quickly navigates the route with familiarity, crossing the various stone-paved streets and stairways which defined Mondstadt. The city's construction on a sloped island in Cider Lake necessitated the latter feature, allowing citizens to maximize their usage of the uneven surface while ensuring that construction quality remained outstanding.
Climbing up the last flight of stairs, Kaeya finally catches sight of his destination. An imposing structure towering over the half-timbered houses constituting Mondstadt's housing, the Knights of Favonius headquarters was a grand building made with polished bricks of stone and turquoise roof-tiling. Above the structure's parapets and battlements rose a turret, a flag containing the Knights of Favonius' coat of arms was raised up, a whistling wind sending it fluttering in the mid-day air.
Before Kaeya walks through the Knights of Favonius' headquarters entrance, he clenches his palm, the scrawled note once in his hand becoming secured in his grip. Approaching the set of red double doors signifying the opening to the building, the cavalry captain pushes forwards with force, causing the doors to open.
Walking on the checkered floor tiling, Kaeya makes his way through the hallway, ending up near the staircase connecting the first and second floors. The headquarters' interior was a gorgeous sight, a series of gold-framed platings and potted plants neatly positioned near the various entrances to rooms. On the walls hung real-life representations of the Knights of Favonius' coat of arms, the symbol of two silvery swords crossed behind a bronze shield gleaming in the illuminated lights of the building.
Seeing Wyratt and Wood, two Favonius Knights who regularly were in the building and ensured security on the first floor, Kaeya amiably waves at them. Noticing Kaeya's greeting, Wyratt immediately places his right hand on his breastplate, responding with a short bow indicating respect for Kaeya's seniority as the Cavalry Captain. On the other hand, Wood acknowledges the Cavalry Captain's presence by raising his hand in recognition before turning back toward the closed door marking the last room of the first floor.
Noticing the closed, reinforced door to his left, Kaeya snickers. Heh, Klee must have ended up in solitary confinement again, having gotten in trouble for explosives. Klee had ended up in this room so often that it essentially became the little girl's private property. Judging from the apprehensive look on Wood's face, along with the audible sound of crackling pops coming from the room, Klee was still up to no good.
Finally climbing the last flight of stairs connecting the first and second floors of the building, Kaeya verges toward Jean's office. Although Jean had occupied a room closest to the first-floor entrance when serving as the acting Grand Master, Varka's arrival back to Mondstadt meant that Gunnhildr had to reclaim her old office, which was positioned on the second floor.
Quietly knocking on the door, Kaeya waits for a response from the Lionfang Knight. However, the sound is met with relative silence, the only audible noise being the shuffling of papers. The cavalry captain knocks again with a sense of slight urgency, this time being acknowledged with a surprised response of "come in!". Twisting the door's knob, he pushes at the entry towards the Lionfang Knight's room, being rewarded with the smooth movement of the entrance.
Stepping into Jean's room, Kaeya never expected to be confronted with this sight out of all things. Jean's floor, always kept meticulously clean, was covered by scattered papers, correspondence and reports marked as confidential strewn over the carpet. On the floor, Gunnhildr was picking up the letters, the remnants of a stack of official paperwork evidently being the source of these stray documents.
"Well, this is quite a surprise," Kaeya remarked, moving forward to help Jean reorganize her workspace. Bending over, he grabs some of the official documentation, organizing them into a neat stack before returning them to their position on Jean's desk. "I never expected that your office's paperwork had a penchant for wind storms."
"I was trying to organize official reports for the Knights but encountered some unexpected difficulties," Jean replies, laughing in response. Turning around to face him, she motions toward the newly-created stack of paperwork before thanking Kaeya for his assistance. "Anyways, I assume you received my letter from one of the delivery pigeons?"
"More like found it," Kaeya mutters, recalling the incident with the small, gray bird and his meal. Seeing Jean's eyebrows raised in concern, Kaeya briefly explains the situation. "You could say I found it after the delivery pigeon crashed into my food while I was dining at Good Hunter."
Hearing the information, Jean slightly winces before unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a growing laugh. A bird destroying Alberich's meal? Now, that would be a sight to witness. Seeing Gunnhildr's expression, Kaeya mock-glares at her before joining in her laughter with a chuckle of his own. The sounds echo in the room for some time, before fading away in silence.
"Is the bird alright?" she asks anxiously, in contrast to her eyes still filled to the brim with mirth. "It constitutes a vital portion of our communication routes."
"I caught sight of it flying back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters," Kaeya responds with a sigh. With his amusement slowly dissipating, the cavalry captain adopts a serious expression. "Anyways, I believe you summoned me for a reason?"
"Where should I begin?" Jean says, anxiety and exhaustion suddenly replacing the mirth previously expressed. "Recently, a member of the Reconnaissance Company stationed at Port Dornman caught wind of something... unnatural in the wilderness."
Intrigued, Kaeya leans forward, his features transforming into an expectant expression as if waiting to hear more about the situation. Noticing this, Jean continues onwards.
"Initial reports were made around three days ago, so the local branch of the Knights of Favonius based in the city sent a smaller reconnaissance team to confirm the information. However, when they arrived at the scene, there was nothing. No trace of the unknown object was left, with the wilderness untouched. Two days later, an adventurer coming back to claim his bounties from completing a commission sighted the unknown object a few miles away from its original location, pulsing with ominous energy. According to the official statements he provided, the adventurer had noticed a group of Fatui following an unidentified black-colored sigil. Knowing that tracking whatever he saw was futile and haphazard without additional forces, he came to the local Knights of Favonius headquarters and reported the information, which was quickly run against the database of previous reports. Naturally, it came back with a match, which was the sighting from three days ago."
"Now, this is the part where it gets interesting. When a Knights of Favonius patrol accompanied the frightened adventurer to the location, a trading caravan stop around three miles from Port Dornman, they found no signs of life. Instead, they stumbled upon a grave scenario; multiple corpses, Fatui in origin, were buried three feet underground. Several dead diplomats and soldiers constituted the group. When the bodies were uncovered, they were found to be untouched, no signs of injury. It's as if they simply collapsed and died."
"Shit," Kaeya whispers, his eyes flickering with anxiety at hearing this information. The discovery of multiple Fatui corpses, especially by a patrol of the Knights of Favonius right outside one of Mondstadt's major cities, was bound to bring trouble to the country's doorstep. Especially considering the circumstances, "What happened to the unknown object, the sigil, if I may ask?"
"Gone," Jean whispered, her eyes flickering with worry. Covering her face with both hands, she lets a wary sigh escape her lips. "After the corpses were found, the Knights followed standard operating procedures and closed off the scene, temporarily redirecting trade to another caravan stop under the guise of busting a racketeering scheme to avoid raising suspicion. But for some reason, the Fatui caught wind of the incident and demanded that the scene be uncovered. Having neither the power nor the choice to reveal the situation, the Knights were forced to expose the mass grave to the Fatui. All points of contact with Port Dornman via standard communication techniques have been silenced ever since, with the looming threat of danger causing Knights of Favonius to enforce this decree. The only thing leaving the port is goods and approved letters, lest Mond's economy becomes temporarily crippled, and people begin to spread word about the situation."
"Fucking hell," Kaeya murmurs, letting loose a quiet string of expletives, justifiable given the circumstances. With the knowledge that Port Dornman had effectively issued a temporary restriction on movement while this issue was solved, he now understood why his contacts had remained irresponsive to the previous messages he had sent in the past few days. He looks at Jean hopefully, wanting to confirm one more thing about this situation, something that could potentially resolve the new tensions. "At least we have the witness, don't we?"
"About the witness..." Jean trails off, raising her head. When she looks up, Kaeya can see how weary she is, the lines of exhaustion engraved on her face and the depth of her eyes clearly reflecting anxiety and distress that seems so unlike the determined Gunnhildr he knew. "He's gone... Dead. An unknown body was fished from the bay yesterday night, with no indications of struggle or injuries. Although the post-mortem report is still being filed by the Knights of Favonius, the victim seems to be our adventurer, with the initial signs pointing to suicide rather than murder. However, when continuing the private investigation, someone close to the victim mentioned that he was never suicidal and, in fact, seemed to fear suffering fatal injuries. When we went to check our official records, they were gone. It's as if everything about the incident mysteriously disappeared."
Wordlessly rocking back and forth, thoughts rapidly flash through Kaeya's mind, ranging from bad to worse. His calm demeanor had transformed into one of worry, though most of his anxiety remained concealed by his collected facade. Fuck, this situation was already as bad as it was, and there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him it was only going to get nastier.
"The Fatui are demanding for Mondstadt to provide compensation for the deaths of their comrades," Jean whispers softly, her voice barely audible even amid the silence characterizing the surrounding environment. "They have alleged that the Knights that encountered the scene were responsible for the incident, refusing to even consider that we may not be accountable. They have declined to inspect their associates' bodies, declaring that we would have provided them tampered evidence. The only reason the Knights of Favonius have not been in an uproar about this situation is that the information has only made its rounds across a few senior members of the organization. In fact, you're only the second person Varka has authorized to know about this information."
"Why me?" Kaeya speaks softly, the poised, confident demeanor he had previously adopted shattered into a million pieces by the information. "Why would Varka trust me with this information? Surely there would be better alternatives for dealing with this scenario..."
Sighing, Jean lays an arm around Kaeya's shoulder, giving him a quick embrace that surprises the cavalry captain. Unfamiliar with close physical contact, he flinches away before accepting the sensation.
"As an acquaintance, I will say this Kaeya," Jean responds, letting out a small sigh. "You are a dependable knight, one who has served as a shining example of what it means to be Mondstadt's cavalry captain. Grandmaster Varka and I are already occupied with dealing with the fallout here in Mondstadt, and your diplomatic skills and subtlety are incomparable to the other captains. With the remaining captains preoccupied with other tasks or not located near the city, I would like you to investigate and deal with the Fatui at Port Dornman."
"Are you sure?" Kaeya asks, his eyes reflecting a genuine sense of worry. In response, Jean pats him on the shoulder gently. Reassured by the gesture, the cavalry captain decides to ask a question of his own. "How long do we have left before the situation becomes unrecoverable?"
"Varka assured me that his stalling at the diplomatic events, which will happen later this evening in the Grand Goth Hotel, would give you around two days," Jean responds, turning away from Kaeya to regain her composure. She moves back to her desk, adopting a determined expression as if nothing had occurred. "He's planning to propose a joint investigation, one which the Fatui would overlook, to determine what really happened. The circumstances are unfavorable, but they represent Mondstadt's best shot at resolving this unfortunate crisis."
"Good," Kaeya murmurs, getting up from the floor and brushing his clothes, miming the action of dusting his military jacket. Satisfied with the appearance of his clothes, he leans back on the closed wooden door, using the barrier separating Jean's room and the hallway outside to stabilize the position he had assumed. "I'm planning to head to Angel's Share. Ludi Harpastum has just started, so I wouldn't be surprised if a Snezhnayan or someone coming over from Port Dornman appears. Plus, a drink or two would do me some good, considering what will be going down in the upcoming days."
"Please, do send me correspondence if you receive any information," Jean says. A tired grin manifests on her face, seemingly as if she's about to share a joke with an old colleague. "And please, use a good carrier pigeon this time. We wouldn't want to be involved with such an unfortunate incident, would we?"
Chuckling quietly, Kaeya waves goodbye to the Lionfang Knight, unlocking the door to her room before making his way out of Knights of Favonius Headquarters. There was something he needed to do before leaving Mondstadt tonight.
As soon as Kaeya leaves the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, he proceeds towards Angel's Share, walking across crowded city streets before catching sight of the tavern's familiar turquoise roofing. The bar, located within the southeastern sector of Mondstadt, was one of the foremost taverns of Mondstadt. Owned and operated by Mondstadt's largest alcohol vendor, the Dawn Winery, the establishment offered a select menu consisting of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, with the majority of customers purchasing the former option.
With a sigh of relief, Kaeya lets his thoughts wander from the anxiety-inducing situation Jean had revealed just moments ago toward anticipation of drinks. Being a place that regular drinkers and newcomers alike frequented for the variety of beverages it supplied, Angel's Share also served a secondary purpose, being the central hub for information within Mondstadt. Where alcoholic beverages were present, extensive amounts of precious data could be pried from loose tongues. A push here, an imperceptible glance there, and Kaeya could find anything given enough time.
Pushing open the entrance of Angel's Share, Kaeya does not approach the regular bartender of Angel's Share immediately, instead electing to follow a customer in the manageably-crowded tavern. Ensuring that his steps remained relatively coordinated yet imperceptible to Charles and the unwitting customer, Kaeya made his way toward the staircase, sighing relievedly as Charles suddenly turned away to deal with another customer. Now, he could go up to a higher floor in the building without being noticed.
Although the cavalry captain was a regular at the tavern, he couldn't show his face today lest Charles communicated the information to the owner of the Dawn Winery. It was vital to Kaeya's plans that he should remain out of sight until the evening. With Ludi Harpastum slowly edging its way to full swing, he knew that the owner of the Dawn Winery would volunteer to take a temporary shift, alleviating the burden of his employees as they dealt with the incoming horde of customers in the evening.
Beginning to occupy a seat near Angel's Share's fourth floor, Kaeya notices a lone customer wandering towards a chair near the other side of the room. Offering a welcoming smile and a friendly wave to the slightly-tipsy customer, Kaeya motions the drinker closer, being rewarded with the man approaching him.
From here, the cavalry captain can see the customer's guard lowering, the alcohol inhibiting the stream of rational decisions associated with consciousness. Kaeya's smile further widens, reaching the corners of his eyes.
Well, this was going to be fun, wasn't it?
Almost three-hundred miles away from civilization in a frozen wasteland, Captain Igor Vasilyev inspects his handiwork.
Good, progress was being made.
"Don't bother moving those corpses," the captain mentions to his subordinates standing close to him, pointing at the bloody corpses laying almost thirty feet below him. "Detonate the buildings from the side opposite to the mine. The debris will cover up the site of excavation."
It had only been yesterday when a message from one of Ursus' conservative nobility had arrived at this location, ordering the closure of the Originium mines as the precious mineral had become depleted. And naturally, as all Ursus labor camps ended up in their death throes, the prisoners and Infected workers had been thoroughly purged, every single trace of life except the overseers eliminated regardless of their age.
Naturally, the process had been a brutal one. Some met death with fear, screaming as the cold blades wielded by the infected patrol captains swung through the air. Some met death with acceptance, knowing that their arrival at the labor camp had already condemned them to an unchangeable fate.
However, the infected patrol captains didn't expect some of them to fight back.
Some prisoners, stronger ones that remained hidden within some of the buildings where occupants of the camps were held, had overpowered a group of inquisitors, hacking them apart with their own weapons. Mounting a relatively disorganized rebellion, the smaller groups attempted to flee, only to be surrounded by furious soldiers merely a hundred meters away from the dense arctic forests that promised them some semblance of freedom.
It wasn't a pretty ending by all means.
It was the first time that any Originium mine camp overseer was met with resistance. Although Ursus had been suffering from instability and unrest recently, it had never been enough to warrant an uprising against forces under the command of members of Ursus nobility.
Turning around, the infected patrol captain moves towards the other side. He needed to personally oversee the movement of supplies from the buildings that they previously occupied. It was a crucial task, one that would prepare them for the week-long journey back toward the small city of Lyshov, all while braving the tundra's ever-worsening conditions.
As he continues making his way toward a smaller group of his subordinates, Captain Vasilyev shivers. Despite the thick coat, the one the Ursus military provided its infected patrol captains, providing him large amounts of insulation, he was still cold.
The weather had been absolutely dreadful in the past few weeks, with harsh blizzards and snowstorms running amok in the region. Captain Vasilyev had already provided a report to his superiors back in Lyshov, receiving a response declaring that similar conditions had been observed within regions south of the Infy Icefields.
The infected patrol captain himself had received reports from scouts patrolling the surrounding region about Ursus military warbands moving northward with increased frequency. They weren't able to get an entirely clear picture of the situation, but anytime a buildup of forces occurred, Vasilyev knew that wasn't a good sign.
Yet, that wasn't his primary concern, the details of whatever was happening being outside his domain.
He's just about to greet one of his subordinates carrying supplies before a feeling of unease spreads throughout him, sending a shiver up his spine. The atmosphere suddenly feels heavy, and there's a voice screaming in Vasilyev's head that he's being watched, that he had to run far, far, away from whatever had suddenly overcome him.
To run.
Run.
Run…
As the frosty winds continue roaring through the night air, the sound of supplies dropped on the frozen tundra ground rises above the gales' howls, every single soldier in the vicinity having released whatever they held onto. The collective group doesn't move for some time, the eeriness of the sight further heightened by the frozen expressions painted on their faces.
Mere moments later, the armored members of the infected patrol unit simultaneously turn around, facing the arctic forest that framed the depleted Originium mine towards the west. And in silence, they begin to march, leaving the abandoned set of buildings and unfinished work behind them.
Author's Note: Well, cheers to the completion of the second chapter. I already had this written, so I wanted to release it a few days after the publication of this work. Since the other chapters require a bit more work because I need to write them, updates might take a bit slower. I guess that's all for this chapter. Until then, see you next time!