Chapter 3: Ensure that Proper Medication Is Used So As To Avoid Worsening The Birbs Condition, A Competent Healer Is Also A Necessity At This Stage.
Author's Note: Hello everyone, we are so sorry for the delay with this chapter but we have recently taken a very keen interest in a game called Ghostwire Tokyo alongside of having to deal with back-to-back issues in regards to our internet which seems to have gained enough sentience to decide it hates our guts.
Regardless, we are glad to be able to give you all this next addition to this story, to warn you there will be something of a subtle timeskip mentioned in this chapter so we can begin to finally move on to the birb being given the love she deserves.
That being said, please let us know if we should provide more clarification on where the timeskip is.
With all of that being said, let us get on with the show.
Lumine had lived a very long time.
She had been there to witness the birth of stars and the day that they went nova and bathed all that lay near them in a wave of flame so intense that many worlds were left as nothing but orbs of glass that gleamed with the light of even more distant stars that had been the silent spectators to their fiery demise.
She had been present when many a species had taken their first breaths and had likewise been present still when they had taken their last breaths, and had left behind many a monument and tomb across the innumerable worlds that she had traversed to commemorate their passing that their spirits may rest at ease knowing that at least someone would remember them.
She had watched as worlds were formed from the debris and dust that had been left float amidst the endless void of the cosmos, and had likewise been there when at last their crust gave way and their molten blood flowed into the endless night of space.
She had fought against beings whose mere visage would drive one to absolute madness and despair as they fought the urge to rip out their own eyes and throats as they gazed upon their horrid forms.
Diminished and weakened she may be, she was still a being who had lived eons longer than any other being upon Teyvat had ever or would ever aspire to live, and though she was weakened she yet bore all of the experience and skills of her innumerable eons of war and battle.
And yet all of that which she had witnessed and all that she had learned seemed so fit to fade away as a snowflake does afore an open flame as she gazed into those balefully glowing violet orbs that looked down into her own.
She felt her muscles begin to tense as her fight or flight instinct began to run rampant, her hand twitching as she fought the urge to summon her sword even as she actively fought against her body's urge to call forth the elements she commanded to defend herself from the perceived threat before her.
"I require your help." The Raiden Shogun said, and Lumine couldn't help but gulp as she beheld the intensity present within those humming and crackling violet orbs, within which swirled and danced thunder clouds and lightning bolts and within which likewise burned a desperation so great and terrible that it made the Traveler take a step back even as she struggled to calm her racing heart enough to speak up.
It was a futile effort however, as merely gazing into those burning orbs was enough to remind her of something she had heard her brother say once oh so long ago during their travels across a particularly…despairing world.
"It is not anger or sorrow that is the most dangerous of feelings. But rather it is love that can be both the most wondrous and yet most dangerous of all emotions. For we are taught to restrain hate and to conquer sorrow, to let go of rage and grief, and yet we are taught only to embrace and cherish love.
And so when it is that love is betrayed or broken or when that which we love is in jeopardy, we learn that it is from love that the greatest of hatreds and griefs can be born as all rationality flees from us.
Remember this Lumine, and pray that there never comes a day when you see just what someone will do when what they love is in danger."
Those had been the words Aether had said to her as they had combed through the ruins and wreckage of a world set ablaze by a war which had left nothing but the flower fields of death in its wake.
Fields where corpses were the budding blossoms of putrid flowers, decay and rot were the miasmic perfume, and blood and mud were the soil which embraced the fetid and rotting blooms as they grew and swell with putrefaction till at last they bloomed into the skeletal likeness of the reaper who had come to walk those gruesome fields as though they were the planes of their own home.
She could still recall the look she had seen in the eyes of those who yet lived amidst the crumbling ruins of the world and continued to fight, a look of love once so grand and wondrous turned into not but baleful wrath and endless grief.
A look that the eyes of the Raiden Shogun all but blazed with, though still her love shined through the haze of rage and grief, for if it did not then Lumine was certain that just as the cause of her grief drew their last breath so would the steady breath of Inazuma become a choking gasp as it fought to survive the fury brought by heartbreak and grief.
It was times like this that Lumine truly and absolutely loathed the fact that her brother was reigning in the Abyss while she was stuck dealing with a world that seemed to be in desperate need of psychological professions.
Still, Lumine took a breath as she tried to steady herself, someone needed to help the Shogun, and she did consider the woman a dear friend despite their…less than stellar first meeting, and as such she forced herself to meet those horrible baleful orbs and speak the words which she knew she would end poorly for her.
"A-and what do you need Raiden Shogun?" Lumine asked, internally cursing herself for the stammer that slipped past her lips as she gave voice to the question.
"You once told me that you have traveled to Liyue and Mondstadt, and that you have come to know many of the great minds of each nation." The Raiden Shogum said as she strode forward until she loomed over Lumine, shadows cast by distant and near lightning shrouding her face in shadows with each of their harsh cracks, with the exception of her baleful glowing orbs which burned like violet suns as she gazed down into the golden orbs of the traveler.
"One of my healers informed me that there is a pharmacist in Liyue who is highly skilled in the art of healing, is that correct?" And oh how desperation clung to each of the Shogun's words, normally aloof eyes now betraying the desperate need for confirmation of what she had heard as she clung to the hope like a lifeline amidst the roaring seas.
Idly Lumine wondered just what had brought about this behaviors in the Shogun of all people, and yet she dared not give voice to the question as she simply nodded her head in confirmation, the action prompting a gleam of near mad desperate hunger to light up in the orbs like a solar flare.
"You will bring them to me," It was not a request or a question but a statement of fact, spoken with such certainty and conviction that no room for even the slightest sliver of doubt or the potential for it remained present within those who heard it.
It was with base instinct for survival ruling her that Lumine found herself nodding her acquiescence to the Shogun's demand, a part of her noting just how tension seemed to fall from the woman's shoulders as though a great and terrible wait had been lessened to be somewhat more bearable as she did so, though there yet remained within those baleful orbs the desperate fervor that elicited no small amount of unease from the Traveler as she tried to piece together just what could have caused it.
Stealing her yet trembling nerves, Lumine readied herself to give voice to the question that had begun to echo in the minds of all of those present who had heard the Shogun's demand, which was all of those present given the almost total absence of noise that had descended upon them as though they were cast adrift within the vacuum of space at her arrival, only for the Shogun to inadvertently answer it with her next statement.
"Also," her thunderous voice echoed once more in the stillness that seized all of them, "Tell them that they will be treating an infection that is present within a Tengu, and that they will be given free access to the palace store of medicine to aid in their treatment in addition to the somewhat limited knowledge I have on the matter of how to treat a Tengu."
Lumine felt her eyes widen, something that many of those present shared as they let the words of the Shogun echo in their minds for several moments, the Shogun allowing for them to absorb her words over those moments until at last she broke the silence that had grown as a rotting mold would over the damp timber cast into the streets by the storm, her voice jolting them to their senses as it struck them like one of the thunderbolts that flashed in the distance.
"Oh and before I forget," There was a flicker of electro that burned and arced and danced in her eyes, lightning bolts radiating from her pupils as though they were stygian storm clouds amidst a violet colored sky as they lashed at the edges of her irises, and then began to flow from her eyes like flame.
Lumine took a step back and almost fell as she stumbled, her fall only stopped by Paimon, who had fled behind her, pushing her up with all of her strength so that she did not fall onto her.
"If they should refuse to come or should they fail in their treatment efforts," her words were the rasp of a blade being drawn from its sheath, lethal intent dripping from them as venom would from a snake's fangs as the air around them grew dense and heavy, a weight forming upon the shoulders of those present as they were all almost forced to their knees with some remaining standing but by virtue of their own powers or by holding fast to objects to keep themselves upright.
"Then you may inform them," The air grew darker and darker and heavier and heavier still, as there came the overwhelming smell of ozone as the hairs on their bodies began to rise as static electricity began to arc and dance across the ground and their bodies. Several were now on all fours as they fought against the suffocating pressure for each desperate gasping breath they took.
Lumine faintly noticed how silent everything had become, not just a silence but rather the complete and utter absence of even the slightest of noises, even the thundering of her own heart could only be felt as opposed to heard by her, as though all of the world were holding fast its breath in the face of an impending calamity.
Or perhaps it was more apt to say that it was the stillness and silence that held fast one who awaited the swing of the headsman's axe as the crowd that had gathered to witness their end held tight to their own breaths lest they be stolen away.
And the axe did fall with the Shogun's next words.
"That they may express my disappointment at his nation's greatest healer to the departed Rex Lapis when I reunite them in the afterlife," and the heavens were rent asunder as lightning bolts slammed into the earth around them, some striking the stone near to them prompting many to let out yowls of fear and shock as they leapt back as thunder resounded as though it were the sounding of a sepulchral bell from on high to announce their fates.
But Lumine paid no mind to the lightning bolts of searing violet that smashed into the ground, or the thunder that echoed the judgment of the Shogun from on high, and she likewise paid no mind to the pounding of her own heart and the way that it resounded in her ears with such a thunderous noise that all other sound would have been drowned out by it.
No, none of these things held fast her attention as what she saw before her did.
For the eyes of the Shogun did not just burn with the power of electro which arched and danced as it flowed from her irises in such waves that the whites of her eyes were lost amidst the violet glow of the bale thunder.
And yet it was not the horrific glow of such baleful might that stole the breath of the Traveler, for that honor instead belonged to the sheer intensity of the gaze the Shogun gave her, the absolute certainty that shone in her eyes like the gleaming tip of a spear as it was pierced through one's heart.
It was a hypnotic form of certainty that burned in those orbs, the absolute confidence of one who would stop at nothing to honor the vow they had just made with no concern given as to the cost that doing so would exact, be it in lives or wealth.
Lumine knew as surely as she knew the stars of the countless worlds she had witnessed, that the shogun was being genuine in her words then and there.
And so she steeled her nerves and forced herself to nod in agreement, struggling to give voice to her agreement as she tried to stay standing.
To her credit the Shogun did allow for Lumine to take a few moments to regain her composure so that she could speak up, in a faint whisper that echoed as assuredly as the retort of a cannon amidst the stillness that had engulfed them anew following the last crack of lightning.
"Alright, G-give me a few minutes to get to the Waypoint and I'll head right over there and be right back," Lumine choked out, her eyes still locked on the Shogun;s own still burning orbs for several moments longer until the other woman gave a nod of her head.
"Excellent, I will be waiting for them within the Palace." The Shogun said, before she vanished amidst a crack of lightning that made Lumine have to blink away the spots that had formed in her vision as she turned to look at those around her.
Her gaze taking in both the terrified faces of many a civilian and soldier as they fought to rise to their feet, many of them shooting her looks that conveyed their hopes and prayer that she would find the healer spoken of by the Shogun and fast, lest another storm engulf them.
And so, after handing a passed out Paimon to Signora and Ayaka and sharing an embrace with both, and receiving the well wishes for her success from both Shogunate and Fatui soldiers and Inazuman civilians, Lumine turned on her heels and took off at full sprint to the waypoint all the while mumbling under her breath.
"Why me? Why is it always me? Why can't I have a nice and quiet day with my girls!? And what did those idiots do to Sara that set Ei off so much!?"
Line Break
It was a quiet day in Liyue Harbor, the sun was bathing the port city in a pleasant heat that was prevented from growing too stifling by the light breeze that had drifted into the city from the mountains that surrounded it.
The harbor was, as always, bustling to the point of seemingly being fit to burst as merchants from Snezhnaya to Fontaine guided workers in unloading the cargo from their vessels as they began to argue over who had reserved the location for their stalls first, their yelling drowned out amidst the throng of calls of workers and sailors and the ever present cries of gulls and the splashing of fish that deemed it fit to mock the fisherman of the harbor.
The streets were likewise a crowded affair, with stores having opened themselves up to lay bare their wares and treasures for both gawking tourist and native resident as people meandred to and fro amidst the melting pot of mora that is Liyue.
One would start their journey presented with stalls and stores, only to rest their feet at a carefully placed food stand or restaurant before they were swept off of their feet again by the promise of treasures and goods from distant lands, and so the cycle would continue until they at last had spent what they could afford and left, either of their own devices or by the guidance of friend and family as they left with fuller bags but lighter pockets.
And yet another arrived in Liyue, although this one did not arrive along the carefully planned and formed routes that meandered through the city as veins that bore the golden lifeblood of the nation, veins that had been meticulously sculpted by the Qixing after the Tianquin and Yuheng had discussed stories of the markets the Traveler had seen over her long life over tea, but rather at the feet of a strange pillar of silver, gold, and sapphire amidst a flurry of swirling constellations and dissipating nebulae as they stumbled forward only to catch themselves on a tree nearby before they could fall.
For a moment they remained slumped against the tree, their head placed against the bark as they fought to regain control of themself for several moments more before they pushed themself off the tree and heaved a sigh as they turned orbs of molten gold on the City of Commerce and Contracts.
Lumine heaved out a tired breath as she steadied herself once more before she began to head off through the packed streets towards where the Bubu pharmacy was located, hoping all the while that she would not have to go on another wild goose chase in pursuit of someone or something.
She didn't know how long she had before Ei lost her patience and let the storms resume, and so she moved with all due speed, carefully weaving between merchant and soldier and civilian as she hurried in the direction of the pharmacy.
When at last she had left the crowded streets and reached the base of the stairs to the pharmacy, Lumine let out a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no line or group gathered at the pharmacy's door when it finally came into her sights, relishing in the fact that she would not have to fight her way to the front of a line or through a mob or crowd to speak with Baizhu.
And so it was that after taking a deep breath and steadying her still somewhat frayed nerves once more, the Traveler began to climb the stairs, her eyes wandering all over the place as she sought out the familiar sight of green hair and yellow orbs or even the sight of a white serpent.
It was once she reached the top of the stairs that she felt herself calm somewhat as she took in the sight of the man she had been searching for speaking with Qiqi as they sorted various herbs and medicines, Changsheng lay near them as she sunned herself in the sunlight cast through one of the windows.
It was the snake in question who noticed her first, her head rising up as her tongue lapped out to taste the air as she sensed the presence of the exhausted Traveler, who had slumped against the doorframe to catch her breath, and then alerted Qiqi and Baizhu of her presence when she called out to Lumine.
"Well, what have we here, a lone star without her mascot?" The white snake's words caused the two other members of the pharmacy to turn and look at the Traveler, who had by this point at last managed to regain enough of her breath to push herself off of the doorframe so that she could approach the 3 members of the pharmacy.
"Ah Traveler!" Baizhu called out to her, as he approached to meet her midway. "What brings you here today? In need of some herbs or maybe something to help one of your companions?" Baizhu finished as he watched the woman pause to take a breath before she met his gaze, the look in her eyes making no small amount of unease fill him as he took in the mixture of determination and dreadful unease that swirled within her golden orbs.
"Not quite Baizhu," Lumine said as she took as she contemplated how to explain her reasoning for being there before deciding to be as blunt as possible, and so she took a deep breath before continuing, "You have been summoned to Inazuma by the Raiden Shogun to treat an injured Tengu General who is battling an infection, what is causing said infection I don't know."
And with those words spoken it was as though a spell of total and absolute silence descended upon the building as even Qiqi, who had been dutifully stocking the herbs, paused and turned to look at her alongside ofthe now gaping Baizhu and likewise dumbfounded snake as such silence that the fall of a pin would be as the eruption of a volcano seized the room for several moments more before it was broken by-
"A-are you serious?" Baizhu managed to finally choke out after several moments of processing just what it was that the Traveler before him had said, his words quiet and laced with such disbelief that practically dripped from the words like a spring rain storm.
"I am," Lumine said with a resolute nod as she met the dumbfounded gaze of the pharmacist, watching as the gears within the man's head began to spin and grind as he began to try and formulate an appropriate response to what he had just been told.
Baizhu paused as he turned to look at Changsheng, who had simply been staring at Lumine in dumbfounded shock till this point, and opened his mouth to ask the snake what her opinion on the matter of Lumine's statement was, before he was cut off as Lumine spoke up again.
"Also," The Traveler said as she fought back the urge to gulp as her mind replayed the glowing lethal orbs of the Raiden Shogun's eyes as she recalled what she had been told by her, " I am to inform you that should you refuse to come or fail in your treatment of her injured general that you will be voicing her displeasure with Liyue's best healer to Rex Lapis when she reunites the two of you on the other side." Lumine finished as a shiver wracked her frame as she heard the words of the Shogun replaying over in her mind, and faintly she thought that she could hear on the winds an echo of distant thunder that resounded with an anticipation that made her tremble anew.
Silently she vowed that she was going to spend enough time with her girls to drown out the memories of that damnable roaring thunder amidst their sounds of joy and pleasure and their loving voices once this matter was dealt with.
She was shaken from her silent reverie when she registered the absolute silence that had once more enveloped the pharmacy, blinking she took in the sight of an ashen faced Baizhu and of the shock and fear etched into the eyes of Changsheng alongside of the unease that had grown across Qiqi's own face.
For several moments more did the silence linger as the 3 members of the pharmacy shared glances filled with unease, Qiqi unconsciously summoning her sword as she moved to stand by the side of the pharmacist who had taken her in, her eyes already searching for this mysterious Shogun who had threatened her guardian.
After several more moments of silence did Baizhu let out a shuddering breath as he plastered a smile as false as one's hopes of surviving being caught tight in the pull of a Black-Hole as he turned to kneel down in front of Qiqi with his hands on her shoulders.
"Qiqi, can you be a dear for me and watch the pharmacy until I get back," that he was able to keep his voice from trembling when he spoke these words to the young zombie was something that Lumine had to admit was quite impressive, especially given the fact that he was about to enter into an unknown land and put his life in the hands of his own healing abilities.
"You can't be serioussss Baizhu!" Changsheng hissed as she moved to wrap herself around the leg of the pharmacist as she slithered her way up his body to look into his eyes, her own narrowed into a stern glare as she looked into the eyes of the dendro user.
"It's not exactly like we have a choice in this matter, Changsheng." Baizhu said as he gave a sigh as he threaded his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm the thundering beat of his heart before it brought him into a coughing fit from agitating his illness.
"If what Lumine says is true, we either go and get to live longer than we would if we refuse or we refuse and get a surprise visit from the Shogun that ends in our deaths." The pharmacist finished his statement as he finally managed to calm his heartbeat before he turned to look at the traveler once more.
"Will she have information on the patient on hand when we arrive? I have never treated a Tengu before and I can not say that I know how they will react to the herbs and mixtures I have at my disposal." Baizhu asked her as he stood up and began to fill a carrier with what herbs and tonics and tinctures he knew would be of use to aiding someone who was battling against illness and infection…that is assuming the nature of his patient did not trigger an allergic reaction in the patient.
Lumine felt a weight lift off of her shoulders as she gave a nod to the pharmacist before she moved to ruffle Qiqi's hair, the act more to help calm herself more than anything else as she smiled at the confused look the zombie gave her, chucking internally at just how adorable the little zombie was with her hat knocked askew by her ruffling and the curious gaze she was giving her.
She silently promised herself that if anything did happen to the pharmacist she would keep an eye on the girl to the best of her abilities, it was the least she could do for the tiny zombie girl.
"The Shogun said that you would have access to her knowledge on the Tengu biology and her store of medicines when you arrived," Lumine spoke up as she began to lift her hand from petting Qiqi's hair, only for the young zombie to try and pull her hand back down as she tried to nuzzle into it.
She truly hoped that Baizhu didn't get himself killed, she didn't want to have to break the young zombie's heart.
For several moments there was more silence as the pharmacist gathered what he felt he would need, Changsheng hissin out a stream of curses that would have made many a sailor blush into the pharmacist's ear as she blamed him for getting them into this situation, all the while Lumine knelt down to speak with Qiqi about her day and try and calm both herself and the zombie.
"Qiqi is confused. Why is the patient not being brought here?" the Zombie asked as she kept her eyes closed as she enjoyed the headpats she was being given. They were almost as good as the coco milk she had been getting from the odd masked people the man-child, she did not know why Baizhu and Lumine had laughed when she had called him that as she was just using the name she had written down for him, would send to her, but not quite as good considering said milk often came by the crate full to her.
"Well, she's really sick and she can't be moved all that much so she needs Baizhu to come to her instead," Lumine kindly said to the young girl as she lifted her head to watch Baizhu finish packing up his supplies and give her a nod to let her know he was ready to go.
"Oh. I see." Qiqi said as she nuzzled into the gentle headpats she was receiving as she heard her guardian mumbling under his breath as he gathered his notebooks and journals and herbs and tonics into a secure pouch made so that the fragile vials and containers would not shatter unless it was hit with great force.
And once said pack was tightly secure did he stand up and take a deep breath as he turned to give a nod to Lumine to let her know that he was ready to depart, even as Changsheng slithered her way up his arm so that she could voice her opinion on the matter directly into his ear as she steeled her own heart for what was to come.
"Alright Qiqi, I'll bring Baizhu back once he has finished treating the general, so mind the shop while he's gone okay?" Lumine said as she stood up and walked over to Baizhu, who was still in the process of receiving a tongue lashing from Changsheng who had decided that she was going to go with the healer to make sure her idiot human did not wind up returning to them a head shorter…literally.
Qiqi frowned slightly at the loss of the comforting sensation of Lumine's hand on her head, but still she gave a soft nod and lifted her arm into a wave as she bid them farewell, hoping that they would be back soon all the while as she kept her eyes on them till at last they passed from her view.
The tiny zombie heaved an uneasy sigh as she turned to walk behind the counter and pull out a small bottle of choco milk that she had received earlier that day, and as she savored the sweet drink she offered a prayer to whoever would listen that her friends would be safe.
She did not want to be alone longer than she had to be.
While the young zombie enjoyed her sweet drink and offered her prayer to whatever gods would listen to them, the Traveler and the pharmacist were battling against the seemingly endless tide of bodies as they wound their way through the city to their means of travel towards Inazuma.
Baizhu was almost distracted from following Lumine as he tried to understand why they had not taken a shorter route to the harbor was shaken from his thoughts when he began to lose sight of Lumine and had to force himself to hurry to catch up to her.
When Lumine and Baizhu at last were able to slip through the near endless throng of merchant and customer and workers and guards, they were quick to approach the waystone which stood gleaming under the sunlight, Baizhu wondering exactly why Lumine had guided them to it instead of the docks but his question was cut off as the young woman approached the stone and bid him to approach them with an outstretched hand.
Confused Baizhu stepped forward and took Lumines hand in his own as she bid him to, his eyes widening as he felt the hair on his body begin to rise as a low hum began to build in the air around them, Changsheng letting out a hissing gasp as she tasted the energy that had begun to gather around the gleaming stone before them, the sapphire atop it beginning to glow a vibrant sapphire radiance until there came a sound of air distorting and she tasted nothing more as her senses joined Baizhu's own as they were cast into a chaotic sea of sensation that lasted at once a second and yet at the same time an eternity.
Their stunned screams were swallowed amidst a chaotic void of multi-colored light and sensation as they left the Land of Geo for the Land of Electro.
Line Break
The first thing that greeted Baizhu when the kaleidoscope of sensory assaults came to a conclusive climax was a sensation of vertigo that was so great that after taking but a single step forward he found himself on his hands and knees, his vision swimming as he fought the urge to wretch.
Distantly he could hear Changsheng letting out a stream of curses that would have made even the likes of Captain Beidou in the throes of a drunken stupor blush scarlet as the snake tried to regain her own bearings alongside of him as they knelt there for several moments, a light drizzle gently bearing down on them from the swirling thunderheads that loomed above them as an eager predator laying in wait for a worthy meal to present itself.
After several moments of catching his breath and regaining his bearings Baizhu was able to slowly force himself off of his hands and knees and to stand and take in his surroundings, his eyes widened as he drank in the almost dizzying scene before him.
For not only had Lumine just managed to make a journey that would have normally lasted days if not weeks by ship into mere moments, she had brought him to a city that looked as though a war had torn through it, it's streets flooded and littered with debris from buildings that had been battered down by what must have surely been a horrible storm.
Yet more dizzying to the Liyuen pharmacist were the other sights that greeted him as he looked around him.
For around them were soldiers clad in the armours of both Shogunate Samurai and Sznehanyan Fatui as the two forces worked together to clean the streets and gather the injured and dead to what he assumed to be some form of police station as they cast fearful glances at the sky every time a resounding boom of thunder echoed from on high like the sound of a grand clock readying to announce the time of their execution as lashes of lightning struck in the distance like they were soldiers awaiting the order to strike them down.
And above this scene of odd comradery amidst the wrath of a god, there loomed a palace that seemed to glare down at them from it's loft perch, as though it were an executioner awaiting the moment when it would swing its axedown with all of the force that it could muster. A swirling maelstrom of violet and black clouds enveloping it as a shroud darker than the thin curtain of gentle rain that enveloped the land and boire down upon him in a light shower by miles.
Idly the pharmacist felt sweat begin to bead down his forehead from the combination of the scene before him and of the humidity that seized the warm land as a result of the storms that had raged across the land.
He had just begun to open his mouth to speak up and ask Lumine just what manner of hell she had just delivered them into when he noticed that she had moved past him and Changsheng to speak with the somewhat disheveled form of a woman that he knew was one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, a smaller young woman in an elegant form of Inazuman dress standing beside her as the two women embraced the Traveler before they began to share a brief and somewhat hurried conversation before the 3 turned to look at him.
Baizhu fought the urge to gulp as he forced himself to not tremble under the weight of the women's gazed until they turned their gazes from him and back to each other as they returned to their conversation once more for several moments longer until they shared a parting embrace as Lumine turned and began to walk over to him in swift strides.
"Alright, it looks like we got here just in time." Lumine said as she approached him, her steps hurried and a look of faint unease on her face as she began to walk past him once more, this time heading off in the direction of what he assumed was the pathway to the palace, her hand idly beckoning him to follow her as she carefully wound her way through detritus and debris with all of the ease and grace of one oh so used to winding their way through carnage and conflict would wind their way across a battlefield until she took note of him not being able to keep pace with her as he struggled to follow her through the field of debris.
Heaving a slight sigh, Lumine lifted up her foot and brought it down causing a pulse of geo energy to emanate from where she had struck the ground as several small stone platforms began to emerge from the ground, a casual sweep of the Traveler's arm sending a gust of anemo that cleared the path way of debris so that Baizhu could walk across them to catch up to her, with her conjuring forth more of the stone platforms so that Baizhu could keep pace with her as they drew ever nearer to the palace that loomed above them.
Step by step they drew nearer and nearer to the monolithic structure that lay wreathed in the humming crackle of electro amidst the cyclonic eye of the storm that had enveloped the entirety of Inazuma.
The towering gateway and the great statue that lay before them appearing as the open maw of a portal to some form of nether world alongside of its eternal guardian who even now gazed upon them with eager delight at the prospect of more souls entering into its hellish halls.
The sight coupled with the ever distant great cracks of lightning and the curtain of rain only serving to further unnerve both the pharmacist and his serpentine friend and their guide, that is if the tensing of her arm and the faint hum of electro upon one hand and anemo upon the other was any form of indication.
As they crossed under the looming archway, all the while feeling as though they were entering into the maw of some grand and horrible beast, their gazes soon alighted on upon the empty courtyard that stretched before them, their ears registering the complete and absolute stillness that enveloped them for even the thunder held fast its breath as to not disturb the ones who called the palace home.
With the hair on their bodies beginning to rise, be it from fear or from the static which clung tightly to the air like the invisible threads of some grand and horrible spider web, they drew near and nearer still to the palace, the hearts of all three beginning to hammer ion their chests as they climbed up the stairways till at last they stood before the ornately carved and decorated door that was the gateway into the palace.
Absently Baizhu registered the sound of footsteps as there came from some corner, hidden as it was amidst the shadows cast by the clouds overhead, the hulking form of a samurai in full armor, his eyes wide with desperate hope as he gazed at the Traveler.
Before the pharmacist could even contemplate just what could drive a man as large and imposing as the one who stood before them to such desperate hope, he was shaken from his thoughts as the hulking man nearly fell to his knees as he called out to the Traveler in a trembling voice, low and soft as though fearful of drawing attention to him.
"Traveler…is this…please tell me this is the healer that we were told of," the man begged her, his words met with a simple nod as Lumine kept her gaze riveted to the doorway before them, her hands tensed and ready to call upon her weapon and powers alike should the need arise.
With what seemed to be the beginning of joyful tears in his eyes the man muttered a prayer under his breath before he quickly turned about on his feet and knocked on the door, causing it to be swung open by a guard who skin had long gone white as the freshly fallen snow upon the plains of Snezhnaya, the man seeming fit to join his comrade in joyful tears as he quickly ushered Baizhu inside.
The pharmacist and his serpentine companion turned to ask Lumine for advice only to see her golden hair vanishing as she leapt over the railing and into the courtyard before breaking into a dead sprint back towards the police station and her lovers.
For once Baizhu joined Changsheng in her cursing as the doors closed and he was locked within the palace.
Line Break
The first thing that greeted Baizhu within the palace was the sensation of absolute stillness that hung in the air with such density that it was almost visible as a swirling miasma that was visible in the moments when the distant lightning cracks would illuminate the interior of the palace through the curtains or when the lanterns that served to illuminate the palace were re-lit by the guards and servants as they desperately sought to steel their nerves amidst their lady's fury.
Each footstep echoed amidst the stillness of the chambers with such vibrant clarity that he found himself momentarily convinced that there were far more people present in the room then just him and the guard who even now looked greatly unnerved as he guided him down faintly illuminated hallways of richly decorated and elaborately carved walls and doors and towering pillars inlaid with ornate designs that gleamed when the light struck them.
How long they stalked through those twilit halls Baizhu could not really say, for time seemed to fade into the ever encroaching gloom the longer they walked through those halls, he knew only that it could have been but half an hour to several hours until at last they came to a hallway from whence there came a weight and pressure so great that he had to seize unto one of the nearby pillars to prevent himself from falling to his knees.
Changsheng's hissed curses at last fell silent as they approached the semi open doorway that lead into what the pharmacist hoped beyond all hope was indeed the clinic of this palace and not some form of execution chamber.
With unease wrote clear in bold across his features the samurai who had been his guide strode towards the door and gave a swift knock as he began to announce himself and his guest, only for his words to be cut off as they began when the door was swung open with such force that it nearly lodged itself into the wall once more.
Baizhu's heart ceased to beat, the incessant thundering that had been echoing in his ears, as though he was hearing the battle of Rex Lapis and Azhdaha and the the mountains that rose and fell amidst said duel crumbling away from oh so long ago, fell silent as his gaze locked with the pair of burning violet orbs that now glared at him from the doorway.
His view of the world shrunk into a tunnel as he gazed into those burning and crackling orbs of baleful electro light, his body seizing as his instincts warred with his mind with the overwhelming urge to flee leading their desperate charge against the barriers of his rationality which told him that it was far too loathe to do such a thing.
Changsheng had likewise fallen silent, her endless stream of curses and warnings teetering off into the very depths of oblivion that the being that stood before them seemed to herald their descent into, her coils tightened around her human as she mentally recited prayers of her own to whatever god would listen that the two of them would leave this place alive and in one piece.
For an eternity and yet but a second their gazes were locked, his golden orbs that gleamed slick with unshed tears born of fright and the obsidian orbs of his serpentine friend gazing into those orbs of electro that burned and seared and tore into them with such savage ferocity that they dared not to even breath under their weighty gaze even though their lungs screamed at them to do so.
Distantly they thought they heard the samurai stammering out a greeting to the woman, no the God that stood before them, as he informed her excellency that the two who stood before her looking as lambs before the bloodstained cleaver of the butcher were indeed the healers promised by the Traveler and spoken of by her own staff.
For several moments longer there was silence as the snake and the pharmacist watched the God gaze at them with a cold and analytical glare as she took their measure before giving the faintest of nods and turning sharply on her heel and entering the room whose doorway she had occupied as its own Cerberus but a moment ago.
"Come." The god of Electro spoke up with a voice like thunder when they remained rooted to where they had been standing even after she had vanished into the confines of the room before them, a whip crack of lightning striking the ground outside of a nearby window and the surge of elector that began to dance at their heels incentive enough to jolt them from their stupor and make Baizhu nearly trip over his own feet as he hurried to follow her into what he hoped would not be the site of his own murder.
With his nerves yet still crying in his ears for him to turn and flee, even if it meant hurling himself through the nearest window, and the trembling form of his serpentine companion silently voicing her own terror at the prospect of entering into the dragon's den, Baizhu took a deep breath and began to enter into the medical room that lay before him.
The fact that the samurai who had escorted him had took off in a bolt of such terror fuelled speed that Baizhu swore he saw an after image of the man as he fled did nothing to help lessen the dread that had seized tight his heart in it's iron grasp.
As he slowly strode into the room and warred to still his trembling nerves, his nose registered the ever so familiar and comforting scents of tonics and potions and herbs and salves, which did much to ease his frayed nerves as his eyes took in the scene that lay before him, the sight of the expansive medical room and the notebooks of information that had been arranged on a desk near to where a young woman with great ebon wings lay on a medical bed aiding in stealing his nerves as he allowed for years of experience and professionalism to take the reigns.
With each step he took into the room he allowed for more and more of the fear that had held him oh so tightly but moments ago to begin to fall off of him as though it were but rainwater caught upon the wings of a water fowl, his yet still frayed nerves began to calm to the degree that he no longer felt as though a caress of wind would prompt him to leap from his skin as he readied himself for the task afore him.
Quickly he moved to take stock of his new patient, idly noting the presence of a woman with vulpine ears and tails who sat beside the young woman, her piercing violet eyes alighting on him as a snarling growl began to build in her chest like thunder as she took note of him approaching the woman she seemed to hold quite dear to her.
Yet the vulpine woman seemed to calm as the god of electro laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to her to whisper soothing words into her ear, yet still her gaze did not leave him as he began to inspect the cleansed yet still obviously infected wounds that littered the woman's back and wings, a wince crossing his face as he saw a particularly vicious looking gash that ran near parallel to her spine gleam with a fresh shean of ointment.
He did not know for how long he took stock of the woman's injuries, making a mental list of each and every one of the gashes and tears and missing patches of feathers that adorned her body, only that as he did so there were twin gazes of burning violet orbs tracking each and every movement he made.
After he finished taking stock of her injuries, occasionally having to carefully inspect each wound with his hands which brought out pained whimpers and groans from the woman who laid before him and snarls of rage and echoing thunder in the distance from the two women who watched him with gazes far keener and far crueler than anything a mere bird of prey could call forth.
At last he stood up straight and turned to the two women, his mind already beginning to run with treatments as he moved over to the desk to begin to consult with the information that he had been promised all the while conversing with Changsheng in regards to her own opinion on what routes they should go down as they treated the young woman.
Cautiously he spoke up to the two women who even now focused on him, his need for more information overruling the dread and unease that had weighed down upon his shoulders like a great mountain since the Traveler had told him of his summons to this land of electro.
And as he spoke with them and gathered more information on his new patient and the reason for her injuries did he feel more and more of the dread which had so greatly weighed upon him begin to slip from his shoulders as professionalism seized the reigns as he began to plan out the treatments that would be needed to get the young woman back on her feet.
And thus did the once still and silent room fill with queries and answers and the rustling of paper ad parchment and the clink of glasses as the Liyuen healer began what he was certain would be a length work if the description of the condition the young woman had been found in and the severity and number of her wounds were anything to go by.
Soon silence once more held its court over the healer's chamber as the pharmacist labored over tinctures and tonics as he carefully prepared medicines to treat the infections that were no doubt burning through the young woman's veins like wildfires and to accelerate her healing process.
How long he labored over the notes that lay before him as he asked for clarification and information when needed from the two women whose gazes remained fixed either on the young winged woman or upon himself was not something that Baizhu could truly say, only that somewhere along the arduous path Changsheng slipped from his shoulder and coiled around herself as she drifted into slumber.
Perhaps it had been minutes or perhaps it had been hours or even days by the time that he registered that the two women had begun to take their leave of the room, the weight of their burdens and responsibilities driving them to leave as they bid servants to attend to the pharmacists needs for food and drink and to show him to a nearby bedroom for when exhaustion bid his eyes close and join his serpentine friend in slumber.
Of the passing of time as he worked he was yet uncertain, for it seemed to him that as he consulted with the castle's own healers and labored with mortar and pestle and alchemical instruments and surgical devices that time itself began to blur and fade into nothing but the background noise of his existence within the castle halls.
He faintly registered the news told to him by fellow healers and overheard by gossiping soldiers and guards of how the Shogun and her familiar, who he guessed to be the vulpine women who had been beside his patient when he arrived, had been aiding in the reconstruction of the nation they had almost laid low in their combined fury.
And likewise he registered mentions of trials and of the Shogun's rage therein said trials, granted he had likewise heard the thunderous rage that had once more shook the island and had so nearly undone all of the hard work that so many had done to repair said nation, as wind had whipped at the castle with such force he had feared they all would be swept out to sea as it slammed against the castle walls as lightning rained down unending blows upon a land that was rapidly being submerged by a frigid deluge under stygian skies.
It was a terrifying moment for the foreign pharmacist to bear first hand witness to the fury and seemingly omnipotent might of the Shogun who ruled these eternal lands and the thought of how much damage she had wrought without even truly meaning to was something of a sobering reminder of just what form of fate could possibly await him should he fail in the task assigned to him by the God of Electro
And while there was a part of him that hoped that she would not risk conflict with Liyue over a careless mistake on his part, after all he had heard he had come to the conclusion that the woman would more than likely not care about the consequences of her striking him down for his failure and might even be tempted to lash out at the land of contracts should it attempt to strike at her for slaying one of their own healers for a mistake on his part.
The thought of his home swept into the sea by great waves brought forth by a mighty tempest's gales and by landslides brought forth by endless deluges of heavenly tears from on high amidst the crack of blinding whips of lightning and baleful cursing roars of thunder from a stygian sky was one that soon came to haunt his nightmares as he labored over treating the injured woman whose pained groans and whimpers and moans oft filled his temporary clinic.
He did not speak much with the woman who had bid the Traveler tear him from his safe home to this foreign land, only the occasional report and update on the condition of the young woman were spared between the two of them and fewer words still were spoke with the enigmatic vulpine woman who came and went from the room as she pleased, save for the occasional reiteration a previously given report to the Electro Archon or a question regarding what would need to be done for the young woman after she had recovered from her illness.
There were times when he would have to ask for heated rocks for Changsheng to be brought in, as clouds yet held fast their dominion over the sky, and others when he would have to bid the servants and soldiers to bring him herbs that were either not present within the castles stockpile as a result of being closed off from the outside world for so long, or were in too short of a supply to be used as he needed them to be, and he found that these requests were met with speed that rivaled that of the lightning the God of Eternity held absolute sway over.
Indeed it was due to both such readily available aid and the immense stockpile of information that had been given to him and was available to him via the Raiden Shogun when he needed her wisdom that he was able to bring her up from the depths of her infection and back to a more stable level of health.
He could practically feel the weight that had laid upon the island nation begin to abate to a small degree when the young woman's skin had begun to regain a healthy complexion and the swelling of her wounds began to reduce as they began to cease to weep foul fluids that reeked of the sickly aroma of illness as her sleep became much less fitful.
Of course it would be a more lengthy road that would lay before the young woman to total recovery, and even after the potions and tonics had run their course he would have to caution the Shogun and her familiar against allowing for the young woman to do anything strenuous lest she re-open her wounds and prompt a relapse of her condition into its former abysmal state in addition to having them make their own healers follow the treatment plan he had written up for the young woman.
But such thoughts could wait until the future, however near or far it was, for now he needed to-
A low groan filled the medical room alongside the shuffling of feathers and sleep leaden limbs as the woman began to stir on her bed.
Baizhu turned in his chair as Changsheng likewise lifted her head from where it had been resting to bear witness to the young woman slowly beginning to shift, one of her arms moving so that she may wipe at away the sleep that yet lingered in her eyes as she began to wake from her long slumber.
He quickly rose from his chair to take to her side as he called for one of the guards who yet stood outside of the doorway to call for the Shogun and her familiar as his charge began to weakly look around the room with somewhat dazed eyes.
Idly he registered her gaze becoming fixed on a nearby pitcher of water, a desperate need writ in her amber orbs as she licked her lips, and so he carefully poured her a small glass of the cold liquid for her as he began to gently coax her into sitting up so she could take a drink without fear of winding up drowning on dry land.
For several moments there was silence as Baizhu poured her another glass of water after she had finished her previous glass, as he sat down across from the still somewhat dazed looking young woman.
At first the young woman was silent as she looked around herself, trying to determine just where she had come to reside, her eyes rapidly widening when she began to finally register the familiar sights of the Tenshukaku's own medical chamber in addition to the bandages that now adorned her body.
"H-how did I get here," her voice was low and hoarse from having not seen use outside of pained whimpers and groans over the course of who knew how many days and yet despite it's low volume and hoarse nature Baizhu could easily register the confusion that dripped from the words, confusion which only grew as the woman turned to look at him with her eyes narrowing as she took in his unfamiliar face.
"And who are you?" She asked as she began to tense her muscles in preparation for a flight or fight response, only for the man before her to raise his hands in a gesture of peace as he sat back in his chair, idly reaching out and arm so he could gently brush his fingers against Changsheng's scales as the snake slithered up his arm and around his neck, each movement being tracked by keen amber orbs that watched him with a gazre far greater than that of a hawks.
"My name is Baizhu," he said to her as he filled a glass of water for himself and took a sip before he continued, "I am a pharmacist from Liyue that your Shogun had brought here to tend to you." He hoped that he was able to keep the slight disdain for just how the Shogun had acquired his aid out of his voice as he saw the young woman look startled at his words.
Sara blinked as she registered the man's words, confusion swelling in her as she pondered just how, and for that matter why, her lady had felt the need to go to such extremes for her sake when she could have recovered on her own given time, and yet just as she opened her mouth to continue her queries of the man before her-
*CRACK*
A blinding flash of light and a deafening crackling noise filled the room for several moments, bringing with them the heady stench of ozone as the ever familiar form of the Raiden Shogun and her Guuji appeared before the inhabitants of the medical room.
For a moment Sara tried to rise from her bed to kneel before her god and her envoy, only to be stopped when there came a swirl of pink and the heady sweet aroma of sakura petals as the Guuji Yae darted forward and embraced her as though she were a lifeline that held her above the swirling maw of some grand and terrible whirlpool, the powerful and firm arms of her god and the aroma of ozone that accompanied her but a second behind the kitsune as she likewise embraced the dumbfounded general.
For several moments Sara's mind was ever so wonderfully blank, devoid of any and all forms of higher or even lower thought processes to such an extent that it was truly miraculous she was capable of breathing at all, she did not register the slight sting from where there hands and arms lightly grazed her bandaged wounds or even the murmured words the two spoke to her as they held her.
And then her mind rebooted from its state of shock as she realized just what was happening to her.
'Guuji Yae and her Excellency are hugging me."
'Guuji Yae and her Excellency are hugging me.'
'GUUJI YAE AND HER EXCELLENCY ARE HUGGING ME!'
And it was such that with her god and her envoy embracing her that the tengu flushed a red so vibrant and vivid that even the dendrobium flowers she was fond of seemed to be pale as driven snow in comparison and once more returned to the land of blissful unconsciousness amidst twinn cries of her name and a yelp of 'WAIT' from the man who had been tending to her.
Baizhu watched the young woman faint and the two women turn to look at him with confusion on their faces, and let his own face fall into his hands even as Changsheng laughed in his ears with such force that the snake slipped from his shoulders and onto the ground, still cackling even as she did so.
He wondered what the odds were of him being able to convince some of the soldiers to slip him some Snezhnayan Fire Water were, because he felt that he was going to need it before this was all said and done.
Fin of Chapter 3
Author's Note: Well here we are with chapter 3 of this tale at its end, we are sorry for both the delay in finishing up this chapter, we blame work and Ghostwire Tokyo, and just how rushed the ending of the chapter may be.
We hope that despite the subpar ending of this chapter, and just how rushed it seems in some areas, you were all able to enjoy it. The next chapter should at last allow for us to begin the fluff and healing part of our story as we take a brief stroll down the past to see some of what has been going on while Sara recovered and her reaction to the slight changes Ei has made to her living conditions in her time asleep.
We will see you all in the next chapter, stay safe and have a great day.