Ch. 13 – Abyssal Intervention

Kaeya breathes a sigh of relief as Master Varka's words ring through Springvale. He stands on the stage set up in front of Dawn Winery's makeshift bar, and behind him is the Seneschal. Grand Master Varka's face splits into a wide smile and raises his mug high into the air. "With these parting words, I declare that this Weinlesefest has been the best one yet! To the Anemo Archon!" he shouts.

The people surrounding the stage, including Crepus, mimic his movement and echo back, "To the Anemo Archon!" After a brief moment when they all share a drink, the noise from the cheery crowds and music from some bards on the stage starts right back up.

Crepus returns to the bar after a few minutes of mingling with people, where Kaeya and Diluc wait for him at a small table nearby. While Kaeya is delighted to finally go home and stay there for a while, Diluc doesn't share his sentiments and looks up at Crepus when he arrives. "Do we really have to go back home?" he asks.

Crepus chuckles and pats his head. "Yes, we really have to go back home," he answers. "We have to get you both home, and you have training tomorrow. Master Varka will be upset if you're too tired to show up, won't he?"

He pouts and he whines, "But we have all day! Master Varka's going to be here! How come I can't?"

"Master Varka is an adult and can do whatever he wants."

Kaeya wishes he could still use that excuse.

Diluc, on the other hand, pouts and gives Crepus his best puppy eyes. "Can't we just stay a little longer and play some more, Father? Just a few more games?"

He shakes his head immediately as he begins to gather his coat. "Nah-ah-ah, a knight doesn't whine."

Diluc's face returns to normal and in a monotone voice he says, "I'm off duty."

Kaeya hides his laugh behind his fist.

Their father sighs. "My answer is final, Diluc." He rolls the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, carrying his coat under his arm as he begins to walk. "Come along, both of you. The barrels are loaded and there's plenty of room in the back for you to sit."

He leads the way through the festival, and Kaeya stays close to his side as Diluc drags his feet behind them. He has to try not to laugh, he hasn't seen a temperamental Diluc in a very, very long time. He's used to getting his way and obviously is not happy whenever Crepus puts his foot down. It's a rare occurrence, but sometimes Kaeya would like for him to say 'no' more often.

He steps over a fallen loaf of bread near an empty stall that a young woman is packing away. They aren't the only ones that are packing up early. In fact, many of the stalls that sold food or offered games to play are already gone, leaving a vacant space between the others that are still there. The Dawn Winery's bar is one of the few that remain and will likely stay until the end of the night, or until the last of the wine is gone. Kaeya knows that once their stock has been depleted, many residents will return home but there are some that will travel to the city and visit Angel's Share to drink their fill.

Crepus has worked all week and despite how tired he is and the bags under his eyes, he seems happy that Weinlesefest has finally come to an end. The festival is the most profitable time of the year for Dawn Winery and Angel's Share and while Kaeya is sure his father is happy about the profits, he knows he needs a few days off to recuperate.

They stop walking once they reach an open wagon, similar to the ones that took the wine from Dawn Winery to Dornman Port. It's much smaller, and only three empty barrels lay in the back of the wagon closest to the driver's seat. At the very front is Lilly, already waiting and rearing to go as soon as she spots them arrive. Kaeya smiles. All this standing around strapped to a wagon would make him bored and itching to leave as soon as possible, too. He climbs into the back first and takes a seat on one side while Diluc climbs on the other.

It's not long before Crepus snaps the reins and they start to go. Diluc watches Springvale go by and sighs dramatically as it disappears behind them. "Goodbye for now, Weinlesefest!" he says. "I'll miss you!"

"It'll be back next year, Diluc," Crepus says reassuringly from the front.

"I know, but I miss it already."

"It's literally been five minutes," Kaeya says. "I can't wait to go home."

Diluc rolls his eyes. "You're such a homebody."

"What? No, I'm not." He rather enjoys his time outside. It makes time pass by much quicker than if he stayed inside all day long.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Boys, stop fighting," Crepus warns.

"We're not fighting," Kaeya tells him.

Diluc nods. "Yeah, we're just having a mature discussion with each other to see whether or not Kaeya is truly a homebody or not."

"That doesn't sound like a mature discussion," Crepus says and glances over his shoulder.

Kaeya huffs at Diluc, "Which the answer to your statement is no, I'm not a homebody. I like to go outside and enjoy the sun and catch crystal flies."

Diluc scoffs playfully. "Liar."

"Believe what you will, dear brother, but I wouldn't lie about that." He is a liar in many different things, but being a homebody is not one of them.

"Then how come you haven't brought me a crystal fly core?"

"I can get you one if I want to. You can't come with me 'cause you'll scare them all away."

Crepus turns back around with a sigh and mutters something under his breath that neither of them can hear. Perhaps he's wishing now that he left them both at home this morning instead of going dragging them all the way to Springvale again.

Traveling by wagon is slower than going alone on horseback, and since they have a near-full load, they stay along the northernmost road leading to Dawn Winery, as it's easiest on not only the wagon and its wheels but on Lilly's hooves as well.

Kaeya wishes he brought a book with him for the ride back. The ride there wasn't too bad, but it was early and Lilly didn't have to drag a full cart of barrels and three humans behind her. At least Diluc is sitting still now. This morning, he could hardly remain in one place without needing to stand up and have Crepus tell him to sit back down.

He yawns as they reach the cliff and shade washes over them. They still have at least another hour before they finally get back home. After a full week of festivities and helping Elzer ferment the wine they want to give to Crepus, he's dead tired. Waking up at the crack of dawn every day with barely any sleep will thankfully slow down now that Diluc will return to his training tomorrow.

He rubs a hand over his face. He sounds like an old man—

The wagon jerks to a stop so abruptly and harshly, he yelps as he's flung off his seat and into the barrels beside him. Pain sprouts from his shoulder and Diluc fares the same fate, wincing as he holds his shoulder. Kaeya rolls his left arm carefully and is grateful nothing feels sprained or dislocated. "Ow," he mumbles. It still hurt.

Crepus quickly spins around in his seat, also startled but otherwise fine. "Are you two all right?" he asks.

Kaeya nods. "I'm okay," he answers.

"What's going on?" Diluc asks, confusion flashing across his face as he looks around.

Kaeya leans over the edge of the wagon and sees one of the wheels is covered in thick ice, as if it had rolled over some kind of trap a boar hunter had buried, and seals it to the muddy ground. Diluc comes beside him and tilts his head curiously. "Ice?" he mumbles.

Crepus sets the reins down next to him and slides out of his seat to inspect the damage. He kneels next to the frozen wheel, gingerly placing his hand against the hard ice. He inhales sharply and pulls his fingers away quickly. "Gods, that's cold," he says under his breath. Kaeya snorts with amusement and opens his mouth to say something like, of course it's cold, it's ice, but Crepus glances at him with narrowed eyes. "Not a word, Kaeya."

"I wasn't going to say anything," he insists.

"Mhm." Crepus looks at Diluc. "Diluc, can you melt this?"

"Sure!" He swings his legs over the edge of the wagon and nimbly jumps out of the wagon. Once he's on the ground, he squats down to place his hands against the ice. It slowly begins to melt and steam rises from where his hands are resting against it.

Kaeya tunes their conversation out and looks around. It's too quiet in the gorge; he can't hear the normal sounds of the birds or the wind. Lilly's ears begin to twitch, hearing something Kaeya can't see or hear himself. He's always trusted a horse's instinct, and the way her ears rotate makes him tense. Alarm bells are starting to go off in his head, and he clutches the wagon tighter. "We have to go," he tells the two redheads.

"Hold on," Diluc replies. "I'm almost done."

No, he isn't. He's barely made a dent against the ice. Kaeya shakes his head, and tries to catch Crepus' attention by telling him, "We can leave the wagon here and come back to get it later. We aren't alone."

Crepus glances at him and then eyes Lilly at the uncharacteristic way she's starting to toss her head. "Hey, hey," he says and goes to her side. "It's okay." He pats her neck to try and calm her down and then looks at Kaeya. "Diluc is almost finished. We can spare a minute or two."

"But something is—"

He's interrupted by a fiery arrow slamming into the ground right next to Crepus and the man flinches away from it. He looks up in alarm and Kaeya spins around when he hears a loud, "Ya!"

A lone hilichurl sits on a rock on the other side of the gorge with a reloaded crossbow in its hands. From where it came from, Kaeya has no idea. There aren't many hiding spots and for the most part, hilichurls tend to avoid this road because of the heavy traffic of travelers in the area.

Kaeya curses under his breath as it fires again and barely misses him. He ducks to avoid the bolt and hears it bury itself into the rocks behind them. Little pebbles shoot upward and graze his cheek but he pays little attention to them, instead jumping out of the wagon to hide behind the frozen wheel for more cover.

Diluc, on the other hand, quickly stands and summons his claymore, leaping forward to dispatch the monster. "Diluc, wait!" Crepus says worriedly, but his call goes unheeded as the younger redhead brings his claymore down on the monster.

It barely puts up a fight, clearly not expecting any kind of retaliation that fast. With only two swings from the large blade, the hilichurl falls to the ground with a thump and its dying cry echoes between the cliff walls.

As soon as he's sure it's dead, Diluc looks around for other monsters, the grip on his weapon tightening. Despite the brave face he has on, Kaeya can tell he's nervous. It's most likely the first time he's ever fought without help from more experienced knights with him.

Crepus glances at Kaeya. "Stay there," he says and stands to rush to Diluc's side.

He obeys, only because of the worry Crepus fails to hide from him. He glances back at the frozen wheel with a frown. Hilichurls don't use traps like this, they tend to attack head-on with flailing clubs and throwing rocks at people. An ambush like this isn't their style.

He watches the eldest Ragnvindr reach Diluc and then notices that Lilly hasn't calmed down. Her distressed whinnying catches Crepus and Diluc's attention as well. It's still far too quiet, except for a distinct noise of something teleporting nearby.

Kaeya looks down the road, tensing when he sees a cryo Abyss Mage appear with three other hilichurls with it. He's not sure if he's thankful that these hilichurls don't have crossbows or not. Clubs are just as deadly as arrows and crossbow bolts.

"Father, get back," Diluc warns, his eyes locked onto the monsters. He readies his claymore again, taking a more defensive stance.

A shield forms around the mage and with its tiny arm, it raises its staff and points it at Diluc and Crepus. "Kill the red ones," it orders the hilichurls with a distorted voice in a long-forgotten language.

Kaeya looks at the two older Ragnvindrs with alarm. The hilichurls rush forward, swinging their clubs wildly in the air with loud cries. "Father, move!" Diluc shouts. Heat from his vision builds around him rapidly and he raises his weapon above his shoulder.

Crepus is forced to take a few steps back to avoid being burned by the pyro that's forming at his eldest son's feet. The mage puts its free hand against its forehead, getting ready to teleport away.

"Burn!" Diluc swings his claymore forward and sends a flaming phoenix at the monsters. One of the hilichurls is immediately caught in his attack, screeching in agony as it's burned while the other two are able to dodge it.

Kaeya grits his teeth together. He feels useless just hiding behind the wagon and watches Diluc fight off the two hilichurls. He wishes he could help him, but weaponless and visionless, he can do nothing but stay out of his way. Crepus has picked up the first hilichurl's fallen crossbow and shoots the bolt at the other monster that had escaped Diluc's initial attack. It strikes true and the hilichurl stumbles back before it could land a hit against Diluc.

A wave of cold rolls up behind Kaeya. He quickly spins around as the mage teleports right next to him, its shield still up and freezes the damp ground below it. Shit! His senses aren't what they should be. It must have teleported right after Diluc sent his attack, using it as a distraction to get away.

Kaeya's only thought now is that he needs something to protect himself. He needs a weapon, anything at this point. He's too far to reach the fallen hilichurls and their clubs and he quickly looks around his feet to find something. His eye is drawn to a rock that's near his foot.

It won't do much against a mage's shield, but if it comes to a close-quarters fight, a rock can do a lot of damage if it strikes the right place. He quickly grabs it, heart pounding against his chest as the mage tilts its head at him curiously.

He doesn't know why it's not attacking him. The mage places its free hand on its chest and bows its head. It completely ignores the fight on the other side of the wagon, not caring if the hilichurls it brought die or not. The gesture bewilders Kaeya and he hesitates before he makes any kind of move. It's bowing? Why is it bowing?

"We must make haste," it says to him. "I apologize for the rough treatment, my prince." The mage straightens and drops its shield.

The statement makes him freeze and he stares at it with a wide eye. Had he heard that right? "What did you call me?" he whispers. 'My prince?' What the hell?

It doesn't answer him. Quicker than he can recover from his shock, it snatches his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip with its tiny arm. "Come," it says in the common tongue.

"Kaeya!" he hears Crepus shout.

He rapidly comes back to his senses when he hears his father's cry. He digs his heels into the ground and clutches the rock in his other hand tighter. "Let go!" he snaps. He brings the rock down onto its arm as hard as he can, smashing it against its forearm with as much strength as he can muster.

The hit Kaeya deals against it is not enough to break anything but it's enough to force the mage to let him go and screech in pain. Now that it knows he's not defenseless, it glares at him and raises its staff to the sky. Cryo begins to build at its tip, readying an attack he can't block with a rock. He has to get away before it decides to freeze him in place.

He's not used to feeling fear when faced against a mage. This is just a simple mage, he's taken down so many of them before, and yet, his heart pounds hard against his chest. If it wants him dead, he would have been killed by now. He doesn't feel like dying again, who knows if he'd wake up a third time. Thankfully, it seems like it wants him alive.

But that doesn't make him feel any better. The Abyss doesn't take prisoners. They also don't target a vintner and his family, set traps, and ambush them. Does it have something to do with his dying and coming back to life ordeal? Is this attack his fault?

He sees the mage move and he brings himself back to reality. The staff is pointed directly at him now and just before it throws the cryo at him, the tip of a large blade is suddenly shoved through its back and stabs through its stomach.

Kaeya is just as startled as the mage. When had Diluc gotten to them?

The mage drops its staff and the cryo that had been floating in front of it dissipates. The staff lands on the ground with a puff of dust and mud that gets on his clothes. The mage gasps and looks behind it to see who is behind it. When it sees Diluc, it looks more offended than anything and says in broken common, "You?! H-how?"

Diluc glares at the monster with venom in his eyes. He pushes the claymore deeper as he spits out, "Leave my brother alone!"

The mage gurgles in pain and shock as he yanks the claymore out. With the last of its strength, it turns its eyes toward Kaeya and reaches out for him with its small arm. In its mother tongue, it utters, "My p…prince… G-grant… us…"

There it is again.

What does it mean? 'My prince?' Grant it what? He isn't a prince; he never has been one. The only thing that comes to mind is Khaenri'ah, but even then, the Alberich clan was just a regent family. Kaeya doesn't care about the fallen nation. Years ago, he thought he did. He fully believed he owed something to Khaenri'ah.

But that was back when he thought his birth father would return to take him home. Before he finally realized he wasn't coming back. Now when he thinks of home, he thinks of open skies, gentle winds, rolling green hills, and the Ragnvindrs. Khaenri'ah is just an afterthought in the back of his mind.

The mage goes limp before it can do or say anything else. Whatever the abyssal monster wanted, it's too late for any questions. It's dead before it hits the ground.

Kaeya stares at the body for a few seconds and then takes a breath. It's over. Diluc dismisses his blade and before Kaeya can ask if he's all right, they're both pulled into a bone-crushing hug by Crepus. He holds them close, as if afraid that if he lets go, they'll simply vanish into thin air. "Are you all right?" he asks them and pulls away. "Neither of you are hurt, are you?"

Diluc shakes his head. "I'm okay," he replies softly.

Kaeya also nods, "Me too."

Crepus sighs in relief and pulls them into another tight hug. Then he smiles and looks at Diluc. "I'm so proud of you, Diluc. Thank you for saving Kaeya."

Diluc beams proudly. The shock he is in slowly ebbs away. Even Kaeya feels far safer beside their father. "You were super cool too, Father! You should be a great knight!"

Crepus smiles, a sad look in his eyes that Diluc misses. "No, I don't think I would be," he replies. He frowns when Diluc puts a hand against his head. "Diluc? Are you all right?"

He starts to sway on his feet and Kaeya is afraid he's going to faint when he pales significantly. Elemental exhaustion. He's seen it plenty of times—hell, he's experienced it himself more than his fair share. Diluc nods as Crepus holds him up. "I'm really… really tired," he mutters.

"You used too much of your vision," Kaeya says. Pyro visions react strongly to their users emotions; he isn't surprised Diluc is so tired when the fight is over. It's one of many reasons why Master Varka puts him through so much vision training. "You just need to rest and try not to use your vision for a while."

Crepus looks at the wagon. It's battered on one side, crossbow bolts sticking out of its side and the frozen wheel on the other. It isn't going anywhere anytime soon. He looks back at Kaeya. "Keep an eye on him. I'll unhitch Lilly and you two can ride her back. I'll walk beside you."

The rest of their time on the road is thankfully quiet and there are no unexpected ambushes by monsters of any kind. The only other thing they see on the road is a passing knight and Kaeya tries not to glare at him. Where was he when they were being attacked? They could have used the help.

He sighs and keeps hold of the back of Diluc's shirt. The older boy fights to stay awake, and more than once does he begin to tip forward just enough for Crepus to reach up and stop him from falling over. He jerks himself awake every time but complains that he just wants to go to bed when they get home.

It's dark by the time they reach the steps of the manor. Diluc doesn't even try to get off of Lilly on his own and lets Crepus lift him up and carry him inside while Elzer helps Kaeya down before taking Lilly to the stables.

Diluc sleeps what little there is left of the day and all through the night. Despite being reassured that he will be all right and just needs rest, Crepus hardly leaves his side. It's near midnight when he finally sends Kaeya to bed.

Kaeya crawls into the sheets with a concerned look. "You should get some rest," he says to him.

"I will, Kaeya," Crepus replies. He comes to his side and sits on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure you're all right? That monster didn't hurt you, did it?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm all right." He won't tell him what the monster called him; that's something he needs to ask Dainsleif the next time he sees him. He takes in Crepus' tired appearance and lays down. "You need to sleep. Diluc will feel guilty if he finds out you stayed awake all night."

He laughs. "I thought I was the father, yet here you are, lecturing me."

He snickers as well. He slowly loses his smile when he sees Crepus lose his, and the man stands up to allow him to roll onto his side and face him. "Diluc will be okay. He just needs to sleep."

"I know, but a father can't help but worry about his children." He heads for the door and steps through it. Before he closes it, he smiles again at him. "Get some rest. I'll ensure Adeline lets you both sleep as late as you need."

With that, the door closes and Kaeya is left alone. He sighs and rolls onto his back again. He raises his right arm, flexing the not-lost limb with a frown and lets it fall back down onto the blanket.

For some reason, the way Crepus told him he worries about him and Diluc makes his stomach churn with anxiety. Kaeya has never prayed to the archons.

Tonight, he prays to Barbatos that this encounter with monsters won't convince Crepus to accept a delusion.