CHAPTER ELEVEN: CAPTURE
One week later
Ganyu yawned in her wake to her current temporary bedroom, stretching her limbs and moving to her only window to allow the sunshine in. Sliding the aged drapes, stitched and decorated with the emblem of her host's family, the rays of warm radiant sunshine washed over Ganyu's body like a warm hug. She was currently dressed in a nightgown that Diluc had generously gifted her and Keqing a pair of, much comfortable than the spare attire that Jean had given them as temporary wear.
The material It had been sewn together with was soft and strong, making it easy for her to fall asleep every night over the past week of suspense. Something she had desperately needed ever sense this chaotic trip had started, and had gained a ton of strength back from as a result. A light smile graced her lips as she moved from out to the window's view and undressed her body of the night attire, into a set of clothes that matched her daily clothes she had lost to the destruction of Liyue Harbor.
Diluc had commissioned her and Keqing clothes that they'd feel more "at home" in, Keqing's being easier to describe, due to her still having the same outfit from the night she had nearly lost her life stowed away. Ganyu had found the offer "too much" but eventually was persuaded, and gave Diluc every detail she could remember about her casual attire she'd worn as the secretary of Yuehai Pavillion.
While she couldn't remember every detail, the clothing looked like an exact copy, and when she had seen herself dressed in them for the first time, it felt as if she were back in Liyue Harbor sorting documents and paperwork in her isolated office space. It had brought a tear to her eye, and Keqing had shared the same reaction upon seeing herself back in her Yuheng-occupation dressing.
Tying her long icy locks into their usual ponytail hairstyle, Ganyu finished her waking rituals with a simple sliding of both of her feet into her usual heels, then moved to her door, and down to breakfast. Keqing and Diluc were already feasting on their own choices of morning protein, calories, and vitamins upon her approach, a steaming cup of black coffee rested off to the side of their plates.
Her heels clacking against the marble flooring were what caught their attention, greeting their newest company in earnest.
"Good morning," Keqing greeted with a smile.
"Good morning, Keqing," Ganyu greeted back, smiling and moving to the seat next to her colleague. "I apologize if I slept in."
"It's fine," Diluc assured. "Please, help yourself to whatever you want."
"Just a cup of coffee is fine," Ganyu assured. "I've never been a big partaker in breakfast meals."
Diluc nodded.
"As you wish."
Ganyu nodded in return, moving to the resting coffee pot in the nearby kitchen and pouring herself a piping hot serving. After serving herself, she carefully maneuvered back to the long table her comrades were seated at and took a seat next to Keqing.
"Has there been any news?" Ganyu asked.
Diluc nodded as an answer, following up with more details.
"Your fellow friend came through; as planned, Reshav has taken the bait and should be in Mondstadt this afternoon."
"Is he alone?" Keqing inquired.
"According to what your friend said in her letter, he has no tagalongs, but given the Fatui are crawling all over within Mondstadt's walls, there's no telling if Reshav decided to take extra caution."
"I see," Keqing replied. "In that case, we'll have to be on our toes. This man is the reason Liyue Harbor and Ningguang no longer exist, so we cannot afford to even flinch once."
Ganyu assured her colleague by resting her left hand atop Keqing's right, causing Keqing to turn to her friend in response.
"What happened that night will not happen again," Ganyu assured with confidence. "I refuse to let him hurt you or anyone ever again."
Keqing's cheeks adorned a slight blush, but she smiled at the clear statement and promise.
"Right," Keqing assured back, showing her comrade that she was confident things would be different this time.
"The element of surprise will hopefully be on our side this time," Diluc added. "I promise that you two will not be subjected to the pain you experienced that night. Just go with the plan and we will finally gain a victory against whoever is pulling the strings."
The two nodded, and, as If it were their last meal, allowed themselves time to finish their preferred breakfasts. During the downing of her energy-inducing concoction, Ganyu's thoughts were only a repetitive rehearsal of the steps of the plan, because she was dead serious about putting this bastard somewhere where she could relentlessly wring him dry of every bit of information he had about what was going on behind the scenes.
She didn't care if she had to break his bones, cut his flesh, or beat him to death; she would get answers and deal him the price of mass genocide.
Once they'd finished their respected meals, they each retired to their respective quarters to prepare for the battle ahead. Ganyu had contemplated on leaving her vision behind, seeing elemental attacks were pointless, up until she remembered that Lisa had been tasked with finding a counterspell to the issue. She just burned into her mind to not use her elemental powers, until she knew it was safe to do so, grabbing her bow, speaking a prayer to Morax, and finally, moving back to the foyer to meet up with her company.
Upon meeting the area, Keqing was armed with her sword and carried a look of focus, and Diluc's back was adorned with a massive claymore.
Everyone was ready to finally meet and serve this bastard his just desserts.
"Let's go," Diluc ordered, to which Keqing and Ganyu followed, exiting the winery and starting for the gates of Mondstadt.
An oppressive group of grey clouds lingered over the city of Mondstadt as Ganyu took her position. She had not even passed the gate of the city, and had taken guard in a spot where she was well-hidden. As for her companions, they had proceeded to Angel's Share to meet up with Jean and the others for a last minute relay on the plan.
To Ganyu's understanding, the plan was to lure Starchovski somewhere where he couldn't be seen by any prying Fatui, and once he was trapped, would be detained and taken somewhere else to be questioned. The detainment would be where Yelan would come in, having spoken with Jean over the past week about the current course of action.
She had decided to be the one to submit Starchovski, being more trained to drop enemies to their knees, even well-trained Fatui soldiers. Yelan was definitely the best shot and candidate, so it was decided.
Ganyu would be the eyes for Starchovski's arrival, and would signal Amber, atop the stone wall of Mondstadt, to fire a pyro-infused arrow into the sky. That would be the alert for Jean and the others, residing in the Knights of Favonius Headquarters to prepare for their target's arrival. From there, Kaeya would escort Reshav into the building and that would be the cue for someone on the outside to lock the doors.
Thereon, things would get dangerous, but Yelan had devised a clever tactic to get Reshav to a point where he could be submitted by elemental attacks; by lacing the door with the counterspell. It was a clever idea based off of predictable human tactics, the first instinct in an uncomfortable situation being to exit through the closest door.
Once he touched it, not only will it make him vulnerable to elemental attacks, but will also inflict a searing dose of excruciating pain to his nerves. Enough pain to drop any human or non-human. Once submitted, Reshav would be rendered defenseless and knocked out by either the pain or a strike by Keqing.
On surface, it seemed full proof, but Ganyu had seen many plans like these fail due to one overseen mistake. She wasn't expecting this to go smooth at all, and knew that once Reshav was through that gate, she wouldn't just stay put. That's exactly why Liyue Harbor was destroyed, and she wasn't going to let Starchovski claim anymore lives.
Everybody was ready to do their part in catching this maniac, and upon the distant church bell of Mondstadt ringing out twelve times, the time was close to Reshav's arrival. To be sure she wouldn't be caught by the slightest glimpse of her foe's eye, she retracted more from her small opening in the tree just twenty yards off the left side of the bridge. She knew she was very well camouflaged, but there was nothing wrong with making sure she was absolutely undetectable by anyone except the squirrels residing in the tree's thick cover of branches and pine needles.
Time passed, but around twenty minutes after the chiming of the Mondstadt Cathedral's bell, a lone man came into view at the opposite side of the bridge. He was tall and slender, dressed in attire that Ganyu recognized as Snezhnayan, and appeared older in age.
Ganyu knew very well that he was their target, and had to do everything possible to prevent herself from firing an arrow through his head. While he had been cloaked that night, every fiber of her being knew that this was the very person that had murdered her boss and destroyed her home.
As he came to the gate, Ganyu watched the bridge for any unwanted stowaways, and was glad to see that no activity had occurred. It was a minute before Reshav had finally met all of the customs of the new security system Jean had ordered for her knights to follow, and once he had passed the threshold, Ganyu watched as the scheduled signal had taken to the sky like a miniature asteroid or comet.
It had been fired high enough to avoid going no farther than Cider Lake upon its descent. The last thing needed in this current situation was an accidental forest fire, so Amber had made sure to angle her shot to where the water of the reservoir would simmer it out. Ganyu trusted Amber enough to know her shot would be seen from the windows of Jean's office, so, she awaited the next phase of her part of the plan.
Amber would signal her from outside the gate to come out as soon as she saw Reshav make it far enough into the city. The next part of the scheme was to shut the gates, but it had to be done when Reshav met the upper section of Mondstadt, so she awaited Amber's presence to meet the outside of the gate.
Around two minutes later, Amber had made it to the outside of the main entrance, and signalled her to climb down from the tree. Ganyu followed, and carefully made her way down, meeting up with her red clad comrade at the archway of the opening to Mondstadt's inner city.
"Well, that went surprisingly well," Amber celebrated.
"Indeed, but we best still be on our toes," Ganyu ordered. "While he may be in the walls, there's no telling what's going to happen when the time comes to catch him."
"Understood," Amber agreed. "The gates will be closed as soon as Kaeya's informant near the Knights of Favonius Headquarters sees our target enter the building. From there, I guess it's up to Jean and the others to finish the job."
Ganyu nodded.
"Take a deep breath, Amber. Once he enters that building and these gates close, the real battle begins."
Jean's office door opened to the sight of said person seated at her desk, entering her trusted calvary captain and a man dressed in Snezhnayan attire that clarified his identity. Jean's eyes averted from her desk to her new company, knowing that she had to be careful; the plan had reached the most critical state, and she had to play every one of her cards right.
"This man requests your attention," Kaeya played, going along with everything he had been directed to do.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Starchovski," Jean greeted as she would with any guest. "Please, have a seat and we'll discuss the matters that were stated in my letter."
"Gladly," Reshav agreed. "I'm pleased to be in the company of such a noble individual, unlike the mongrels that questioned and harassed me at your gate."
Seating himself, Kaeya took his leave and moved across the corridor to Lisa's library. Once he reached her desk, he stated only a simple confirmation that gave Lisa assurance to proceed.
"The rat is in the trap."
Lisa followed with a smile, moving from her desk, out of her humble abode of a massive collection of literature, fiction, and nonfiction. She moved back to the corridor with Kaeya, and began her work by enchanting the doors with some sort of powerful spell she had conjured from her most ancient spellbooks. The spell radiated a blue glow, but carried an essence of danger. Something that only heavily experienced mages such as Lisa herself could sense immediately upon meeting its range.
It was clear that the spell made Lisa uncomfortable, but she powered through the unease that the hex caused her, knowing she only had limited time and had to do this for the sake of not just Mondstadt, but the entirety of Teyvat.
Upon finishing the final casting, she found herself clenching her chest and struggling to catch her breath. There was no doubt the spell was powerful and took a ton of energy to cast effectively, but the task was done, and that was enough for Lisa to smile at. Kaeya assisted his fellow knight back to her feet and back to the comfort of her desk in the library, to which Lisa accepted and followed.
Once she was back in her preferred space, Kaeya moved to the next phase of the plan, treading to the most distant desk in the massive space of books, shelves, and silence. At the desk was one lone occupant, their face cloaked by a book, but her two long violet locks of hair being enough to clarify her identity.
"Everything's in place," Kaeya addressed, causing the recipient to lower her practical mask and meet Kaeya's gaze.
"Good. Now, we just need to pray that he doesn't suspect anything," Keqing replied.
"Indeed," Kaeya agreed. "However, my question to you is do you think you're ready to face the very person responsible for your current situation?"
Keqing wore a stern expression, nodding her head in assurance.
"I am. While he did cause all of this, I also know that he's the key to figuring out the next course of action, so you don't need to worry about me making any reckless decisions."
Kaeya nodded.
"That's great to hear, because I have a feeling things are about to get pretty interesting. Best be in our right minds going into the next phase of our mission."
"Right."
Keqing averted her gaze to the nearby window, where she could see the view of the darkened clouds masking the skies of Teyvat.
"I just hope everyone is on the same page," she thought to herself. "We can't lose today. The fate of the world depends on it."
A good amount of time passed before Kaeya had alerted Keqing and Lisa to prepare for action. Jean had done all she could to keep Reshav busy, but eventually her attempts to keep him bound to her office met their end and her enemy had gotten up from his seat to take his leave. They had discussed a fictional deal for trade of weapons between Snezhnaya and Mondstadt for advancements in technology.
Reshav had been very interested, causing the meetup to last nearly a full hour; enough time to give the others time to prepare for the incoming brawl. Yelan was in wait on the second floor, her signal to interfere being when Reshav receives his nasty dose of excruciating pain from the counterspell. It would be enough to drop him like a rock, and would give Yelan an opportunity to tie him up with no risk of him fighting back.
That was, only if the spell was enough to drop him. If it wasn't, Keqing and the others would have no choice but to fight him without the use of elemental energy. It was risky, but in a case as such, it was expected, which is what put everyone in full focus mode. Once Reshav touched that exit, it was do or die.
Reshav pushed Jean's office door open, and moved into the corridor, unaware of what awaited him upon his attempt to leave.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Grandmaster Jean," he complimented. "I look forward to our partnership."
"Likewise, Mr. Starchovski," Jean replied, preparing herself. "Safe travels back to Snezhnaya."
Reshav nodded in agreement and started for the exit, placing his right hand on the door handle to open it.
Upon the slightest touch, Reshav's body was injected with Lisa's hex, his body going as stiff as a board and his legs collapsing from underneath him.
"Now!" Jean ordered loud enough for her fellow comrades to hear, to which Keqing, Kaeya, Lisa, and Yelan followed.
The group of friends and allies met Reshav's body instantly, Yelan using her bracelet's string to bind both of his legs together, rendering him unable to separate them or run. She followed up by yanking his grip away from the door and moving fast to bind his two limp arms together. She finished by hogtieing him as an extra precaution, and once done, dragged her catch to the center of the corridor.
Everyone was still at full alert, knowing that this man was capable of inhuman tactics and murder. Therefore, Yelan made sure the strength of her knots was solid before allowing anyone to approach. Once she was sure, she allowed her fellow comrades to come forth.
Keqing was the first to move, closing in on her greatest enemy with just enough restriction to avoid crushing the bastard's skull to nothing but a bloody pulp. Instead, she just eyed Reshav with disgust and victory, saying only one thing to his bound body.
"Remember me?"
Reshav's eyes slowly shifted to Keqing's, standing high above him. He was slowly losing consciousness, so Keqing made sure that her next words were heard loud and clear.
"I survived."
Reshav tried to say something, but fell unconscious before the words could escape his throat.
Having had her word with him, Keqing turned to her band of allies and stated one last thing.
"Take him away," Keqing ordered. "I'll go get Ganyu for the next course of action."
"Gladly," Yelan answered. "Don't worry, he's not going anywhere while he's in my grasp."
Jean added her own words amongst the victory of their efforts.
"Be sure to exit Mondstadt undetected. We can't have the Fatui suspecting anything."
"Don't worry, I'll take the back way that I entered through," Keqing assured. "The Fatui have no idea I'm even here, nor that this monster is even in any sort of danger."
Jean nodded in assurance.
"Alright. Be safe, Lady Keqing. I'll be waiting here to escort you to where we plan to take him for interrogation. A place where we will not be interrupted, shall the Fatui get suspicious."
Keqing nodded then departed the building, making sure not to touch the handle on her way out.
Upon the door closing, Jean turned to Lisa.
"Best remove those hexes from the doors, Lisa. We don't want a fellow knight to accidentally end up like our target here."
Lisa smiled at the statement.
"As you wish, but in return for the amount of energy I've had to use just to cast these spells, I'd like you to buy me a drink at Angel's Share after we're finished playing with this brute."
Jean giggled at the condition, not surprised at it the slightest bit.
"I'd say that's fair, but first, let's get our newest guest settled in."
Yelan caught the order and followed it, her partner, Kaeya, assisting her in picking up Reshav and leading her to their next destination; a secret area of Mondstadt that had been abandoned ever since the days of the Lawrence Clan's cruel reign over the city.
The Mondstadt Catacombs.