Time for Chapter 15

Finally, the part where I can bring on the action. Especially now that the hurricane has passed, things can go back to normal. For this big chapter, I'll have Anakin do a slight side quest with the Traveler, before meeting with the others on Starsnatch Cliff.

Just to put this out there, the Anakin in this story has the Episode lll outfit as his default clothes, and will sometimes wear his brown Jedi robe. And sometimes, wear his Clone Wars armor, only when facing larger/stronger enemies.

Also, I'm wondering if I should use his Jedi robes from the Episode Vl ending, when he's a Force Ghost.

With that out of the way, time for me to begin, please enjoy the story!!

Jean POV - Dawn Winery (Mondstadt-Territory)

As been ten minutes since Anakin and the Traveler left for Mondstadt, as for me, I have been preparing with Master Diluc for our journey to Starsnatch Cliff. Focused on my preparations, I didn't notice Master Diluc approach me.

"Ahem"

"Oh! Diluc. Forgive me, I was a little preoccupied at the moment. Is there something you need?" I asked and apologized.

"Not exactly, just curious about what you and that man were talking about" He explained.

"Oh, I see. Nothing too serious, he was just curious about the Holy Lyre der Himmel, along with asking about the purpose of The Knights of Favonius" I explained.

"Understandable. It's only natural for an outlander to be curious about such things" Diluc responded, arms crossed. "Although, I don't think he'll see eye to eye with The Knights if you explained the entire situation with the Fatui to him"

"All we are trying to do, is keep the peace and avoid anymore pointless conflicts" I explained to him.

"Hm, there is no point in 'peace' if all you are going to do is let them take advantage of you" He pointed out.

"That's not happening" I shot back. "At least...I won't let it get to that point" I muttered.

"From where we are standing, I'd say they already are" Master Diluc bluntly stated.

Ouch, that was a heavy blow... "...You're right. I have let this situation get to this point" I admitted, taking him aback. "But I won't, let them get away with this. As The Acting Grand Master, I will bring the Fatui to justice for what they have done" I boldly announced.

Silent for just a moment, Diluc eventually responds. "If that's what you're aiming for, then I am more than willing enough to help you"

"You are?" I questioned.

"Obviously. If there is one thing I can hold above all, it is to see The Fatui be gone from Mondstadt" He bluntly admits.

"Diluc...?" I stood bewildered.

"The safety and wellbeing of Mondstadt means a lot to me. And to see they're plan fail, would most definitely lighten my mood" Diluc finished.

"I see...then, I guess we shouldn't wait any longer now, should we?" I replied.

"Exactly" He casually responded. "I'll go fetch the bard, we set off for Starsnatch Cliff in five minutes, don't keep us waiting" and with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

"sigh This entire journey is filled with unexpected turns" I muttered to myself, putting my things away. "I should definitely write a letter to Barbara, she's probably worried about me, we haven't spoken since the Stormterror incident"

Speaking of which, I wonder how Mondstadt is fairing in my absence.

Aether POV - Mondstadt (Inner City)

"Ah...we're back!" Paimon cheered as we walked past the city gates.

"Don't get too comfortable, kid. We only need to get a few...things" Anakins' mood changed, confused by the absence of life and cheer of the Main Street.

"That's strange, I've never seen Mondstadt become so silent, even if I haven't been here long enough to know what might be happening" I thought to myself, heading over to the reception desk for my commission rewards.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to The Adventures' Guild" The receptionist at the desk greeted.

"Good afternoon, Katheryne. I finally got to finish my tasks for today" I responded, rubbing the back of my head.

"Thank you for completing today's commissions. Here is your reward" She replied, smiling just a little as she wrote off the paperwork.

"Um, excuse me, Katheryne. But would you happen to know what's going on around here?" I asked, a look of confusion on my face.

"Hm? In what way do you mean?" The receptionist asks again.

"Well, everything here seems to be suddenly quiet. Even the birds seem to be silent" I told her, looking around at the other businesses.

"I see, to be truthful with you, young traveler. From what I know, The Knights of Favonius have been mobilizing around Mondstadt, more guards around the walls than usual" Katheryne tells me, putting away her paperwork.

Curious, Paimon speaks up "Mobilizing? Why would the Knights of Favonius need to-"

"Hey guys!" A feminine voice called out, joined by the sound of distant running.

"Huh? Oh! Look! It's Amber!" Paimon cheered, waving at our enthusiastic, Outrider friend.

"Hey Traveler! Paimon, Anakin, you're all back! Did you manage to restore The Holy Lyre? I mean-! Nothing, nothing..." Amber quickly reorganized herself, acting innocent.

"Oh, um. So I guess you heard about that, huh?" I asked her, rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, I wasn't exactly eavesdropping or anything, more like-"

"You were listening to my little conversation with The Acting Grand Master, weren't you?" Anakin interrupted, arms crossed.

"Huh? How did you...?" She mumbled in confusion.

"I can do more than just fight, kid. I was a Knight at one point after all, I'm open to my senses" Anakin explained.

"Wait! You were a Knight?! How come I've never seen you around here before?" Amber asked, bewilderment on her face.

"sigh I didn't mean one of YOUR Knights, Amber. I'm from-"

"Hold on! I think we're getting off topic here, we still don't know why everything is so quiet all of a sudden, remember?" I reminded them, having to shout a little.

"Wait, you haven't heard the warnings yet?" Amber questioned.

"Uhhh..." Paimon basically answered.

"Oh dear" The Outrider mumbled. "Earlier this day, when I was practicing in the Whispering Woods, I spotted a numerous amount of Hilichurls gathered around a large campsite. I don't know what they were doing, but If it's this close to Mondstadt, then it's definitely nothing good" She explained to us.

"That's not good. Traveler, do you think we should take a look into that?" Paimon asked.

"That sounds like a good idea, I couldn't really take a further look into it because I was by myself. But if we all go, we can handle whatever is thrown at us" Amber explains, smiling a little.

"Well, we only came here to grab a few supplies for our journey to Starsnatch Cliff. Besides, I don't think Anakin is up for another-"

"Count me in" Skywalker bluntly responded.

"Wait, what?" I was taken aback.

"I may not be a Knight anymore. But that doesn't mean my ideals have changed, If I have the chance to save innocents, I'll take it" Anakin states, standing tall as the sunlight shines above him.

"Wooow... that's so noble" Amber praises, amazed by him.

"You're eyes are shining, Amber" Paimon points out, literally pointing.

"Huh?! N-No they're not!" The girl in red cried out, blushing from embarrassment.

Among everyone beginning to talk back and forth, I realized that we've lost the topic at hand, ONCE AGAIN. "Everyone! Calm down please" I shoutout, holding their attention. "Let's just...get our stuff first and then we can head off for Whispering Woods. Is that okay with you, Amber?"

"Oh, uh. It's okay with me, I'll help you with your stuff too, If you want me too" Amber suggested. "Besides, does Anakin have anything other than his 'sword-thingy?'"

"Uhhh..." I couldn't give an answer.

"I carry a second weapon, a knife, and my robes. I store my armor elsewhere" Anakin responds.

"Sooo...not a lot, right?" Paimon bluntly states, earning a few stares.

"So that settles it then? We grab a few things before we head off?" I ask.

"Exactly!" Amber agreed before turning to Anakin. "If you want, I can help you find things you might need for your missions and stuff"

"Sure, I won't need too much though. Just need a backpack and a map, that's all" Skywalker

"Really? Just those two? Are you sure?" Amber questioned as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Of course, I don't want to be a burden on you after all" The former Knight replied, smiling for a moment.

"Huh, they seem to be getting along very well, it seems" I thought to myself, watching those two talk back and forth.

"ahem! That all seems good then. Now then, should we check out the Adventures' Guild first?" Amber suggested.

"Sounds like a plan" I responded. "Lead the way, Outrider Amber" I cheered her on, watching as we made our way around Mondstadt, completely unaware of the stranger watching us from up-above on the rooftops.

Amber POV - Mondstadt (Adventures' Guild)

After almost an hour of looking around and buying a few items, we stopped by the benches above the water fountain. "So, do we all have everything we need?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm all ready with my stuff" Traveler answered as he slung his new backpack over his shoulder.

"Paimon is ready too! She even has a coin pouch to store her Mora!" Paimon cheered, holding up her new pouch.

"That coin pouch is going to either be empty, or full by the end of the week" Traveler joked, teasing her a little.

"Hey! So rude" She shouted, cheeks puffed out, making me laugh for a bit.

"Mora? Are those like Credits here?" Anakin asked, I'm assuming that may be the currency of his world, maybe.

"Credits? Is...that what you call money where you're from?" I asked him, wanting to know a little more about him. "What about you, Traveler? Does money have a different name where you're from?" I also asked him.

"Pretty much" Skywalker bluntly admitted, crossing his arms. "Never had much on me though, even now I have..." He pauses, pulling out a handful of gold, silver, and copper bars, all in different shapes and sizes! "...Huh, enough for a few drinks actually" He simply stated.

"You drink!?" Paimon yelled out in astonishment.

"No. It was a joke, but my old comrades sure did, after every major battle it seemed" Anakin told her, recounting memories from his world it seemed.

"Whoaaa...you fought in ACTUAL battles before?! When?! And how many did you win?!" I asked him. "I hope my eyes aren't shining, that would be a little embarrassing" I thought to myself.

In that instant, the moment those words left my mouth, I could see the light in his eyes fade, warmth replaced by an indescribable cold.

"Anakin?" The voice of The Traveler breaks the cold silence. "We should be going now, we have less than five hours until sunset" He explained, seeming to be unbothered by quick, yet sudden silence.

"...Of course, The Acting Grand Master and others are waiting for us after all, right? We shouldn't have them wait any longer, let's go Aether" Anakin tells him, throwing his own backpack on.

"Exactly, I'm already ready for the walk there" Traveler answers, walking over to him. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Everything I need, is all accounted for" Skywalker replies, casually smirking.

"Then I guess we should get-"

"Wait, Traveler" I interrupted him, walking over to them. "Take this" I handed him a small bag.

"Ohhh...Is it more Mora?" Paimon asked, stars in her tiny eyes.

"Haha. Of course not, it's crystals that can enhance your weapons, should you run into any big enemies, give these a try" I explained to them.

"Sounds useful" Anakin agreed, "We'll make sure to remember that. Thanks, Amber"

After a few more seconds of conversation, they said their farewells and left, making their way over the bridge and towards Starsnatch Cliff. "Huh...that was an interesting conversation" I said to myself. Another thing I found interesting, is why would he choose a white backpack, probably as a token to his past.

Especially that strange symbol he drew on the back, some black circle with a bunch of interceptioning lines. "Huh, I wonder what that means"

Aether POV - Mondstadt (Outskirts)