FINAL CHAPTER FOR 2024 (According to CST)! Sorry for the wait on this one, and unfortunately the next chapter might take just as long to be finished.
Morning
8th of June, 1916
City of Mondstadt
"You wish to go to Fort Berther?"
Keqing nodded, "The purpose of my stay here was to meet with the Colonel and begin relations between France and Liyue. If only I had known that he had visited a few days ago, then I would have asked to speak to him directly. Unfortunately, I missed him, so I'm asking you for permission to go to your fort."
The two were just by the city gates, Dubois having previously been overseeing the arrival of some trucks carrying more French goods. The Yuheng approached him when he was taking a break. Dubois nodded along, understanding her frustration, even if she tried to hide it, "I will arrange for your visit, though I must warn you that it may take another day or two before Colonel Augeureau can say when he can speak with you, and I do not know how busy he is at the moment."
"That's fine, I understand." Keqing said, "The sooner we can speak, however, the better."
"I agree. We have put off meeting with your government for too long."
He felt a little guilty not seeking out Keqing earlier. Dubois had been so focused on the ordeal with the Abyss Order and making sure that the French and the people of Mondstadt were at the least tolerant of one another.
"Would you like something to drink?" he asked her. Maybe he could make it up to her with this gesture, "I can acquire a bottle of wine if you would like?"
"I think I'd like that, thank you." she said with a smile.
Dubois wasn't actually sure if he was allowed to just pull a bottle from one of the trucks, but in this case he would prefer to ask for forgiveness than permission. It was a gift to a foreign official, he was sure that Colonel Augeureau would understand.
Morning
8th of June, 1916
Dadaupa Gorge/Fort Berthier
Sir Jacques was seated across from Augeureau, the Colonel's desk separating the two. Their two respective offices were now finished, and they could both remain in Teyvat indefinitely. Augeureau really didn't know what to think of Sir Jacques. He was a respectable enough man, though he seemed full of himself at times. He also was very eager to reach out to the other nations of Teyvat.
"So when will we meet the other nations?" asked Jacques, "Now that I am able to spend all my time in this world, it's about time I get to work."
"War Minister Roques wants us to reach out to Mondstadt's immediate neighbour, Liyue. They were the source of all mora in Teyvat, the currency that all nations and peoples use, and they are the hub of all trade in this world. It would be stupid not to make some sort of deal with them."
"I take it we'll be setting a presence there? An embassy, maybe?"
Augeureau nodded, "Liyue is a major trade centre. We could benefit greatly by being in their good graces. Which brings me to another point." he poured some water into a glass, offering it to Jacques before pouring one for himself, "Sir Aether and Miss Paimon had told us of what occurred in Liyue before the portal opened. Liyue's God, Rex Lapis, or Morax depending on who you speak to, is dead." Augeureau paused to gauge Jacques' reaction, and then continued, "The Fatui had also revived another God and unleashed it upon the city."
'They… What? Revived a God? How is that possible?"
Augeureau shrugged, "All that matters is that, just like in Mondstadt, the Fatui are looked upon with disdain. We could use this to our advantage."
"We should be careful, though." Jacques took a sip of water, "Lest they see us as another Fatui."
"I'm not too concerned with that, Sir Jacques. The Fatui rely on underhanded tactics, subterfuge and espionage. They're secretive, manipulative, and that reputation is damaging to their image. France has been nothing but open and cooperative with Mondstadt, there is no reason why we shouldn't carry that over to Liyue."
"I think you're being too optimistic, Colonel. We're still outsiders, we quite literally come from different worlds. Mondstadt may be amicable to us, but the other nations may not be so welcoming." explained Jacques, "And do remember that this portal opens directly into Mondstadt. I bet they feel like they have to make concessions to us, lest we do something."
"Your point?"
Jacques shrugged, "Just making an observation."
"Well, speaking of Mondstadt, I've been informed by Captain Dubois that there is a young engineer by the name of Basil who wishes to speak to me."
Augeureau handed Jacques the letter that Dubois had written, giving the man the chance to read it through.
"Hmm, interesting. This Basil raises some good points."
Augeureau nodded, "I agree. There is potential in combining Teyvat's elemental mastery into our arms and equipment. Something that could give us an edge on the Front."
He already began thinking of how they could implement them. Geo constructs could be deployed instantaneously for cover, Anemo devices could blow back enemy gas attacks and allow their pilots to make manoeuvres thought impossible, Pyro could be used to create more effective incendiary shells, Electro weapons that could fry a man. The possibilities were endless.
"It does seem useful." Jacques said, rubbing his chin in thought, "I'm not sure how fast we could distribute any new equipment, however. That's not even taking into consideration how long it would take to actually test everything."
"The sooner we get started then, the better."
"Won't meeting with Basil get in the way with our meeting with Liyue?"
"You thought I would be coming with you to Liyue?" Augeureau asked.
Jacques sighed, "Nevermind, probably for the best that you stay. You are in command of this fort, after all. So when will I leave?"
"In a few days time, hopefully."
He raised an eyebrow to that, "Hopefully?"
Augeureau shrugged.
Noon
8th of June, 1916
Yashiori Island
The defences were coming along well, Aether though. By his side overlooking the digging of trenches was Gorou and Paimon. They had left from Watatsumi as soon as possible to be as prepared for the Shogunate army, and from the looks of it, they actually had a chance. Some trenches had already been dug into the cliffs overlooking Nazuchi Beach, and they had made use of the old ship wrecks dotted along the beach, pulling off planks and sharpening them as stakes.
It really was reminding him of the pictures he saw in the French newspapers while he was in Paris, pictures of the Western Front. He felt a little guilty, knowing that he was bringing a part of their war into Teyvat. Nevertheless, he knew it would be effective.
He noticed a Resistance soldier running towards them, coming to a stop and placing their hands on their legs as they caught their breath. Gorou had another soldier give him some water.
"The Shogunate army's coming, aren't they?" Gorou asked, already knowing the answer.
The soldier nodded, "It's a larger force than we thought, maybe 1500. It was hard to tell."
"Do you have an idea when they'll arrive?" Paimon asked.
"Not long."
That wasn't the answer they were hoping for. Aether surmised that they'd see the first Shogunate troops in less than an hour.
"We need to recall everyone back." Aether said to Gorou, "I'll get them to drop whatever it is they're doing and to get into their positions while they still can."
Gorou nodded, "I'll organise the men here. Good luck, Aether."
"You too. Let's get going, Paimon."
"Wh-Why does Paimon have to come? I can't fight!"
Aether turned back to her, "You can float around and keep an eye on the enemy's movements. I need you to tell me where they are so we can coordinate our fire."
"A-Alright… If you say so…"
Noon
8th of June, 1916
Court of Fontaine
Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, and 'Father' were currently seated in one of Hotel Debord's dining tables, enjoying a meal. It wasn't often that 'Father' would eat out with them. Not that they blamed her, considering just how busy she always was, and they always cherished whenever they could spend some time together.
However, this time it was clear that this wouldn't just be a nice outing.
"Tartaglia has requested one of our Agents to assist in gathering intelligence on the French in Mondstadt." she said matter-of-factly, "Lyney, you wish to go on tour, correct?"
"Yes, Father." he answered.
She nodded, "I will permit you to do a show in Mondstadt, then. How quickly can you prepare everything?"
Lyney thought over all the logistics needed to put on one of his magic shows all the way in Mondstadt. He and Lynette had never done one outside of Fontaine, and he wasn't really sure how interested people in the other nations would be in his magic tricks.
That said, if 'Father' wanted them to go, then he and Lynette would go. He wouldn't complain either way.
"Lynette and I should be able to leave in a week at least, maybe a few days more." Lynette answered, "Is that alright, Father?"
"That's fine. The French have reportedly been spending all their time consolidating their position in Mondstadt, so there's no rush."
"What kind of intelligence are we going for?" Lynette asked.
"Tartaglia and one of the members of our branch in Mondstadt, a man named Koralev, both want an accurate picture of the war being waged in their world. The French have been publishing a newspaper that talks about it, but it is clear that it's propaganda. The only mention of any setbacks was less than a week ago."
She pulled up said paper, dated June 3rd, and handed it to the trio. It was when the British and German fleets both clashed near Jutland and were both forced to pull back after sustaining extremely heavy losses. And just as 'Father' said, it was the only instance where the French mentioned any sort of major defeat.
It barely even counted, since it was their British allies that had suffered the defeat.
"Do whatever you can to gather intel on the French, but make sure not to antagonise them." said Father, "Their true capabilities are still unknown to us. They have also grown close to the Acting Grandmaster of Mondstadt, it is likely that the Knights would side with the French should any incidents occur."
"We understand, Father." said Lyney.
"Good. Now, enjoy the food. It's going cold."
Noon
8th of June, 1916
Paris, France
Roques was to meet with General Foch regarding the actions of the Abyss Order on Earth. He sat in his car as his driver drove them through the streets of Paris, leaving Roques to his thoughts. The theft of French arms, and their actions at Jutland roughly a week ago had shown them just how much of a threat they posed, and how little they could do to stop them.
Their ability to open and close their own portals between Earth and Teyvat meant that nowhere was safe. Christ, the whole point of Fort Berthier and their presence in Teyvat was to ensure France's security during this time of war. Now they can't even guarantee that.
This was the worst case scenario. The Abyss Order, if they so pleased, could cut Britain and France off from overseas trade by doing what they did at Jutland on their merchant fleets. They could sow chaos and terror on their supply lines, potentially cutting off the Front and leaving hundreds of thousands of Frenchmen to fend for themselves. Or they could just attack Paris, or London, or any other of their major cities.
He tried to recall what Sir Aether had told them about the Abyss Order. They wanted to challenge Teyvat's Gods, and France could challenge Teyvat's nations. He had already been made aware of the Order's ambush on Captain Dubois' men in Teyvat, and it was the Captain's opinion that the Abyss had been curious about their weaponry, and so took them for themselves. Roques and Foch initially wanted to keep their arms out of the hands of Teyvatians, though that was now a moot point.
And to top it all off, the British wanted a piece of the Abyss Order. Prime Minister Asquith had sent the French a letter on the subject of having British forces stationed in Teyvat to fight against the Abyss. A royally stupid idea, he and many others thought. Even the British High Command knew it. The Somme Offensive needed resources, and opening up another front to fight an enemy that can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye would use up those same resources.
The car came to a stop in front of the city's military headquarters. Some soldiers who had been waiting for his arrival walked forward, one of them opening Roques' door for him. They all saluted, Roques acknowledging them before walking inside, the soldier who had opened his door tagging along.
"General Foch is waiting for you in your office, sir." he said, "He hasn't been waiting long."
"Good, that would've been impolite of me." Roques remarked.
The soldier opened the door into his office for him. Inside was General Foch seated in a chair opposite from Roques' across his desk. The General stood up, acknowledging him.
"General Foch." Roques said, saluting.
"Minister Roques," he said, acknowledging him, "We have much to discuss."
Roques walked past Foch and took his seat, "Indeed we do. Where should we begin?"
"The Abyss Order's actions in our world." Foch answered, "Jutland may just be the beginning of their interference, I'm worried that they'll seek to disrupt the whole Western Front."
Roques nodded, "Their theft of our arms in Paris itself has shown us that nowhere is safe either. They can show up wherever, whenever they please. I've tried thinking of some contingencies, but the Abyss Order's unpredictability is making that difficult."
"Have there been any reports from our garrison in Teyvat about how the locals there deal with them?"
"The Abyss Order tends to stick around longer in Teyvat compared to how long they stay on Earth. I'm not sure whether that's because they can't stay as long, or they're choosing not to. I'm assuming the latter, since everything they've done so far has been to grab our equipment, barring the Incident at Jutland." he explained, "Even the people of Mondstadt have been unable to offer anything more than just general information. It's appreciated, but unfortunately, it isn't enough."
Foch had nothing to say in response, and Roques didn't know where to take the conversation. There was really nothing they could do about the Abyss Order.
Sighing, Foch continued, "Let's move onto the situation on the Front, yes?'
Roques groaned, "There's not much good news there either. Fort Vaux has fallen, the Germans are continuing to push back our frontline, and the British are currently trying to convince their own politicians that going after the Abyss Order is a bad idea. All their resources are supposed to be going to the upcoming offensive in the Somme sector. They cannot afford to divert men into Teyvat."
"Have you heard of how the Russians have progressed in their offensive?" Foch asked.
Roques shook his head, "I've been so busy dealing with this Abyss Order business and the Front. Why? Have things been going well?"
"Yes, they are. The entire Austrian 4th Army is in full rout, and the Russians have struck deep into Austrian territory in Galicia. I believe that the Germans will be forced to pull men from our Front to reinforce the East, and if that happens, it'll relieve our own forces in Verdun. As long as the Russians keep it up, we may very well see an end to this war in a few months." said Foch, hopefully.
Evening
8th of June, 1916
Verdun Sector, France
Jacob had been made a Captain.
What remained of the company after the attack on Fort Douaumont had been merged with another company. Said company also took part in Fort Douaumont and had also lost their captain and many of their officers. Captain Jacob was now responsible for 103 men.
He was worried that the two companies would have a rough time acclimating to one another. Instead, they were all quiet when the news was made. No one made any sort of reaction, not even to when they were told they were to be cycled out and sent to the rear along La Voie Sacree.
For now, Jacob walked through the trench, his hands behind his back. Everyone was preparing to leave, making sure they had all of their things lest the next unit's men take them. Jacob had written a letter to home, telling his family of his promotion. Their reply was enthusiastic and congratulatory, and included a drawing from his sister's son depicting him and other Frenchmen in horizon blue standing tall over a mass of grey that he thought was meant to be the Germans. He smiled when he first saw it, helping to cheer him up, if even just a little.
He then thought about Sir Aether and Miss Paimon, and what they told him about Teyvat. His time with them was short, but he wanted to be there with them, part of the task force in Teyvat. He wanted to see that world for himself. It's partially because of that that he's had trouble sleeping since arriving in Verdun. There was another world right on France's doorstep.
And he wouldn't get to see it.
He made his way into his dugout, which originally belonged to his captain, to gather his own things. One of his new Lieutenants, a young man who had just come from the academy, knocked from the outside.
"Come in!"
Lieutenant Tilly walked in and saluted before approaching.
"Si-" he stopped himself, his voice was raspy, so he cleared his throat to sound more clear, "Sir, you asked for me?"
Jacob nodded, "I did. As you know, this company is made up of two companies at half strength, yes?" he asked, to which Tilly nodded, "I know you are fresh from the academy. Tell me, how are you faring? None of the men are hazing you or anything of the sort?"
Tilly seemed to be hesitant to answer for a few moments, "I think I'm fine, sir. And there have been no problems with the men. I think they're all too tired for any hazing anyway. Did you call me here just to ask how I'm doing?"
"I felt overwhelmed when I was first deployed, we all were. It's my hope that I can at least help alleviate anything you or the other officers are struggling with." said Jacob, "Continue your prior orders, Lieutenant. You are dismissed."
"Sir."
And with a salute, Lieutenant Tilly walked out, once again leaving Captain Jacob to his thoughts.
Night
8th of June, 1916
Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire
The entire 8th Army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in a complete rout. The recent Russian offensive had sent them reeling and unable to effectively regroup. Corporal Alfonz could barely take it anymore, and he definitely wasn't alone.
Even as the moon and the night dominated the sky, the army continued their retreat. They couldn't afford to stop now, not when the Russians were still hot on their heels. His stomach growled, his uniform felt sticky from all his sweat, all his equipment felt too heavy to lug around, and his lack of any meaningful rest was catching up to him. Many times did he catch himself from collapsing, from almost passing out on the dirt path.
Galicia's tall trees meant that their movements were, for the most part, undetectable. That didn't stop the brass from continuing their forced retreat though. Alfonz didn't know whether to curse them, or be thankful that they at least didn't want them to be captured.
On top of Galicia's trees, Alfonz found yet another small mercy in the Russian boots he had looted a month back. His feet still ached, but they provided great ankle support compared to his issued pair, so it wasn't as bad compared to the others.
"How much farther do we need to go?" a private asked him.
Alfonz looked at him, noting how miserable he looked. All of them looked like fugitives instead of soldiers by this point.
"We keep going until the Russians can't reach us anymore." he answered.
"Is that what the Lieutenant said? I can't speak German."
Alfonz shrugged, neither could he.
-Boom!-
One of the nearby trees came crashing down, crushing about half a dozen men as it landed on the path. Panic overtook the column, but one of their officers, someone who actually could speak Hungarian, was able to rally them together. Only one of the men under the log had actually survived, but his legs were stuck.
Rifle in hand, Alfonz joined the group huddled around the tree. What had caused the tree to fall was a freak ball of fire, apparently. He thought it was crazy, nothing of that sort should ever happen. Nonetheless, everyone who was near it supported the claim.
The officer began issuing orders to move the tree and the bodies off of the path. Someone had asked if they could bury them, to which the officer said that they wouldn't have the time.
"You seven, all of you push on this side of the tree." the officer said.
Alfonz slung his rifle over his shoulder and walked over, placing his palms on the tree. As one, they all pushed, rolling it onto the side of the path.
He did his best to ignore the sounds of crushing bones.
The man stuck under the tree was able to be pulled out, though one of his legs was broken. Someone began fashioning a splint for the man, Alfonz offering a rag he used to wipe the sweat off of him.
"You hear that?" one man asked.
"Hear what?" another said.
Their lieutenant shushed everyone, and the noise became clear. Horse hoofs.
"Kozáks!"
Compared to the panic of the tree falling earlier, this was much, much worse. It meant that the Russians weren't too far from them. They'd been too slow.
The first Cossacks became visible just down the path. As soon as they could see them, Alfonz and those around him opened fire. The darkness around them suddenly disappeared as the muzzle flashes from their rifles burned bright. The Cossacks returned fire from horseback, and Alfonz saw their own muzzles flash.
All of a sudden, he couldn't see at all.
'Enjou', or at least that was what It was calling itself recently, watched from above as the humans below fought. He wanted to see how well the ones in grey would do against the ones on horses with tall hats. He had conjured a ball of Pyro to block the path to make his observation.
From the looks of things, the ones in grey were doing very poorly.
This world, Earth, held so many opportunities for them. A world devoid of the so-called 'Divine' in Celestia, free of the yoke of the Archons, and oh so close to having similar technology as Old Khaenr'iah. This Great War being waged on Earth couldn't compare to Calamity, but again, they were close.
It had watched as waves of men climbed up from their trenches and charged into enemy positions along what was called the Western Front, many times resulting in little more than needless death with nothing to show for it.
Here, on the Eastern Front, 'Enjou' was able to enjoy a more dynamic kind of warfare, as the Russians sent their enemies back while advancing miles deep into their territory. He came to admire the weapons both sides employed. While many couldn't hope to compare to what Old Khaenr'iah had at its disposal, they were no less effective.
Particularly, their ships. Old Khaenr'iah never maintained much of a Navy, they didn't need to. The nations of Earth in contrast boasted vast fleets potentially numbering hundreds of ships. The Dreadnaught, in Its eyes, was a beautiful weapon of war, of which a few examples had been taken by them during a battle about a week ago. Whatever survivors of the crew of the Nassau were interrogated and executed, while the Order went to work learning about everything they could about the vessel.
A stray bullet came very close to hitting him, forcing It to look back down on the skirmish unfolding below. One of the Cossacks had skewered one of the men in grey with his lance, while another was being pulled down from his horse. Once he was down, bayonets were sunk into his stomach by the men in grey around him.
'Enjou' listened as men screamed in pain as they drew their last breath. Any other time, he would've revelled in it, but not this time. These men were completely unrelated to the Calamity, they were not descendents of those who worshipped the Archons. In this instant, he almost felt sorry.
He conjured a portal behind him, one that would take him back into the Abyss. He had enough of Earth for now.