Hu Tao x Reader - A Morbid Curiosity

Chapter 40: Irodori Festival: Shrine Trip

Pilgrim: "Yes, you've just about made it now. You just need to scale the last hundred steps or so up now. Just follow the path upwards, all the way to the very top of the mountain. You can't miss it!"

Y/N: "Oh? Great, that sounds quite easy to follow! Thanks for the help again!"

Pilgrim: "Please, it was the least I could do after you saved me from that weird wolf from the void. It was only small, and alone, but it certainly seemed very dangerous!"

Y/N: "I've never fought one before myself, but I have some travelling friends who mentioned them, apparently they can be found more commonly on another Inazuman island, and some have started to appear all the way in Mondstadt... all I know for sure is that they can be quite dangerous to deal with. Fortunately, it was just the one little one, and I had you by my side to help out Qiqi!"

Qiqi: "I did good...?"

Y/N: "You did, you did very good! Thanks for always having my back as always, Qiqi. I appreciate it! Well, anyways, it's probably about time we make our way up to the top then. We've got quite the tight schedule today!"

Pilgrim: "Right. Well, don't let me hold you up any longer. I'll be making my way back down now, I should be fine from here on out. Thanks again. And enjoy the climb!"

Y/N: "Thanks, and we hope you have a safe trip back!"

The pilgrim then gave us a curt nod and a smile, before then waving and making her way away from where we were just chatting. We found her under attack from that void wolf, whilst she was on her down from the Shrine that we were making our up to. 

With Qiqi by my side, we were able to deal with that wild beast with little difficulty. Of course, I remember Aether mentioning these in the past, and that they have a weird effect on people when they attack them – I think he said something about corrosion? Either way, I wasn't taking any chances and I made sure to keep the beast's attention solely on me to avoid Qiqi getting hurt. Fortunately I didn't get hit myself – as with both me and Qiqi's visions, we were able to freeze the wolf to a point of it almost not being a threat at all.

Y/N: "Come along then Qiqi, we're almost there now!"

Qiqi: "Okay. Up the stairs, all the way up... I remembered, for you."

Y/N: "Oh, haha! Thanks Qiqi! What would I do without you looking after me, huh!"

The two of us then started our journey up the steps, leading up the large mountain before us. It turned out to be quite the climb! Although, it was pretty uneventful past the meeting with the pilgrim down at the foot of the mountain. But there were some nice views that we stopped and appreciated for a while. 

I remember that Aether mentioned a weird device, I think he called it a... kamera? Apparently it can take instant pictures without having to draw a thing at all! I told Qiqi that I'd ask him to take some pictures of these views, so that she wouldn't have to draw each and every view into her notebook. I'd just have to take note of the sorts of sights she enjoyed, and give him and Paimon that list later.

Eventually though, we finally reached the top of the mountain, and as we walked through the last of the red torii gates we found ourselves at the entrance to the shrine. But we didn't get more than a step closer before hearing a familiar voice coming from the railing nearby...

???: "Ah, what excellent timing. I was hoping I would have the fortune of meeting you up here today. Ah, and you brought your cute little zombie friend too. So, have you come to see the sights, little ones? Or did you come all the way out here just to see me again, hmm?"