Y/N's POV (second person)
"How could they steal Venti's Gnosis?! They have some nerve, those Fatui. The next time I see one of those scum, I'll beat them to death," you swore, spitting on the ground beneath you. "And if you see one of them first, do me a favor and beat them to death for me, okay, Lumine?" you added.
"Um, o-okay..." Lumine said, unnerved by how you were acting. You weren't usually this violent and this concerned Lumine. Could Y/N be beating themself up for not doing enough to stop Signora from taking the Gnosis...?
"So, we're heading off to Liyue next, right? I heard the food over there is delicious~" Paimon cut in, trying to ease the tension in the air.
At this, both you and Lumine had to laugh. All Paimon really thinks about is food, isn't it?
Time skip, a few months later
...
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" you asked once again, just to double-check the blonde was serious. Did she even know what dangers could be in store for her? Whatever Lumine thought about Childe, you still believed that he was up to something. After all, he is a Fatui Harbinger, and all of those scum are evil. Plain, pure evil.
"For Archon's sake, Y/N, I get that you don't trust him, but can't you give Childe a chance? I mean, we still don't know if his true intentions are bad or not, and besides, I can protect myself. I can channel both anemo and geo energy now, remember?" Lumine sighed, slightly annoyed with you at this point. She appreciated how much you cared for her, she really did, but sometimes it could get a little frustrating. After all, she wasn't a child, and she knew how to protect herself and how to fight.
Besides, Childe wouldn't do anything to her, right? In truth, Lumine had her own doubts about Childe as well, but a part of her still hoped that despite being on the dark side, he wouldn't betray her.
"Fine then. But if he attacks you, teach him a lesson and beat him up reallll good," you said seriously. Lumine rolled her eyes with a light laugh and nodded yes.
"Well then, meet you at the dock at sunset, okay Lumine, Paimon?"
"Okay!" the two traveling companions chorused in unison.
You sighed as you watched Lumine walk away, praying to the archons that she would be safe. You just didn't trust that Harbinger. He was bad news, for sure.
To try to ease your troubled thoughts, you wander around the stalls, browsing the items on display without much interest. After all, you were just looking to take your mind off of Lumine and Childe, not to buy anything.
It was about an hour before sunset, so you were about to head to the dock when out of the corner of your eye, you saw a suspicious person with a weird hat darting around, obviously trying to avoid notice. You narrowed your eyes. Something was off about this person.
You watched with narrowed eyes as the mystery person rounded the bend and disappeared from sight. Sighing, you decided out of curiosity and pure instinct to follow the person and quickly set off, hoping you would be able to get back to the dock in time.
"-duty, search this whole area for them. They can't be too far from here; after all, they're with the Traveler," the person with the weird hat was saying to a bunch of men in masks. Hmm, even more suspicious. Taking a slight risk, you inched a little closer to get a better look at the men in masks and gasped in surprise, nearly giving away your presence.
They were Fatui agents!
That meant...
This suspicious person had to be a Fatui Harbinger!
You gritted your teeth to prevent yourself from saying something rash. You had to remain in the shadows and be undetected. From what you had just overheard, these Fatui agents and Fatui Harbinger were looking for you. The very thought of this sent chills down your spine.
"Are you going to keep hiding from me or are you going to come out? I know you're there," a sly voice stated somewhere behind her. You slowly turned around to meet the gaze of a pair of stunning purple eyes. It was a big mistake, you realized far too late. You found yourself getting distracted as you took in the handsome appearance of the Harbinger.
He had smooth, short blue hair and carried himself with a dignity that made him seem quite imposing despite his small size. His violet eyes glowed with a bright intensity as he gazed down at you, waiting for an answer.
He cleared his throat, bringing you back to your senses. What were you doing, thinking of someone like him like that?
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" you asked, holding the Harbinger's gaze.
The male let out a laugh that sounded more mocking than amused. "I'm Scaramouche, better known as the Balladeer, Number Six of the Fatui Harbingers," he introduced.
"So I was right! You are a Harbinger!" you blurted out, taking out your polearm and pointing it at the Harbinger as menacingly as you could.
Scaramouche let out yet another laugh, this one even colder than the previous one. He leaned in slightly and whispered in a menacing tone, "Don't think you can fight me, Y/N. Even with your vision, I have powers that you could never dream of having."
You glared at him, trying not to show any fear or doubt. This Harbinger was part of the Fatui, and from your previous dealings with them with Lumine by your side, you knew that all the Fatui were not to be taken as a joke. They had the best military training in all of Tevyat, and as part of the highest ranks, the Balladeer would, just as he had claimed, be much more powerful than normal Fatui Agents and Cicin Mages.
Except...
You were an especially adept polearm user.
Without another word, you backed up to give yourself more distance, then raced at the Harbinger with wild eyes, your weapon brimming with electro energy. You weren't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that you were potentially weaker than him. You would show him just what you were made of, wipe that stupid mocking laugh off his lips.
Clang!
The Balladeer calmly unsheathed his silver sword and countered my attack with an electro jab of his own with his sword. The impact forced you and your opponent backward, but while you landed on wobbly feet, unprepared for the explosion that occurred, the Balladeer landed gracefully on his feet and readied himself to attack again. This time, you were more careful, and you raced at the Harbinger, meeting him in a clash of sword versus polearm.
You had no idea how long the fight lasted. It could've been hours for all you knew. You were too focused on your battle with the Balladeer, determined to win the fight and prove the arrogant Harbinger wrong. It was a fierce sparring match, with no indication of who would emerge victorious. Your attacks were fierce and constant, while Scaramouche's were carefully timed and aimed to attack weak spots.
At last, Scaramouche slashed his sword at your polearm, the impact of the two weapons sending you back a few steps. Taking advantage of your momentary weakness, the Harbinger attacked. He rushed at you with a bolt of electro power and stabbed you in the shoulder. You gasped out in pain and tried to grab your polearm, which had been flung out of your grasp earlier, but the Balladeer grabbed it before you could even react. He smirked down at you, both your polearm and his sword pointed at your chest.
"Surrender now and I will spare you from any more inconveniences," Scaramouche demanded in an authoritative tone.
"Never!" you spat, taking deep breaths to steady the pain from the wound in your shoulder. You then attempted to get up but couldn't because of the unbearable pain. The Balladeer tsked and replied,
"You leave me no choice then, Y/N. Agents!"
In a matter of seconds, the Fatui Agents I had seen earlier rushed into the scene, and upon realizing what was going on, dashed over to hold me down while Scaramouche took a cloth with a disgustingly strong smell out of his pocket. He placed it on my mouth and tied it tight so that I couldn't see or smell anything but the scent of the cloth. He's drugging me, you realized as the scent of the drugs put your mind in a haze, and soon you lost all sense of the world around you as you lost consciousness....