(Haha forgive me, but I was listening to Zhongli's demo on loop during writing this chapter :D)
Dainsleif POV
He hid a smile as the Traveler and the Yaksha followed him towards the Abyss Stronghold. Young Xiao had firmly insisted on accompanying them again, on their hunt for a Herald. He wondered if the two were aware of what was going in between them. Well, if they didn't, and that certainly seemed like the case, they would know soon enough. 'I know that adepti suffer heartache just as I do. But though I do not know young Xiao's future, will he continue to fight the unending war he wages and be plunged into despair? Or.... has he finally met someone who can understand his sacrifice, and can shine a ray of light into his dark world? '
He knew that the tension between them would be dispelled soon, so he decided to focus on the Abyss. When they reached the stronghold, they all looked at each other. Lumine shrugged and attacked the Abyss Mages, while Xiao took care of the Ruin Guard. Dain, for his part, used his magic to prevent any stragglers and escapers that could ruin their plans, although it might not be visible at first.
But when everything was cleared, they all looked confused. One of the mages had dropped some kind of.... talisman? He briefly read through the familiar script, and mused, "Well, this seems to be related to the Herald. But why would a mere abyss mage be carrying it?"
"But Paimon cant understand a single word." Then she gasped. "Is that the script of Khanreia'ah?" "Indeed it is." Dain replied calmly. He translated the writing on it for them.
"... Engulf the faith of the enemy, and bring glory to His Highness the Prince." "Prince..." Lumine mused. "Well, the Abyss Herald had mentioned this 'Prince'. No idea why he's looking for me though." "What do you mean? Are you saying you have... met a herald?" Xiao asked, frowning. "Yes." Lumine said. Dain motioned for them to stop talking, and continued translating.
Lumine POV
"Loom of Fate, initial operation." Dainsleif frowned again. "They... The Abyss... seem to be planning on carrying out a mass scale operation, the key word being Loom of Fate."
"Is it some sort of literal fate weaving machine? At this point, Paimon wouldn't be surprised if it was." "I think it is related to the inverted statue and the creepy ruins." Lumine said.
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"So wait, the Abyss Order wants to make some sort of Cybernetic Squid God of Mass Destruction?"
She, Dain and Xiao snorted together at this totally ridiculous name. Lumine laughed and said, "These nicknames keep getting longer!" You could always rely on Paimon to give you some humor.
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"But no one knows where this 'first eye' is. " Xiao said, He had been speedily brought up to date. "Perhaps we should use that statue as our starting point." She replied, "Well, it looked like the Anemo Archon." Her voice still held a tinge of bitterness to it, but no one commented on it. "But that Tone deaf Bard is too hard to track. Lets ask the Cathedral about it." Paimon said.
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"The closer we get to the target, the more enemies there are." Xiao muttered. "Hmph. Fits the Abyss Order's style." Lumine groaned internally. Dain had also started on 'huffing.' Probably learn it from Xiao. "We should hurry and find Boreas." Dain paused, then said, "I... am not going any further in." "Is it because you are afraid of fluffy animals?"Paimon still as tactless as ever. Once again, she and Xiao snorted in unison. She hoped she wasnt getting the habit of snorting as well. "No. It is because, though Boreas was a god, he still willingly became a servant of Barbatos. I cannot possibly agree with his actions. I do not desire any interaction with him."
Lumine sighed. "Besides, you are the one people like." Dain continued. "I'm... less likable." "You really despise the Seven, huh?" "Yes, and I am afraid not much can change it. A word of advice- Though you should always keep your guard up around gods, and not place too much trust in them, at the same time you shouldn't go too far in the opposite direction.... Even if the god in question is your sworn enemy." 'Your sworn enemy..' She sensed a deeper meaning in those words, but didn't have enough time to mull over it. "Why are your opinions so contradictory?" Xiao asked. Dain hesitated, then said, "I will tell you one final fact, lest I repeat the failings of my forebearers. The destruction of Khanreia'ah by the Seven is precisely why the Abyss Order wants to destroy the nations ruled over by them."
"But we should get back to business. I shall go take care of the remaining AByss Order in the Area. You should go look for Boreas, but try to keep it brief. Meet me again at the entrance of Wolvendom."
"Hmm that's true though." Paimon mused. "You too keep your guard up around unknown gods. What you did that day at the rite of Descension is probably what Dain would do too."
Xiao POV
Dain had just left, and they were tasked with finding Boreas. Just then, an unfamiliar voice came.
"Honorary Knight? Paimon? What are you two doing here?" They all turned around to see a blond figure, dressed in formal clothes slightly wet with rain. "Master Jean!" They both exclaimed. "So glad we found you!" He raised an eyebrow at the trio. "Honorary Knight?" "Ehhh.." Lumine scratched her nape, looking slightly embarassed."Hmm?" "Well, uhh, after the Dvalin situation was cleared, I was named a special knight for the Knights of Favonius." Lumine mumbled. Seemed like she had a high position in Mondstadt too.
"Well, it is a good thing you are here. Rosaria told me that the Abyss Order is going after Boreas, But.. why?" "Well, you know the Abyss Order. They went after Dvalin last time, its not surprising they would go after another of the Anemo Archon's friends." "True..." Jean mused. "But regardless, could you please go and check on Lupus Boreas?"
She sighed and said, "I'll do it." After Jean left, she turned to him and said, "Are you coming along too?" Instantly Xiao said, "Of course." "Well, come on then." And they set off.
As they neared the centre of Wolvendom where Boreas resided, his senses started warning him of danger. Lumine looked unsettled too. When the field finally came into view, what they saw made them run as fast as possible to the field. Boreas seemed to be in some sort of purplish field, bonded by some sort of ropes of the same purplish substance. A familiar grey haired boy was also standing beside him in a fighting stance. And in front of the two, was no other than the Herald.
The Herald laughed wickedly. "Ahaha, so the wolf's wretched spirit likes to raise wild pups now?" Boreas seemed to be in a lot of pain. "Join us! Serve us, and we will restore the divine powers you once held in the past." "Lies!" The wolf hissed. Its courage was commendable. He was most likely hurting terribly, and yet he didn't back down. As though reading his thoughts, Lumine murmured, "But he'll not be able to keep going for long... This is how they poisoned Dvalin. We have to stop this." She straightened, her gleaming sword appearing in her hand. "Time for another round with the Herald. Xiao, stay here and protect Razor and Boreas." Her tone left no room for argument. With that, she leaped into battle against the Herald.
Lumine POV
Ughh, that shield was so damn hard to get rid of! This wasn't something he had done the last time. She repeatedly used her different elements to get rid of it. But she succeeded, until it floated into the air, a portal opening behind him. "Hmph. You are lucky the ceremony got interrupted this time. But no matter, our grand scheme shall remain unaffected." With that, he disappeared. Again.
"Thank you." Razor said. "You came just in time." "Lupus Boreas never refuses trial. But, scary outsider.... Not respect trial rules." He hung his head low. "Even I didn't see the trap." "Hey cheer up Razor." Lumine said. "Yeah its not your fault." Xiao added. "But before we go, we do have something to ask you." Paimon said. "Mr Wolf God, do you know anything about the first field tiller?" She cringed internally and hoped that Boreas wouldnt take offense at that name. Thank god he didn't.
"I pay no heed to the contraptions of humans." Boreas hissed. "However there is one human made machine that I could never forget. This machine came into my proving ground by accident, and I took it for a challenger... This machine couldn't think, only fight. It was designed as a pure killing machine. Eventually, I did damage it greatly, so it fled from the proving field before falling to the ground." Hmmm. That did sound like the first Field Tiller alright.
"Could it spin?" "Yes, it did. It could spin, leap high into the air, and shoot fireballs." "That does seem what we are searching for. This proves that it did come to Mondstadt, but got damaged by the wolf of the north! Looks like the first Field Tiller was more powerful than the later ones."
"Don't know." Razor said. "But... did we help?" "Yes, you were a big help, Razor." Lumine said reassuringly. "But we have to continue investigating something important. The Abyss Order's forces are still active and attacking, so you two take care." "Yes." Razor nodded. "I smell danger too. Bigger danger. You three, also be careful. Thank you for helping us out."
Xiao said, "Well, that certainly was some interesting intel. Lets go tell Dain." With that, they left the proving ground, heading for the entrance of Wolvendom.
(1679 words
Alright, so writing this quest is taking more chapters than expected. I keep telling myself in every chapter, 'Alright, Aether will be in this one, he'll be in this one' lol. Lets hope that he actually turns up in the next chapter. Cya! :P)