Genshin - The Voracious Vanquisher

The city was tense. What would normally be a lively city full of drinks and splendor was now a bastion of tension and anxiety.

Attention: Barbatos Assassinated!

The notice had gone out, broadcast not just to the townsfolk, but to the world. While Barbatos' personal details had been obscured, the attestation from the acting grandmaster, an esteemed member of the nobility, and even the word of their newest honorary knight (and silver comet), Mondstadt's citizens trusted the news. Realistically, it wouldn't have even taken that much.

 Their secretive archon, having just spent his power saving them from the threat of draconic destruction, was targeted by the Fatui. Many didn't know who they were outside of their identity as Snezhnayan diplomats, but they did know one thing. Those snobby pricks rubbed them the wrong way before this incident.

Now?

All able bodies joined the effort. Over two days – day and night – Mondstadt exploded into action. The forges raged as the armory was systematically restocked. Scouts rushed across the hills and grasslands, revising the existing military maps. Food and water were restocked in strategic locations, carried by hundreds of able-bodied citizens to support their knights. Walls were inspected, shelters were prepared, and more. Everything was in motion.

All available knights rallied to Jean's command, resulting in several simultaneous, coordinated operations. The vision bearing knights all struck at key points, cutting off the Fatui's access to resources. The mask wearing fools were strong but, without their most powerful agent – the now one-armed woman – they were lambs to the slaughter. The knights knew the city far better than they and, even if very few had experienced in-city combat, there were plenty of magical defenses that aided their efforts – most courtesy of the town librarian.

Illya and Diluc walked through the city. The atmosphere was a sharp contrast to the celebratory one that'd arisen following Dvalin's salvation. To Illya, there wasn't anything special; it was just a city in peril, nothing she hadn't seen hundreds of times before. For Diluc though… this hurt. Seeing the mothers cradling their crying children as they themselves struggled to restrain their own terror. Seeing his own bartenders, who should be eagerly reading themselves for their shifts, now sharpening their blades to defend the building. Mondstadt's welcoming wind had stilled, going from a cool refreshing breeze to a stagnant lukewarm mess. To put it simply, it was uncomfortable.

Diluc's fists clenched as the war he'd waged across the seven nations, the battles he'd fought against the vile Fatui had now come home. The look of anxiety, the quiet anger in many of the eyes they'd passed… he'd seen them before; they looked back at him every time he gazed into a mirror.

And the worst part? There was nothing he could say to comfort any of them, because he truly wasn't confident they could come out of this one. It was a war that must be fought but one they could not win. He'd worked tirelessly over the last two days to even the odds as much as possible, but if those fools decided to flip the board…

…they'd be helpless…

Sure, they had two outlanders in their corner, each with their own unique skillsets, but it'd become very clear to him that neither could overcome that despair. Even Illya, who could bring her full otherworldly strength to bear would not last a moment against those three monsters rumors speculated could match the gods… whatever that meant.

"The people sure are tense… I'm guessing war's a foreign concept to this city then?" Illya asked.

"That's right. Mondstadt may weather small storms against the abyss and its minions, but war isn't something we're familiar with. The seven keep peace amongst themselves and their nations. An assassination attempt on an archon by a foreign diplomat… well, it's not something seen in Teyvat since the establishment of the seven archons, at least not in any literature I've read. I knew the Fatui were crazy, but this is… well, it's on a different scale."

"It certainly shows their commitment. I wonder what their end goal is? Nations of their ilk usually have some grand purpose."

"I don't know, but… whatever it is can't be good if such extreme measures are needed." Diluc concluded. "Wait…" he gestured to one of the outdoor tables at his bar, the Angel Share. "Is he still here?"

There sat the rundown bard, disheveled as if he'd been there for days. An empty keg sat at his feet, a testament to the sheer depth of his thirst… or depression.

"That's a lot of beer…" Illya asked, visibly shocked at the ridiculousness of the feat.

"It is. He's been here for a few days now. Even though we delayed our celebration, I gave him a temporary all-you-can drink pass as a thank you. I can see now that it was a mistake."

"H-how long has he been here… surely he hasn't…"

"Since it happened."

"Let's check up on him. I'm getting worried. He must be really worried for Mondstadt." Illya worriedly replied, earning a silent agreement from Diluc.

What he didn't say was his suspicion on the situation. If Venti was truly worried about the situation, shouldn't he be doing something? Why was he drinking his time away like this? How could this disheveled bard defend Mondstadt if he wasted their most precious resource, time?

Illya didn't think much of it though. Gods weren't the most responsible sort, at least in her experience. Zeus, Odin, Amaterasu, the Kais, and even Truth… across the various worlds she's visited, deities rarely lived up to the ideals people held of them. They weren't 'human'. Sometimes concepts bound to a cosmic narrative, sometimes petulant humanizations of natural phenomena, and other times they were enforcers for the collection of narratives that comprise their world's quilt of fate. In other words, Venti not acting like a responsible deity wasn't anything all that surprising. He seemed more like the secretive mentor type of deity anyways.

There was something both agreed with. Something strange was a foot. There was something Venti wasn't telling them and if this city was to survive, they needed to understand what that was.

---

Venti was having an awful day. It was all he could do to stave off the weight of crushing failure by drinking himself stupid. Waves of aching pain crashed against his skull as the violent hangover gave tangible form to the emotional distress he was experiencing. The half-empty mug was something from the previous night. All that he'd done since then was take brief sips and ride the consequences.

Since when had his favorite beverage become so stale?

"What's wrong?" Illya asked from behind, followed by a quiet Diluc.

"This wasn't supposed to happen…" Venti quietly lamented, his eyes downcast at his own blurry reflection.

"What wasn't supposed to happen?"

"This. All of this." Venti said, using broad gestures to denote the flurry of activity going on around them.

"…What do you mean? A foreign diplomat assaulting another nation's deity inside their city? What else could've possibly resulted from this?" Illya asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing. There shouldn't be anything resulting from this." He stated firmly with an edge of frustration.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Venti. This is natural; it's basic foreign policy. You don't assassinate foreign leaders without being prepared for war."

"…w.sn'. n. .ssin..ion" Venti muttered something under his breath, but Illya didn't catch it under the surrounding chatter.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"It wasn't an assassination." He said, raising his voice with frustration.

…Illya paused, looking at him with suspicion. It was Diluc that asked, "It sounds like you know more about this than you've let on. Care to share?"

"…" Venti was silent, clearly undecided on whether he wanted to speak further. Whether it was the alcohol, the frustrating sequence of events, or the memories of heaven's deeds, all conspired within him to rattle his judgement.

"Barb-no, Venti." Diluc said with a 'slip' of the tongue, grabbing the god's attention. "As it stands, Mondstadt is about to go to war with a nation we couldn't possibly defeat, especially with most of our fighting forces being away on Varka's expedition. But with what they did, we have no choice; the honor of our nation is at stake." Diluc explained.

When he noticed Venti's increasingly downcast expression, he pivoted, "That said… it's not completely hopeless for us. After all, we're not the only nation interested. I exercised every connection I had to broadcast the Fatui's actions to the various spies, merchants, and diplomats the other nations have within Mondstadt. From the Steambird to the Qixing, whatever move the Fatui makes, the nations of Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine will know. Those fools have been even more active in those nations than in ours, so I doubt they want to risk their operations there for a full-scale invasion of Mondstadt."

Finished recounting his piece, he leaned in, making sure he was inches from Venti's face, "With that said, if you have knowledge that could help us resolve this in a better way, we need to know now. While I doubt it'll solve the issue perfectly, every bit of knowledge goes a long way."

"…" Venti thought about it for a bit longer before giving a profound sigh… "Let's find a better place to talk."

Illya and Diluc nodded, easily agreeing to his condition.

The trio took a silent trip outside the city. As they walked, they saw knights take defensive positions around the walls. They passed a Snezhnayan merchant being detained by two knights. Everywhere they passed, the hollow force of knights worked as if they'd declared war. It was unnerving, to Diluc especially.

Mondstadt was the nation of freedom; it shouldn't need to go to war. Out of the seven nations, it had the least natural or elemental resources to offer. It had the least cultural mythos, the least dead gods to pollute the land, everything. He more than anyone, including Venti, wished to prevent his homeland from going to war with a nation they couldn't possibly defeat. It's why he'd spent most of his time these last few days ensuring the other nations were aware of what was happening here.

It wasn't just the spies he told, but the merchants too. He even sent a vision-holding messenger to sneak into Inazuma to inform his contacts in the Kamisato Clan. The Fatui was annoying to the other nations, but they were careful to keep their operations beneath the table. By bringing such sacrilege as attempted deicide to light, he hoped to weaponize the omnipresent love those nations have for their archons against Snezhnaya. If they were willing to assassinate Barbatos in Mondstadt… what about their gods? Who's next?

Along the way, they stumbled on Aether and Paimon who Venti urged to join them. Neither Diluc nor Illya understood why, but neither probed. The red head had seen the signs quite a while ago. There was always a level of caution with Illya, while Aether seemed to be immediately trusted. Diluc didn't criticize though; her abyssal nature was part of the reason he was with her now. Unlike Aether, he wasn't entirely confident the unsettling miasma she passively emitted wouldn't hurt someone. Still… Venti's confidence in Aether wasn't natural.

Venti had a fascination with the traveler. He concealed it well, but he didn't hesitate to include the blond in any important conversation they had. It was as if he were playing the role of a magical mentor to a young hero, strange as that may seem. It showed Diluc's respect for his god that he didn't question why the alcoholic bard chose an outsider, trustworthy or not, to be the 'hero' of his little show.

Then again, Venessa – the original dandelion knight and Jean's namesake – was also from another nation, so it's not exactly like this is the first time he's done this.

They reached a tall, beautiful tree outside the city. Its lush leaves swayed with the breeze, possibly the only breeze in Mondstadt right now. It wasn't just aesthetic either; there was anemo here, lots of it. It was like a whirlpool to the senses, gathering anemo from above and beneath the firmament, resulting in a surplus of crystal flies that perched on the structure like bees.

Venti stood there, looking up into the tree's branches with a lonely, reminiscent gaze. The wind calmed at his coming, swirling gently around him like a loving child.

"The wind amongst the branches is good. I love the way it smells…" He said gently in reminiscence. He turned around. "I said the exact same thing last time. *sigh* Why do I only say these things when I'm down on my luck."

"So… what were they after?" Aether awkwardly asked, receiving nods from both Diluc and Illya.

"*sigh* This isn't something I'm meant to discuss with ordinary people. But I supposed I don't have much of a choice now… It's a bit of a secret though, so please keep it close."

They nodded.

He continued, "As you know, visions are external magical foci that only a small minority of people possess. They use these visions to channel elemental power. In truth, every wielder of these visions is one who can attain godhood and ascend to Celestia. We call such people Allogenes."

"Allogenes? Paimon's never heard of them before." Paimon asked.

"It's unfamiliar to me as well." Diluc added.

"Hehe, that's because this is a secret that only archons are privy to. We don't need primitive tools like visions."

"Really, only archons are privy to it? Does that apply to the Fatui too? Did their archon keep the secret?" Illya disbelievingly asked.

"Clearly not." Diluc sternly acknowledged. "Are there any consequences to revealing said secret?"

"That, I can't say. I'm not entirely sure myself. But, as I was saying – instead, each archon has an internal magical focus that resonates directly with Celestia itself… known as a gnosis."

"A Gnosis…" Diluc muttered. "And I suppose that means that vision you carry around isn't real."

"Hehe, it's just a glowing glass ball I carry around to avoid suspicion."

"So, who was that nasty woman that attacked us?" Paimon asked.

"She's La Signora, No. 8 of the Sneznayan Fatui Harbingers." Venti explained.

"Is that her name or her title? I've crossed several worlds and lexicon-wise in the language we're speaking, Signora isn't really a 'name'." Illya asked.

"It's a title. Her name is Roselyn, not that it's of any import." Diluc replied confidently. "The harbingers are assigned titles based on their role in the organization and numbered based on several factors – most important being their strength. Most of them go by those titles, discarding their names entirely."

"Sounds like you know a lot about them, Mr. Diluc." Paimon surmised.

"Benefits of a misbegotten youth. I've had a few run-ins with them." Diluc answered.

"Venti." Illya interjected.

"Yes?"

"Those titles... Just to rule it out, does their taking titles as identities have anything to do with what you explained about names? Organizations do it all the time, so I was going to discount it, but considering they're dealing in divine theft, I wanted to check."

"I wouldn't know, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out. Signora and the harbingers have been given godlike executive authority by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, and with it, strength surpassing that of other mortals. It wouldn't surprise me if they were trying to play with fate like that."

"Wait… doesn't that mean that our enemy is a god…" Paimon asked, shocked.

"I had been hoping this Signora lady was just an outlier in all this…" Aether muttered.

"Unfortunately, that's wishful thinking." Diluc muttered, shaking his head.

"That's right. The leader of this powerful force and our true foe is one of the seven, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya. Combined they're formidable indeed."

"…" The group took in Venti's words, leaving only the wind whistling in the background to break the silence.

"You planned on giving them what they wanted." Diluc concluded, stating rather than asking. "By giving away the piece they sought, you hoped to eliminate the only reason they're invading Mondstadt in the first place."

"And if it'd worked out as intended, you could play it off as them having gotten the better of you." Aether added.

"What? That can't be true." Paimon refuted. "Why would tone-deaf bard give them such a powerful artifact. That doesn't make any sense."

"…" Illya didn't say a word. Surprising as it was to them, she wasn't. Based on the little time she'd spent here, Mondstadt had a poor grasp of battlefield, political, and foreign policy tactics. She wondered how many wars they'd actually fought against other nations. Considering how weak their god is and the lack of a true standing army present, probably not many. It was almost as if this town was right out of a story book. An idyllic city on a hill… in the middle of a beautiful lake.

"Hehe, you got me. That was my plan… more or less." Venti embarrassedly confirmed.

"So, you have a magical focus capable of godlike power… and you just decided that the Tsaritsa would be a better custodian? You'd leave your nation virtually defenseless against the authority of anemo?" Illya asked, genuinely confused at his reasoning.

"… the seven nations are a means to an end. Her target is something completely different." They could tell he was withholding a wealth of information. This little bit was given very grudgingly.

"Celestia." Diluc guessed.

 Venti shook his head. "I can't explain any more. This is already far more than I should've explained by this point. Just trust me on this, please."

"That's fine… but haven't you considered how this plan of yours has stripped Mondstadt of our freedom to decide our own fate?" Diluc sternly questioned, stunning the pensive bard. "If the Tsaritsa can pull her people into divine matters without consequences, why can't you allow your citizens - we the people who you've promised freedom - to make our own choice. Surely, we should have one on whether to hand over what can possibly become a weapon of mass destruction."

"Weapon of mass destruction? Isn't that-" "Exactly what it is." Diluc interrupted Paimon.

"If that object is an advanced form of a vision and represents their archonhood, it's potential to become a weapon can't be ignored." He turned to Venti. "While I won't question your decisions… I ask that you humor me here. You've allowed Mondstadt to take our fate into our own hands… why have you stripped us of this freedom now?"

Venti's voice refused to muster, too caught in his throat. He was speechless. A memory of a certain king came to mind.

Had he done like Decarabian? Had he taken away the people's freedom to choose their own fate? Thinking back, he could acknowledge that it wasn't an undeniable point. He had done so in a way… a less noticeable and far more insidious way.

"Jean should be made aware. Maybe the decision will be the same – it probably will, but we should decide ourselves before we surrender to force of arms. We may even be able to get something tangible in the trade." Diluc resolutely argued.

Illya added, "And even if you do go to war, Aether and I aren't too shabby ourselves. Aether's power seems to rise with the occasion, and I simply haven't been sealed. Signora may've had means that I haven't seen, but she wasn't all that strong. Even if the Fatui have stronger members, surely we aren't hopeless."

"That's right! We won't let them get their way!" Paimon exclaimed, prompting a silent nod from Aether.

Venti looked at the group without words. After a time, he broke out into a light chuckle. "… I guess you're right. Clearly the winds have changed with the times."

"I guess, I can't call the old blockhead that anymore…" he muttered. "…We're not so different it seems…"

-

It took everything for Jean to nurse the headache that'd overtaken her. The past few days had been stressful to say the least. She was running on a couple hours of sleep a night and that was a compromise. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

 Mondstadt wasn't like their neighbor, Liyue. They didn't have businesses to kick out nor were the Fatui allowed to own real estate that the knights would need to seize. Their only true presence was at the Goth Grand Hotel. Thank Barbatos that that was the case.

What the Fatui didn't truly appreciate was that Mondstadt's close affiliation with Alice and their adoption of her daughter into the Knights of Favonius had afforded them certain… benefits. As insurance, the woman had installed a powerful ice spell within the Grand Goth's foundation, something they'd thought was pointless at the time. Truly, if that woman claimed she could see into the future, Jean would have nothing to say against it. An instant; that's all it took for every Fatui agent within that building to be frozen in ice. From there, it was just a matter of moving them to the dungeons while the two nations bartered for their freedom.

The challenging part was hunting any agents unaccounted for in Diluc's records. And wasn't that annoying? That the greatest wealth of intel came from someone who was no longer in the knights. He'd never let them live it down. Then again, with his sordid history, she wasn't too surprised.

"*Sigh…* have we found her yet?" she asked the mocha bucanner who'd just sauntered into her office.

"Unfortunately, not. She's a slippery one, that Signora. We did find evidence of her getting immediate first aid in an expensive house near the cat's tail, but she was long gone by the time we did."

"And the owners?"

"Dead. The place had a secret compartment for a supply cache. We'll have to do some digging, but the owners are probably just an unlucky bunch that bought the place."

Jean's hands clenched as she struggled to restrain her rage. "Another tally to add to their vile deeds."

"They're certainly a ruthless bunch. Just be careful. Their acts are unforgiveable, but you don't want to drag the city into its doom.

"I know… thankfully, Diluc's been leveraging his connections to tie Snezhnaya's hands. In fact, I've already received an urgent letter from a member of Fontaine's Marechaussee Phantom, their detective force led by their Iudex. According to their letter, they'll be applying pressure from their side too."

"That's helpful. If the other nations do the same, it'll at least tie up Snezhnayas options, and the number of Harbingers they can send."

Jean sighed, leaning back into her chair. "*Sigh…* it's times like these that make me grateful for having Alice's protection. Even if she hasn't officially put us under her protection, having Klee here (her daughter) is effectively the same thing. Hopefully, the Fatui will take that as a point of caution."

Before they could continue, they heard a knock on the door.

"Jean, we have news. You need to hear this." Diluc's voice sounded from behind the door.

Her expression hardened as she sat up in her chair. Kaeya too stood a bit more rigidly.

'More trouble…?' Jean inwardly lamented.

"Come in."