[Location: Favonius Cathedral – Basement Archives]
[Time: 23:45 PM]
The Cathedral was silent, save for the rhythmic echoing of heavy boots on stone.
We were in the basement. Well, Aether was in the basement. I was currently a puddle of darkness moving along the floorboards, thanks to [Shadow Motion].
[Great Sage]
"Go now," I projected my voice telepathically into Aether's mind.
Aether didn't hesitate. He dashed from behind a pillar, sliding silently across the polished floor to the next alcove. Paimon was floating behind him, clutching her cape tightly, looking like a nervous floating marshmallow.
"This is scary," Paimon whispered. "If Jean catches us, she'll ground us for life!"
"If Jean catches us, I'll claim I'm a stray dog and you're my flea," I replied.
"Hey!"
We reached the inner sanctum. The Holy Lyre der Himmel sat on a pedestal, bathed in a soft Anemo glow. It looked old, fragile, and utterly brimming with elemental power.
"There it is," Aether breathed.
He reached out.
[Great Sage]
"Duck!"
I didn't wait for Aether to react. I surged out of his shadow, materializing in my physical form—a sleek, dark-scaled draconic wolf—and slammed my shoulder into Aether, knocking him aside.
CLANG!
A jagged, red-hot dagger struck the stone floor exactly where Aether's hand had been a second ago.
"My, my," a sneering voice echoed from the rafters. "And here I thought the Knights were the only pests in this city."
A figure dropped from the ceiling. Red cloak, mask, spinning pyro daggers. A Fatui Pyro Agent.
"The Fatui!" Paimon shrieked.
The Agent didn't waste time. He lunged for the Lyre.
"Oh no you don't!"
I activated [Steel Strength] and intercepted him, snapping my jaws at his arm.
He was fast—faster than the Slimes or Hilichurls. He twisted mid-air, his cloak turning into a blur of shadows, and vanished.
[Invisibility]?
"Great Sage! Scan!"
[Great Sage]
I whipped my tail around blindly.
THWACK.
I connected with something solid. The Agent grunted, shimmering back into visibility as he crashed into a bookshelf. Books flew everywhere.
"You... what kind of beast are you?" the Agent hissed, clutching his ribs.
"The hungry kind."
I prepared to finish him with a [Lightning Breath], but suddenly, the air filled with the buzzing of insects. Purple sparks illuminated the room.
BZZZZZT.
"Don't forget about me~" a high-pitched female voice giggled.
A Fatui Electro Cicin Mage materialized behind the pedestal. While I was busy with the Agent, she had flanked us. She snatched the Holy Lyre.
"Gotcha!"
"The Lyre!" Aether shouted, drawing his dull blade.
"Time to go!" The Mage summoned a sphere of Electro lightning, blasting the ceiling to create a distraction. Rubble began to fall.
"Gah! Annoying bugs!"
I ignored the rubble, letting it bounce off my [Dragon Scales]. I leaped at the Mage, mouth open, [Predator] ready to consume her entire arm if necessary.
She shrieked, blinking backward in a flash of lightning. She was slippery. She retreated toward the ventilation shaft the Agent had come from.
"Guards! Intruders!" The Agent yelled, throwing a smoke bomb before diving after the Mage.
The room filled with thick, choking grey smoke.
[System Alert]
I wasn't choking, but Aether was coughing violently.
"Aether!" I grabbed the back of his shirt with my teeth. "We have to move! The Knights are coming!"
"But the Lyre..." Aether coughed, eyes watering.
"We lost it. If we stay, we get arrested, and we can't save Dvalin from a jail cell. Hold on!"
Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs. "Stop right there!"
I didn't look back. I charged toward the stained-glass window at the back of the room.
"Brace yourself!"
CRASH!
We shattered through the glass, plummeting into the cool night air of Mondstadt.
[Location: Mondstadt Rooftops]
[Time: 00:05 AM]
I landed on a slate roof, claws digging in to kill our momentum. I dropped Aether and Paimon.
"That... went poorly," Paimon panted, wiping soot from her face.
"They took it," Aether said, frustration evident in his voice. "The Fatui have the Lyre."
I paced on the roof, my tail lashing angrily. My pride was hurt. I was a Reincarnated Dragon, holder of a Deadly Sin skill, and I let a bug-controlling lady and a knife-guy steal my loot.
"I memorized their scent," I growled low in my throat. "It smells like ozone and cheap cologne. They can't hide."
A figure landed silently beside us. Diluc. He didn't look surprised.
"I saw the explosion," Diluc said, his face impassive. "Fatui?"
"They stole the Lyre!" Paimon cried.
"I assumed as much," Diluc nodded. "The Fatui have been eyeing it for weeks. They likely want to harness Dvalin's power, not save him."
He looked at me. "Can you track them?"
I sniffed the air. The scent trail was faint, leading out of the city gates.
"Yes. They are heading for the cliffs. A hideout."
Diluc adjusted his gloves, his pyro vision glowing ominously in the dark. "Good. Then we aren't thieves anymore. We are raiders."
I bared my teeth, a silver gleam in the moonlight.
"Raiders," I repeated, testing the word. "I like that. It implies I can eat whatever I find inside."
Diluc almost smiled. "Within reason. Let's regroup at the Winery. We hit them at dawn."
[Great Sage]
"Oh, I'll bring the firepower."