Ren
Ren's world narrowed.
The woman in front of him hadn't moved since she stepped through the door.
She was still staring at him with those terrifying X-shaped pupils, and he stared back. Both of them were seemingly trying to decide what their next course of action would be.
His mind was scrambling to figure out what to do.
He was tired. His CE reserves were lower than he liked after Solenne and the mansion, and the injuries from his battle slowed him down.
An opponent of this caliber could definitely kill him in one shot. But he still had a chance.
The woman looked like she was evaluating him, eyeing him up and down.
That meant he had a window.
"Roman, wait—!" Volkov tried to shout, but Ren had already moved.
The Geo beneath his feet detonated outward toward her as multiple giant pillars. The woman didn't seem to expect him to attack, and her eyes widened slightly.
But her expression was as blank as ever.
With a swipe of her hand, she sliced all of the pillars with her scythe in a single motion.
Turning her gaze to where Ren was, she was surprised to see he was gone so quickly.
Ren had surfaced from the ceiling shadow directly above her and made a hand sign.
'Rabbit Escape!'
Hundreds of rabbits came straight down at her. Concentrated with enough anemo that a small tap would be enough to make them detonate.
But the woman didn't deem the attack strong enough to move away from. She raised her hand, and with a snap of her fingers, the room erupted in dark flames.
The flames completely engulfed the swarm and burned away all the rabbits before they could reach her, and the sheer power of her flames nullified any effect the swarm tried to do.
Her eyes moved towards Ren, who was now in a crouching position.
Suddenly, a large amount of energy surged from his body, and the woman tensed up slightly.
"Emerge, Karmic—! AGH—!"
Ren's body was engulfed in pain as the woman had suddenly appeared in front of him and landed a kick straight into his stomach.
The impact sent him flying upwards and embedded him deep in the ceiling.
He tried to breathe for just a second, but her face was already in front of his again. She grabbed his collar and threw him down to the ground with force.
Her throw was strong enough that it made him ricochet off the ground once before stopping.
Ren tried to push himself up, but a downward kick landed on his back, forcing what was left of his strength to leave him.
The world slowly became dark, and he could taste blood in his mouth.
But the last thing he saw before passing out was Volkov standing between him and the woman.
/ — /
"HAAHH—!"
Ren jolted upright, his hands moving towards a hand sign instinctively.
He was hyperventilating, but slowly forced himself to calm down, making his breathing more even. "What the fuck just happened?"
Looking around the area, he was back inside one of the Fatui's tents. His body had also been bandaged up, especially his torso.
Across the room, he could see his clothes had been cleaned and folded neatly on a table.
'How am I alive—?'
"Oh, you're finally awake."
His head snapped towards the source of the voice.
It was the woman who had utterly destroyed him, sitting calmly in a chair while holding a cup of tea.
She set the cup down.
"I was worried I hit you too hard." She looked at him with a blank face, those X-shaped pupils meeting his. "Nice to finally meet you, Ren Roman. I am The Knave, the Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers." She paused. "But you may call me Arlecchino."
'Shit.'
/ — /
Ren just stared blankly at the woman in front of him.
His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, and his arms were shaking slightly, and he was pretty sure he was sweating through the bandages.
But he was doing a decent job of not showing too much of it on his face.
Not that it would help against a Harbinger of all people.
He was 99% sure he was about to die.
'Great job. I just attacked one of the most important people in a country. FUCK!'
Arlecchino seemed to notice his state. Her expression didn't change exactly, but it seemed like she took pity on him. "I apologise for the display back at the mansion. You must have been on edge, and my sudden appearance must have frightened you."
Frightened was a very generous way to put it.
If it weren't for the fact that his allies were also in the room, he'd have summoned Mahoraga on the spot.
He genuinely thought she was with the slavers. How else was he supposed to react to something that powerful walking in out of nowhere?
It didn't help that she just stared silently at him while holding a big fucking scythe! How the hell was he supposed to react?!
"I-It's alright. I should be the one apologizing for suddenly attacking you." Ren forced his voice to sound as calm as possible.
"Don't worry." She picked up her cup and took another sip. "You didn't even leave a scratch on my clothes."
'Ouch.'
"In any case…" She suddenly stood up, making Ren jolt in the bed.
She either didn't notice or chose not to acknowledge it. "I've actually been looking to meet you personally for quite some time."
"H-Have you now?" He laughed, and it came out slightly more nervous than he intended. "I don't think I've done anything noteworthy enough to warrant a Harbinger's attention."
He could have sworn that her expression became amused for just a fraction of a second before it disappeared.
'That's not good.'
"Your efforts in the Chasm brought you to my attention." She walked up closer to him. "For some context, I am in charge of the House of the Hearth. All those who are a part of it are my children."
It didn't take too long for Ren to connect the dots. "Some of the Fatui in the Chasm were your people?"
She nodded. "Katarina spoke of how you took charge in finding Nikolay."
She was quiet for a moment, like she was picking the right words. "I value all of my children. You willingly risked your life to save one of my own, and now you helped save more of them in this attack… I cannot thank you enough."
Ren had no idea what to say to that.
He hadn't really thought too much about what going back into the Chasm for Nikolay meant beyond the immediate situation.
Sure, he knew he'd earn brownie points from the Fatui, maybe it would even get him discounts if he ever needed to use any of their services.
But to have a Harbinger, of all people, personally seek him out was much more drastic than he had expected.
"It's alright. I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I left them there. I—"
"But no good deed goes unpunished."
"I beg your finest pardon?"
Ren went tense instantly, his eyes going back to her hands where he thought her scythe might materialise.
She raised an eyebrow. "I meant that you deserve a reward. That's the reason I sought you out. Don't be shy, name something and I'll see if I can give it to you."
'You do NOT use that sentence that way, lady!'
He forced himself to breathe normally before actually considering her words.
This was an unprecedented opportunity. The Harbingers were the top of Schneznaya just under the Tsaritsa, a literal god. They had an unimaginable amount of wealth and influence. He could ask for so many things.
But…
'I don't think asking for things from a country's military is a good idea.'
He could ask for information or help with the business. Having the House of the Hearth in his corner would basically eliminate any future problems in Liyue.
But that also meant having a military attached to his business.
A military that answered to a single entity. Even if that entity happened to be a god.
Ren was American. He knew better than most what it meant when a military called itself righteous.
The countless wars his country had gone into under the pretext of peacekeeping and necessary force, only to be exposed as nothing more than killing thousands for greed.
And that was just his own country. He'd read enough history to know it wasn't unique to America either. Every military, given enough time and enough power and enough certainty that it was fighting for the right cause, eventually did something that couldn't be justified.
It wasn't that everyone in the organisation was evil, but it's just what happens when you hand an organisation a monopoly over violence and convince them that the ends justify the means.
Even in a different world, the Fatui couldn't be all that different. They might be better in some ways, and Arlecchino seemed to care dearly about her people in a genuine way.
But they still answered to a god whose goals Ren didn't understand at all. It was made worse that said god's goal seemed to involve expanding and embedding themselves into other nations.
If the Fatui did something catastrophic one day, which, historically speaking, militaries always eventually did, and public sentiment turned against them, his business would be caught in that crossfire.
He could ask for items instead, but that would only raise questions and get attention from many entities he didn't want to think about right now.
His demands to Cloud Retainer only worked because no one would question the will of an Adeptus.
But the Fatui??
No matter how pleasant they have been with him, it was safer for him not to get too close.
"If I'm being honest…" He said slowly. "I don't really want anything. I did what I did because that's what I believe was right. Being rewarded for something that felt natural to me doesn't sit right."
Arlecchino hummed in consideration. "How unexpected. Most would jump at the opportunity to ask the Fatui for anything, much less a Harbinger." Her eyes stayed on him. "You have quite the character, Mr. Roman."
She crossed her arms. "But I insist. You've done more for me than you could ever realize. So please, there must be something."
'She's really pushing this.'
His brain scrambled to think of something that wouldn't tie him too much with the Fatui.
He really wished he had Yanfei to help him right now.
"Then how about… a personal favor?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't feel comfortable with the entire Fatui owing me something," he said carefully. "So just one favor, at a time of my choosing, exclusively with the House of the Hearth."
"A favor…" She put a hand under her chin. "I still think it's an inadequate repayment. But if you insist."
'Yesh!'
Arlecchino picked up her things and moved toward the tent exit. At the flap, she stopped and looked back at him one more time.
"This has been a pleasant chat, Roman. I hope we meet again. Recover well."
/ — /
Ren let out a long breath after Arlecchino finally left.
He lay on the bed and stared at the tent ceiling, processing the last however-many hours of his life.
He lifted his shirt slightly and looked down at the bandages wrapped around his torso, pressing one finger gently against his ribs, and wincing at the pain.
Arlecchino hadn't even been trying, and he was this hurt?
'There's levels to this shit…'
But before he could sulk more, the flaps of his tent opened.
Ren's body tensed on instinct before he sensed the familiar energy signatures.
"Nikolay and Katarina?"
It really was the two siblings. Katarina waved at him cheerfully, her body much more energetic now that she wasn't starving. Nikolay also gave a wave, walking towards him with a healed leg.
Behind them came a small group of other Fatui operatives he didn't know. But their body language didn't show any hostility, they looked much calmer than some other Fatui soldiers when they looked at him.
"What are you two doing here?" Ren looked at the group behind them. "And them too."
"I just so happened to be in Sumeru when I heard that you had gotten yourself involved in this operation." Katarina started, "So I took the chance to see you again and properly thank you."
She took her mask off to show a pair of violet eyes that paired well with her green hair and her purple aesthetic.
"It took a while for me to realize, but I could have actually died there in the Chasm. It's because you stepped in when you did that my brother and I can continue to live. It didn't sit right with us that we never thanked you properly for your help."
"I did what I wanted to. That's all." Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Please don't feel like you're indebted to me or anything."
Thankfully, she didn't say anything like that.
"I also must thank you for searching for me," Nikolay spoke up. "I thought I was a goner. But you showed up and gave me hope that I could survive, and gave me the strength to pull through."
He didn't say anything after that, being much more reserved than his sister. But it was clear he was very grateful.
Ren struggled to find the words to say, he really wasn't expecting this at all. "I'm… glad you made it."
Then the others started coming forward, and Ren found himself on the receiving end of more grateful thanks.
They thanked him for what he did to the slavers, both in the compound and the mansion.
A few explained that a lot of them were trafficked when they were younger before being saved by the House of the Hearth. It's why they were so determined to catch those people, especially once they found out one of their own was taken.
They admitted that if it weren't for Ren, the operation wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did.
And that his actions, however gruesome or grotesque, helped them feel like they received some justice.
"I'm sorry for what you all went through," Ren said.
They acknowledged his words with nods and thanks. But they also noticed the look of understanding in his eyes.
All of them except Katarina had their faces covered with masks, but Ren could see that they connected the dots and realized he had gone through something similar.
Thankfully, they didn't pry. Something that Ren was really grateful for.
"I'll be honest," A Cryo Cicin Mage laughed lightly from the side, "watching you work through that mansion was terrifying. Even knowing you were on our side."
That drew a few quiet laughs from the group. Ren felt his face heat up.
"Yeah, well." He cleared his throat. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be." Nikolay's voice was flat and certain. "They deserved it."
Katarina nodded, "Whatever happened to those people in that building, they brought it on themselves. Every single one of them chose to be there."
Ren couldn't agree more.
The conversation went on after that into more mundane and lighter topics. Some of them even asked about his business, to which he took the opportunity to give them his business card. After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don't make.
He really needed some downtime after everything that happened.
But even so, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the image these people had built of him.
They looked at him like he was a hero of some sort.
He wasn't.
He had his own goals, and being viewed as a protector or savior would only hold him back. This was something he couldn't get used to.
But for now, he supposed he could let himself relax a bit.
/ — /
Near the tent entrance, Arlecchino stood watching.
She merely watched silently as Ren responded to her children's words of gratitude, along with the discomfort he showed at all the praise.
Her expression was unreadable, but it seemed like she had silently come to a conclusion.
Then she turned and walked away without a word.
/ — /
After a while, Ren eventually pulled himself out of bed.
His body protested the whole way up, the ribs especially.
But he moved slowly, grabbing his clothes from the table and changing as fast as he could. He really wanted to just go home and take a nap before dealing with the load of paperwork waiting for him.
Outside, he could hear the camp going about its business. It Looked like the operation was finally winding down, and everyone was celebrating in their own way.
He stepped out of the tent and took a deep breath, letting the cool air calm his nerves.
Before leaving, he wanted to find Commander Ivan first. He felt like he owed the man an apology for barging into his operation.
The man was at the edge of the camp, going over something with two other operatives. He looked up when Ren approached, his body jolting slightly at his appearance.
"Roman." He nodded. "You're up."
"Yeah." Ren stopped a few paces away. "I wanted to say thank you. For letting me join the operation. I know I wasn't exactly part of the plan."
"You weren't, but the outcome speaks for itself."
"Still. Sorry for being a nuisance."
Ivan looked at him for a moment. "You weren't a nuisance. The operation succeeded. That's what matters."
Ren would have believed that if it weren't for the hesitance in the man's voice.
He just nodded. "Take care of yourselves."
"Mm." Ivan gave him a short nod back, and Ren turned around and walked away.
/ — /
Ivan waited a bit for Ren to get far enough before letting out a long and hard sigh, earning a look from the two agents beside him.
While it was true that Ren's involvement made the operation go smoothly with minimal losses, the courier's actions were also Ivan's responsibility as a commander to document and report them.
He had seen the written death reports and images from a Kamera. The sheer brutality and gore would keep him awake for days to come.
And he had to document and write every death and casualty to give a comprehensive report of what Ren Roman was capable of.
Yes, Ivan was very glad that Ren was leaving.
/ — /
Ren found Volkov near one of the supply tables without his mask, cleaning his daggers with great care.
"Hey there, Volkov."
Volkov looked up, his body jolting like Ivan's the moment their eyes landed on Ren.
"Roman."
"I just wanted to say thanks." Ren stopped across from him. "You helped me out a lot on this one. Especially at the end."
He rubbed a hand behind his head, "I probably would have died if you hadn't stopped Arlecchino."
Volkov raised a brow at Ren using The Knave's name so casually, "It was part of the operation, don't think much of it."
"Still, we fought pretty well together," Ren smiled at him. "I'll remember you."
Volkov's entire body froze, and his expression fell into one of despair, much to Ren's obliviousness.
"...Safe travels, Roman."
Ren gave him a short nod and turned to go.
He didn't see Volkov's knees give out, and the man covering his face and screaming into his arms for who knows how long.
Volkov stayed like that for a while.
The last person to say goodbye was Arlecchino.
She was standing at the camp's edge, like she'd been waiting there for him to come around.
Honestly, she probably had been.
"Safe travels," she said.
Ren nodded, "Thanks for the opportunity to work together… And for not killing me."
That actually got a small smirk from the Harbinger.
"Try not to make a habit of attacking Harbingers."
"Yeah, I'll work on that."
He brought his hands together, and Nue rose from his shadow. It looked at him and let out a small squawk.
"I know," he said. "Let's go home."
He climbed on.
Arlecchino watched them rise above the treeline without moving. She stayed there until the shape of the bird and the person on its back disappeared into the early sky.
/ — /
Ren dropped down at the Liyue side of the border and dismissed Nue.
He didn't really have a specific reason to stop. He just didn't feel ready to fly the whole way back yet.
"Haaah," He sighed, walking through the more familiar Liyue terrain. There weren't nearly as many trees, and it was rockier.
For a while, he just walked without thinking much of anything.
He didn't know why, but after everything had finally calmed down, he could clear his head. He felt… weird.
It was a confusing feeling.
…
…
Did he regret what he did?
No. Not even a little.
Was he physically tired? A little. His ribs reminded him every few steps. But sorcerers healed faster than normal people. It would pass.
So what was this?
He walked for another few minutes before the reason slowly appeared in his mind.
'I didn't achieve anything I went out to do.'
He went out this far to look for a mage who could cross dimensions. To find a clue of anything that could help him get home.
But instead, he found a trafficking network and helped disband it. Even meeting and gaining a Harbinger's favor in the process.
All of that happened.
And he was no closer to going home than he'd been when he left Liyue.
After everything he did, he had nothing to show for it.
He sighed. 'What am I gonna do?'
He stopped walking for a moment, letting himself enjoy the beauty of nature around him.
'At least I got to explore somewhere new.' He clenched his fist, 'I can't let this put me down for long. There has to be a way—what's that?'
Something suddenly pulled at his senses.
It wasn't anything threatening or strong. It was just so out of place that it immediately became noticeable to him.
He went in the direction where he felt the energy and found himself in an open stretch of grassland.
Squinting his eyes, he spotted something on the ground further ahead. "Is that a book?"
It didn't seem like anything too out of the ordinary, so it wouldn't hurt to see what was going on with it.
He crouched down to pick it up.
The world folded.
"What the fuck—?!"
His entire body was pulled inside the book before he could finish the word, and then he was falling.
"AAAAAAAAAA—!" He shouted as he was suddenly falling above the clouds.
Ren tried to quickly summon Nue, but before he could, space literally tore itself open in front of him, and he fell through it and hit something hard.
"Oof!" He fell straight on his butt.
Wincing slightly, he slowly stood up while rubbing the part of him that took the impact and looked around.
The hairs on his neck stood on end when he noticed he was on a floating island above the clouds, not only that, the clouds looked like they were painted. He had to focus, but the sky around him was not a real sky.
'A Domain Expansion?!'
He quickly brought his hands together and interlocked his fingers. "Hollow Wicker Basket."
The technique activated around him, the woven basket shield forming in the air.
With the anti-domain technique active, he finally analysed the land he was standing on—
"My my, what an interesting technique~."
Ren went very still.
There was a woman on the other side of a small table who had not been there a moment ago.
She was sitting with complete ease, cup of tea in hand, looking at him with a very pleased expression that made him shiver.
She had a large hat, if it could even be called that. It was more of a deconstruction of a hat, if anything. Sporting long blonde hair, pointed ears, and fiery eyes.
She set the cup down and winked at him.
"I heard you've been looking for me?"
Then a literal title card appeared in the air.
***
( ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ )
[ALICE]
"Great Adventurer of the Realms," "Dodo King," "Defender of Old Mondstadt," etc.
But Most Importantly—
"Mother of The Most Adorable Klee"
***
…
…
"What the actual fuck?"