Chapter 14. The Chasm
Dispensing with pleasantries, Tartaglia cut straight to the heart of the matter.
This caught Futsu Mitama, Kuki Shinobu, and Sangonomiya Kokomi off guard. Standard diplomatic protocol dictated a dance of measured exchanges and veiled pleasantries first. Only after an arduous stretch of idle rhetoric would Futsu Mitama be expected to press the issue, prompting Tartaglia to finally reveal his hand.
Yet, he brought up the matter of Black Aila without hesitation. He was plainly aware of Futsu Mitama's motives for this meeting, suggesting the Harbinger harbored his own designs and required a favor in return.
Kuki Shinobu and Sangonomiya Kokomi immediately went on guard. The two fixed their gazes upon Tartaglia, their minds already calculating the best countermeasures to employ against him.
"..."
Futsu Mitama remained silent for a moment. Meeting Tartaglia's gaze, he demanded, "Is this the work of the Fatui?"
Futsu Mitama had naturally assumed Snezhnaya's forces had abducted Black Aila. It was a grim prospect; if the Fatui were indeed responsible, extracting her from their clutches would prove an incredibly arduous task.
Short of executing his most extreme contingency: calling upon Raiden Ei, Morax, and Barbatos to personally demand her release. While this would guarantee her return, it was undeniably a measure of last resort. If at all possible, Futsu Mitama wished to avoid such an outcome.
After all—the debt of gratitude it would incur was staggering. To dispatch three Archons on a retrieval mission constituted a favor of monumental proportions.
He knew, with absolute certainty, that the three gods would answer his call and march upon Snezhnaya to retrieve her if asked. His past deeds had earned him more than enough merit to warrant such an Archon intervention. But if there was another way, he would take it.
At his core, Futsu Mitama loathed the idea of burdening others. Only when faced with an insurmountable dead end would he seek outside intervention. For the moment, gathering intelligence was the priority.
"Yes and no." Tartaglia made no attempt to be cryptic. He looked plainly at Futsu Mitama, his tone casual. "Dottore theorized that if an 'accident' were to befall her, your little maid would undoubtedly sense it."
"And knowing your disposition, there's no way you'd just sit idly by. Following that logic, you were bound to come knocking on our door eventually."
"So...here we are~"
Tartaglia shrugged, a flicker of feigned helplessness crossing his features before a sharp mirth took hold. He chuckled, "Actually, if you hadn't come to find me—"
"I would have sought you out regardless," Futsu Mitama interjected. "The moment word reached you of my return to Liyue Harbor, You made haste from the outskirts to the Northland Bank."
"A striking coincidence, then. Perhaps this is what the people of Liyue call 'fate'?"
Tartaglia knew better; this was no play of destiny, but the gravity of mutual necessity pulling them together.
"Is it truly?" Sangonomiya Kokomi asked, her gaze steady upon the Eleventh Harbinger. "Then this matter does indeed involve the Fatui. Yet, I suspect the final outcome was not to your liking?"
Tartaglia nodded. Since his last "transaction" with Futsu Mitama, he had grown wary of hidden losses. Now, despite holding the initiative, he saw no harm in a strategic display of candor. He recalled the consultant Zhongli's musings: Sincerity begets sincerity; schemes only invite further scheming.
Moreover, Tartaglia was acutely aware that Futsu Mitama had bested Scaramouche in open combat a half-year prior. To challenge such unfathomable strength would be a thrill, certainly, but against an opponent of this caliber, he could only hope for a "dignified defeat." Given his own pending request, he chose to reveal the details that held little weight in the grander scheme.
"Strictly speaking, our orders were to apprehend her and escort her back to Snezhnaya for trial," Tartaglia said, pausing to take a measured sip of tea.
"You know of whom I speak. As for her history—suffice it to say she was once a candidate for the Harbingers. Had things gone as planned, she would have joined our ranks. Instead, she committed the ultimate betrayal—the murder of a colleague."
"She fled into the Abyss to escape judgment," he continued, "but the Fatui do not abandon a scent. Four months ago, the 'Lady' within the Abyss rediscovered her tracks."
Futsu Mitama's brow furrowed. The Signora again?
That woman was as persistent as she was omnipresent. Black Aila had been sighted near the eleventh floor of the Abyss—a depth where even the gaze of the gods rarely reached. How could the Lady have tracked her there? Was she so beneath the Abyss's notice that she moved unseen, or had Dottore provided some heretical contraption to navigate those dark abyss?
Kuki Shinobu and Kokomi shared a look of silent concern. They knew Black Aila's nature; her Abyssal power should have rendered her untouchable within those depths. If the Fatui had ambushed her there, it implied they had mastered the means to traverse the Abyss itself.
"And what follows the discovery of a traitor?" Tartaglia asked rhetorically.
"Encirclement and suppression. Three Harbingers stationed in Snezhnaya mobilized immediately, fearing the Lady might fall by her hand. A great battle ensued. I was not present, but the result was clear: she was forced out of the Abyss and vanished. Our intelligence suggests she utilized the Abyss Order's own ley line coordinates to flee to Liyue."
He stopped there, offering Futsu Mitama a knowing smile.
"Impossible," Futsu Mitama countered.
"If she were in Liyue, Aila would sense her. Their connection is a thread that spans nations. When Black Aila was in Snezhnaya, she could invade Aila's mind from across the continent. Now that Aila has ascended to the level of the Adeptus and holds a fragment of divine authority, that connection should be even clearer. Yet, her perception remains as vague as it was when the traitor was in Inazuma."
"Mmm," Tartaglia didn't move to deny it. "But Liyue is a land of many secrets. To be honest, I have a suspicion of her whereabouts. According to the Dottore's findings, she has likely retreated to—that place."
He began to speak in riddles, guarding the core of his intelligence. He did not realize, however, that Futsu Mitama possessed knowledge of Liyue's lore that transcended this world.
"The Chasm?" Futsu Mitama asked calmly.
Tartaglia's smile vanished instantly. His eyes widened in genuine shock. Seeing that reaction, Futsu Mitama knew the arrow had found its mark.
"This... how—" Tartaglia stammered.
The secret of The Chasm was supposed to be tightly guarded, and the area had been sealed long before Futsu Mitama left Inazuma. He had intended to bury the truth under a mountain of trivialities, yet his guest had bypassed the maze entirely.
Kuki Shinobu felt a sense of familiarity at the display of foresight, while Kokomi looked on with renewed interest.
"It seems I was correct," Futsu Mitama chuckled. "In all of Liyue, only The Chasm possesses the properties to mask such a presence. But tell me, how can the Fatui be so certain she used Abyssal teleportation?"
"Because the Dottore finds the Abyss Order's methods—fascinating," Tartaglia admitted with a bitter laugh.
"He cannot pinpoint their exit exactly, but he can narrow the ripples. The coordinates led us to the seal maintained by the Qixing. Had she forced her way out, the Millelith and our own elite units stationed there would have raised the alarm. So, we wait."
"Wait?" Shinobu asked. "A Harbinger, waiting for months instead of seizing the initiative?"
"She is trapped," Tartaglia explained. "And we cannot simply break the seal. We have an alliance with Liyue to maintain, and as for what lies within those depths—"
He trailed off, looking at Futsu Mitama with a flicker of hope. He prayed that Futsu Mitama was ignorant of the Chasm's internal horrors; if he was, there was still room to bargain.
"Traces of the Abyss Order," Futsu Mitama said, dashing that hope.
"And the dark matter—the taboo remnants of the cataclysm five hundred years ago. The Fatui's 'reinforcements' sent to The Chasm back then were never just about protection, were they? Though the soldiers themselves may have been innocent of the scheme."
He knew of the black mud, the Abyssal elites, and the rumors of Azhdaha's influence reaching into the deep. Tartaglia's gaze fell into one of deep helplessness.
"What is it you truly want?" Futsu Mitama asked, choosing to open the door to cooperation.
"I need you to take me into The Chasm," Tartaglia said, his voice stripped of its usual bravado. "My identity makes it impossible for me to enter legally. But with your recommendation, I can pass. Please. I will forfeit our duel. I will not interfere with your companions. Just get me inside."
He knew the risks. Black Aila was no mere candidate; her strength was terrifying, bolstered by Abyssal power and stolen authority. Even the Lady had called for aid rather than face her alone.
"Very well," Futsu Mitama agreed.
Shinobu and Kokomi were startled, yet their trust in him kept them silent.
"But," Futsu Mitama added, "you will sign a contract."
Shinobu immediately produced the materials for the draft, her focus absolute.
"Name your terms," Tartaglia replied. He preferred a contract; it was a guarantee against being lured into a trap and slaughtered by Futsu Mitama's formidable inner circle.
"First: while in The Chasm, you will act as our vanguard against the Abyss Order and whatever monsters we encounter."
"Second: you must remain at my side; no independent sorties."
"Third: you will divulge every scrap of intelligence you possess regarding the site."
"Fourth: a pact of non-aggression between us until the exploration concludes. Furthermore, you are forbidden from leaking our progress to other Harbingers."
Tartaglia nodded solemnly. The restriction on his movement was an annoyance, but the objective remained. As long as he set foot within those depths, the mission could proceed.
With practiced efficiency, Kuki Shinobu completed the drafting of the contract, invoking the divine name of Rex Lapis. He was, after all, the God of Contracts; to bind an agreement in his name was to ward off a multitude of future complications.
Futsu Mitama affixed his signature, and Tartaglia swiftly followed suit.
The ink drying, the Harbinger exhaled a breath he seemed to have been holding. He offered a bright smile. "Then, here is to a pleasant cooperation. Tell me, when do you intend to breach The Chasm?"
"Shall we move tonight? The Chasm is a place of shifting shadows; who can say what unforeseen variables might arise? The sooner we depart, the sooner we return."
Tartaglia harbored no doubts regarding his new ally's methods. Should Futsu Mitama desire entry to The Chasm, it would require but a single word. He was an anomaly favored by three Archons, the Liyue Protector, Morax among them.
Though presently heralded as the successor to the Electro Archon, he concurrently bore the weight of the Geo Archon's legacy. Tartaglia knew with absolute certainty that if Futsu Mitama voiced his intent to descend into The Chasm, the Liyue Qixing would grant his request, regardless of how unreasonable it might appear.
For half a year, the Harbinger had exhausted every clandestine avenue to infiltrate those depths, to no avail. The seal held fast. Short of a full-scale assault, the path was barred to him.
"I require time to make certain preparations." A night operation was out of the question. Futsu Mitama met Tartaglia's gaze with calm authority. "Now, divulge everything you know. Every scrap of intelligence regarding The Chasm, and Black Aila's presence within it."
Tartaglia held nothing back. The crux of the matter was clear: Black Aila had descended deep into the subterranean reaches. Some unseen force appeared to have ensnared her, preventing her escape from The Chasm's gravity.
A spark of malicious amusement danced in Tartaglia's eyes as he voiced a theory—had she blindly stumbled into the ancient seal laid down by Morax? If so, tracking her down might be tantamount to unearthing the Dragon Lord Azhdaha himself.
With the terms struck, the Harbinger surrendered a wealth of tactical knowledge. His report concluded, Tartaglia seamlessly pivoted to the role of a gracious host, extending an invitation for a banquet at Liuli Pavilion that evening.
Futsu Mitama simply shook his head, declining the offer. His palate was still satisfied from the afternoon's exquisite fare at Xinyue Kiosk. Indulging in Liyue's culinary luxuries at every turn immediately upon arrival was unwise; a glut of gourmet delicacies tended to dull the senses and breed complacency.
Having secured the vital intelligence regarding both the subterranean domain and their elusive quarry, Futsu Mitama prepared to take his leave. He assured Tartaglia that word would be sent the moment they were ready to break the seal.
Tartaglia readily assented, promising to remain stationed at the Northland Bank in the coming days. Should an emergency draw him away, a message left with his subordinates would see him rushing back within a mere two hours.
The negotiations concluded, Futsu Mitama and his companions departed the Northland Bank, stepping out onto the streets of Liyue.
"I did not anticipate a breakthrough of such magnitude so quickly," Sangonomiya Kokomi mused, a touch of genuine emotion in her voice. To walk into a Fatui stronghold and immediately extract the exact intelligence they required was a fortunate turn of events indeed.
"It's just—is The Chasm truly that treacherous?" Kuki Shinobu asked, her analytical mind turning toward the impending danger. During the preceding negotiations, both Futsu Mitama and the Harbinger had worn expressions of uncharacteristic gravity. Their mutual wariness of the subterranean depths was palpable.
"Under standard conditions, the upper levels of The Chasm pose no real threat to us," Futsu Mitama replied, his understanding of the domain absolute. His tone remained measured. "However, if we must venture into the abyssal depths—even the Adeptus of Liyue would find their lives forfeit."
This was no idle exaggeration. He recalled the lore of a past timeline: Xiao, the Conqueror of Demons who stood at the very pinnacle of Adeptal martial prowess, had suffered grievous wounds within those lower depths.
After burning through his strength to ensure the safe passage of his mortal companions, he had teetered on the brink of collapse, nearly entombed forever. It was only through the covert intervention of Zhongli that he was delivered from the dark.
Granted, a measure of that peril stemmed from the Yaksha's hesitance to strike down an ancient comrade, which compounded his injuries. Yet, it was an undeniable truth that the spatial fabric deep within The Chasm was fundamentally distorted.
If Black Aila were truly trapped in that chaotic space, it perfectly explained why the connection had degraded to a faint, vital pulse.
"For now, we should return. First, we must—"
Futsu Mitama intended to head back to his residence to reunite with Aila and Shenhe. Only after securing their affairs within Liyue Harbor would they finalize their strategy for The Chasm.
But before the words could fully leave his lips, his gaze snagged on a figure navigating the street—a golden-haired traveler clad in exotic, otherworldly attire. Beside her hovered a diminutive, floating companion, muttering animatedly to the air.
The sight caused Futsu Mitama's words to halt mid-sentence, a rare flicker of surprise flashing across his eyes.
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