Location: Wolvendom, Mondstadt
Current Form: Human (Combat Mode)
Status: Annoyed by mosquitoes, craving steak
The next morning, Raiden discovered that modern Mondstadt cuisine was excellent, but the portion sizes were tragic. He had ordered ten servings of "Sticky Honey Roast" at Good Hunter, terrifying the waitress, Sara.
"Put it on the Knights' tab," Raiden had said with a charming smile. Eula, standing behind him, looked ready to commit a vengeance-based felony.
Now, they were trekking through the dense, fog-covered woods of Wolvendom.
"The Abyss Order activity has spiked near the Boreas Arena," Eula explained, cutting through vines with her claymore. "Razor reported seeing 'Purple Teachers'—Abyss Mages—harassing the wolves."
Raiden walked with his hands in his pockets, his tail (which he could hide with illusion magic but chose not to) swaying behind him. "Purple Teachers? Sounds like a bad educational system. So, we go in, I eat them, we go home?"
"We interrogate them," Eula corrected sharply. "Then you can... dispose of them. But please refrain from eating them in front of the Acting Grand Master. It's unsettling."
"No promises."
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the trees.
"Help! Everything is on fire! Again!"
Raiden blinked. "Great Sage. Analysis."
"Notice. Individual detected. Name: Bennett. Pyro Vision. Luck Attribute: -999 (Cursed)."
They rushed into a clearing. A young adventurer with white hair and goggles was currently dangling upside down from a rope trap, while three Dendro Slimes crowded beneath him, and the grass was inexplicably burning.
"Bennett," Eula sighed, face-palming.
"Hold on, I got this," Raiden stepped forward.
He snapped his fingers. [Control Flame].
The fire on the grass instantly died out, the flames detaching from the ground and floating into Raiden's mouth. He swallowed the fire like a marshmallow.
"Spicy," Raiden commented. Then, he looked at the rope. He pointed a finger. [Wind Blade].
The rope severed. Bennett fell face-first into the dirt.
"Ow..." Bennett groaned, sitting up and adjusting his goggles. "Thanks! I didn't think anyone was—whoa!" He stared at Raiden. "You have horns! Are you a demon? Did my bad luck summon a demon?!"
"I'm a consultant," Raiden replied, pulling Bennett up by the scruff of his neck. "And your bad luck is fascinating. It's not random; it's a probability anomaly in the Ley Lines surrounding you."
"Great Sage. Can we fix him?"
"Answer. The 'Misfortune' is a conceptual curse. Removing it requires rewriting his Fate. Current computational power insufficient. Recommendation: Use [Intimidation] to scare the bad luck away."
"Anyway," Eula interrupted. "Bennett, have you seen the Wolf of the North?"
"Yeah!" Bennett pointed deeper into the woods. "Razor is fighting a really tall, scary guy with blue blades! And... the Traveler is there too!"
Raiden's eyes narrowed. The Traveler.
"Let's move."
They sprinted toward the arena. The air grew colder, and the smell of ozone and corrupted hydro energy filled the air.
In the center of the ancient arena, chaos reigned.
Razor, the wolf-boy, was battered, swinging his claymore desperately.
The Traveler (Aether, in this timeline) was wielding a dull blade, moving with the grace of a veteran, but struggling against the enemy's speed.
A floating fairy—Paimon—was screaming instructions.
And the enemy: An Abyss Herald (Wicked Torrents). It spun its hydro blades like a buzzsaw, laughing maniacally.
"The power of the Abyss is unstoppable!" the Herald shouted, preparing a massive AoE attack.
"Hey! Water-Boy!"
The Herald turned just in time to see a black blur.
Raiden didn't draw a weapon. He didn't need to. He lunged, his right arm transforming mid-air—human skin giving way to the massive, obsidian claws of his dragon form.
CLANG!
Raiden caught the Herald's hydro blades with his bare hand. The spinning water screeched against his scales, sending sparks flying.
"W-What?!" The Herald gasped. "You stopped the torrent?"
"I'm thirsty," Raiden grinned, his silver eyes glowing with predatory malice.
[Gluttony].
A vortex of black and gold energy erupted from Raiden's palm. The Hydro blades didn't shatter; they were sucked in. The water twisted, distorted, and vanished into Raiden's hand.
"Notice. Hydro Energy absorbed. Skill [Water Blade] acquired."
The Herald panicked, teleporting backward. "What are you?! You reek of the stars, yet you fight like a beast!"
Aether and Paimon stared, their jaws dropped.
"Who is that?!" Paimon shrieked. "He just ate the sword! Paimon saw him eat the sword!"
Raiden dusted off his hands. "Eula, Bennett, handle the small fry," he gestured to the reinforcements of Hydro Abyss Mages appearing. "I'll handle the blender."
Before the fight could continue, the temperature dropped to absolute zero. Mist swirled, coalescing into a massive, spectral wolf.
Andrius, The Dominator of Wolves.
The Great Wolf ignored the Abyss Herald. He ignored the Traveler. He turned his massive head directly toward Raiden.
"INTRUDER."
Andrius's voice shook the ground.
"A DRAGON? HERE? NO... YOU ARE NOT DVALIN. YOU ARE NOT DURIN. YOU ARE... ANOMALY."
Andrius leaped, ignoring the battle to stomp on Raiden.
"Oh, come on!" Raiden shouted. "I'm on your side, you oversized husky!"
Raiden crossed his arms. [Uriel: Absolute Defense].
A honey-comb barrier of golden light materialized in front of him.
BOOM.
Andrius's paw slammed into the barrier. The ground cracked, the trees shook, but the barrier held. Raiden didn't move an inch.
The Abyss Herald seized the distraction to open a portal. "The plan is compromised! Retreat!" The Herald vanished into the void.
Raiden dropped the barrier. He looked up at the spectral wolf.
"Are you done?" Raiden asked, dusting ice off his shoulder. "Because that was rude."
Andrius pulled back, sniffing the air. The giant spirit wolf seemed confused.
"YOU BEAR THE SCENT OF STARLIGHT. AND THE ABYSS. AND... BARBATOS'S WINE?"
"I had a drink with the tone-deaf bard last night," Raiden admitted.
Andrius snorted, a cloud of frost covering the arena. "IF BARBATOS TOLERATES YOU, THEN I SHALL STAY MY CLAW. BUT BE WARNED, OUTLANDER. YOUR HUNGER... IT ECHOES LOUDER THAN YOUR VOICE."
The battle ended. The silence was awkward.
Eula sheathed her claymore. Bennett gave a thumbs up from a bush he had fallen into.
Raiden turned to the blonde boy and the floating emergency food.
"So," Raiden said, offering a hand. "You must be the Traveler I've heard so much about. Aether, right?"
Aether hesitated, his hand hovering near his sword. He looked at Raiden's horns, then his eyes.
"You're not from Teyvat," Aether stated. It wasn't a question.
"Takes one to know one," Raiden winked.
"He ate the water sword!" Paimon flew up to Raiden's face, inspecting him. "Are you a monster? A demon? Wait, do you eat food too? Or just swords?"
"I prefer food," Raiden laughed. "Swords give me heartburn. I'm Raiden Ragnvaldr. Professional Consultant, part-time Dragon, full-time headache for the Abyss Order."
Aether relaxed slightly, sensing no hostility. "I'm Aether. This is Paimon."
"Paimon is Paimon!"
"Nice to meet you," Raiden said. "I think we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. Especially since you seem to be a magnet for trouble."
"Notice. Contact with 'Protagonist' established. Fate connection formed."
Raiden smirked. Good.
"Now," Raiden clapped his hands. "Since the bad guys ran away and the dog calmed down... who wants lunch? My treat. I know a place that serves great hash browns."
"Paimon wants hash browns!" Paimon instantly betrayed all caution for food.
Aether sighed, shaking his head. "We can't say no to food."
Later that night, as the group returned to Mondstadt, Raiden sensed someone watching him from the rooftops.
A figure with red hair and a claymore. Diluc Ragnvindr.
Raiden looked up and waved.
Diluc didn't wave back. He simply turned and vanished into the night.
"Analysis. Individual 'Diluc' remains suspicious. Threat Level: High (Financial/Physical). Note: He smells like grape juice and angst."
Raiden chuckled. "I'm going to have fun with this city."