[Location: Mondstadt City Gates – The Bridge]
[Time: 15:30 PM]
The pigeons on the bridge never saw it coming.
I walked across the stone bridge, my claws clicking rhythmically against the pavement. Aether walked beside me, looking nervous, while Paimon floated overhead, trying to look brave.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!"
A girl in red burst from the bushes, landing in a combat roll before snapping her bow up. An arrow was aimed directly between my eyes.
Amber. The Outrider.
"A dragon?!" Amber shouted, her eyes wide. "Is the attack starting already?! Strange... respectable traveler, get away from that beast!"
I stopped, sitting down calmly. I didn't growl. I just stared at her with my silver eyes.
"Put the toy away, Outrider," I projected into her mind. "If I wanted to attack, I wouldn't be walking through the front door."
Amber flinched, almost dropping her bow. "It talks?! Why does everyone talk today?!"
"Wait, Amber!" Aether stepped in, waving his hands. "He's a friend! Master Jean knows him!"
Amber blinked. "Jean? You know the Acting Grand Master?"
"We met in the woods," I explained smoothly. "I helped her with... a fish blasting incident involving a certain red Knight."
Amber's face went through a journey of emotions: Confusion → Realization → Horror.
"Oh, Barbatos," she groaned, lowering her bow. "You were with Klee. Okay, if you survived Klee, you're definitely tough. And if Jean let you go, you aren't an enemy."
She inspected me, walking around my flank. "I've never seen a dragon like you. You look like a Vishap, but... sharper. I'm Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius!"
"Raiden," I replied. "And I suggest we hurry. The wind is picking up."
[Location: Mondstadt City – Lower Plaza]
[Time: 16:00 PM]
Entering the city was chaos. Civilians screamed. Guards drew swords. It took Amber shouting "He's an ally!" about fifty times to stop them from attacking me.
"You draw a lot of attention," Paimon whispered, hiding behind Aether's head.
"I'm a four-legged tank made of obsidian scales, Paimon. I don't exactly blend in."
We reached the plaza with the giant Anemo Archon statue. It was beautiful.
"So," Amber said, handing Aether a set of wooden wings. "This is a Wind Glider! The Knights of Favonius use them to ride the wind. Since you helped us, here's a gift!"
She looked at me. "Uh... do they make gliders in size 'Dragon'?"
I flared my own wings—leathery, black membranes with blue veins. "I come pre-equipped, thanks."
"Right," Amber laughed nervously. "Well, let's—"
BOOOOOOM!
The sky turned black instantly. The cheerful wind of Mondstadt turned into a gale force scream.
"What's happening?!" Paimon shrieked, grabbing onto Aether's cape.
A massive shadow descended from the clouds. Stormterror. Dvalin roared, unleashing three massive tornadoes that tore through the city streets. People were sucked into the air. Market stalls were obliterated.
"Dvalin!" Amber shouted, bracing herself against a wall.
A tornado swept through the plaza. Aether lost his footing.
"Whoa!"
The wind caught his glider, ripping him off the ground and sucking him into the sky.
"AETHER!" Paimon screamed.
I looked up. Dvalin was circling high above, roaring in agony.
"Great Sage! Can I fly in this turbulence?"
[Great Sage]
"Let's dance."
I crouched, my claws cracking the stone pavement.
[Skill: Steel Strength] – Activate.
[Skill: Wind Magic] – Boost.
I launched myself upward. I shot like a cannonball, piercing through the storm clouds, chasing after Aether.
[Location: The Sky Above Mondstadt]
I broke through the cloud layer. The sun was shining up here, but Dvalin was casting a massive shadow. Aether was floating, glowing with green energy—Venti was helping him.
Dvalin spotted Aether. He opened his maw, gathering Anemo energy for a breath attack.
"HEADS UP!" I roared telepathically.
I tackled Dvalin mid-air.
It was like a Chihuahua tackling a Great Dane. I slammed into his side, my claws raking uselessly against his massive scales, but the impact was enough to ruin his aim. His breath attack missed Aether, vaporizing a cloud instead.
Dvalin shrieked and spun, shaking me off. I tumbled through the air, correcting my flight with my wings.
"Traveler! Shoot the purple spikes on his back! That's the corruption!"
Aether nodded, firing wind bullets from his hands (since he had no bow).
Dvalin turned his attention to me. He saw me as the bigger threat. He flapped his wings, sending razor-sharp wind blades my way.
[Great Sage]
My body moved on its own. I banked left, dived right, and barrel-rolled, dodging the wind blades by inches.
"My turn! [Fireball]!"
I opened my mouth, unleashing a sphere of concentrated fire (stolen from the Pyro Slime). It wasn't huge, but when it hit the high-speed winds surrounding Dvalin...
SWIRL REACTION.
The fire expanded, turning into a vortex of flame. It engulfed Dvalin's face. He roared, blinded for a moment.
"Now, Aether!"
Aether unleashed a barrage of Anemo shots. They struck the corrupted blood clot on Dvalin's neck. The crystal cracked.
Dvalin screamed—not in anger, but in pain. He looked at us with wide, confused eyes, then turned and fled, diving back into the storm clouds to retreat to his lair.
The storm broke. The tornadoes vanished.
I hovered in the air for a moment, panting. My mana reserves were drained. That took a lot out of me.
"We survived," I muttered.
I drifted down, landing heavily on the plaza tiles next to the statue. Aether landed softly beside me using his glider.
Civilians were peeking out of their homes. The Knights were running toward us.
And clapping.
Slow, rhythmic clapping.
I turned my head. Walking down the steps from the Cathedral was a man with a fur collar, an eyepatch, and a smile that didn't reach his eye.
Kaeya Alberich. The Cavalry Captain.
"Well, well," Kaeya said, his voice smooth as silk. "You've certainly got the power to go with that impressive look. A traveler who commands the wind... and a Dragon who fights for the city."
He stopped in front of me, looking me directly in the eye. He didn't smell like fear. He smelled like Cryo and secrets.
"Welcome to Mondstadt," Kaeya said. "I believe the Acting Grand Master has been waiting for you. Though..."
He glanced at my claws, which had scratched the plaza tiles.
"...we might need to discuss a parking fee."
I snorted, a puff of smoke hitting his face.
"Put it on my tab, Captain," I retorted.
Kaeya's smile widened. He liked that answer.
"Let's go meet Jean. I have a feeling the real work is just starting."