Free as a bird - Meeting with the Acting Grand-Master

"Hello There" -- Characters speaking

'General Kenobi' -- Character thoughts

"You are" 'a bold one' -- Invocations, Thoughts/Conversations in flashbacks

The Negotiator -- Titles

"Ah yes, the Negotiator" -- Xeroc speaking

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Stormy, dark clouds covered the skies above Mondstadt City, blanketing its citizens in a veil of despondency. Members of the Knights of Favonius and the Adventurer's Guild tried their utmost best to evacuate the residents of the city, while the violent tempests created by the dragon raged on.

"And this bird you cannot change~ Lord knows I can't change~ Lord, help me, I can't change~"

All of a sudden, the muffled sounds of gunfire, explosions, and instruments were heard, becoming clearer and clearer, until two distinctly sized figures broke through the clouds—the both of them being dragons.

The first to break through was Crysthamyr—a black, shadowy dragon with shining blue eyes, carrying three and a half people, as he briskly evaded the other dragon's beak trying to take a bite out of him.

The other dragon was twice as big as Crysthamyr. His entire body was colored in a shade of blue, with his main body being a lighter Azure blue. Parts of his body emitted light, notably his eyes that seemed to have a blue flame effect. Though some of the parts were singed from super-heated flames.

He possessed a total of six large wings—three on each side—the scales on his wings emitting an aqua glow. His massive tail ended with bird-like feathering and the two horns on his head resembled that of a goat. 

The one thing that stood out, that seemed to catch most of their attention were the two sharp, purple spikes on his back—spikes they felt did not originate from the dragon's body.

Although the people of Mondstadt called him Stormterror, his true identity was that of Dvalin, the former Dragon of the East.

Currently, Stormterror was chasing after the shadow dragon, his irate form vexed at the dragon and his riders that evaded all of the attacks that he threw at them. It wasn't helping that the music emanating from somewhere around the dragon kept grating on his nerves.

"Lord, I can't chaaannnge~ Won't you flyyy hiiiggghhhh, freeee biirrrd, yeah!~"

Following the lyrics, the sound of a single electric guitar resounded through the sky and the city, as Mondstadt was graced with one of the sickest guitar solos in American history.

At the same time, Erden peppered Stormterror with hundreds of rubber bullets, his hands holding a very futuristic assault rifle as he didn't let go of the trigger, an expression of pure glee and exhilaration adorning his face.

"Fuck yeah! Come get some, you magnificent bastard!" he taunted, enraging Stormterror even further than he already was.

"Are you taunting him or complimenting him?! Also, I thought we weren't trying to kill him!" screamed Calamitas, trying her best to talk over the thunderous sound of gunfire.

At the same time, she threw baseball-sized concentrated fireballs, that exploded in a large radius as they came close to the dragon, burning his scales. The dragon could feel the damage from the fireballs starting to accumulate, seeing as the intensity of his attacks had increased two-fold.

"I'm doing both! And that's why I'm using rubber rounds! They won't deal any real damage, but they'll definitely hurt like a bitch with the speed they're traveling at!" he replied back, his voice equally as loud as hers.

As the two of them bickered with each other, a third voice cut amongst their banter, the source of the voice holding tightly onto her companion's hair, doing her best to not fall of the shadow dragon.

"Will the two of you stop flirting, and actually deal with the dragon?! Paimon doesn't want to become Stormterror's chew-toy!" yelled Paimon, already regretting that she and Lumine accepted Erden's offer to join up with them to fight off Stormterror. "Lumine, you do something!"

Lumine on the other hand, tried her best to fend off the dragon as she shot it with rapid blasts of concentrated Anemo energy. "I'm trying! But he just keeps chasing us regardless! And you two!"

She diverted her attention towards Erden and Calamitas, hoping that they had a way to temporarily deal with Stormterror as she frustratedly shouted at them, "I hope you have a way out of this, otherwise that dragon's gonna be having human meat for dinner tonight!"

"Seriously, you guys worry too much!" he shouted back, reassuring them of their safety. "Crys, up!" On his command, Crysthamyr began to ascend while dodging Stormterror's attacks, who was doing his best to intercept the pests that had been annoying him for the last few minutes.

On his part, Erden put away the assault rifle back into his Inventory, replacing it with the Murasama, the blade shining bright red as electricity crackled around it.

The beautiful sword drew the attention of both Paimon and Lumine—especially Lumine, who remembered seeing a similar sword in one of the worlds she had visited before, being wielded by a Brazilian with a dump-truck of a behind.

Realizing what he was going to do, Calamitas created a sphere of Brimflame in her palm, bringing her other hand down on it, as she began to mold the flame. She stretched it using her palms, before pinching one end of the flame using her thumb, index, and middle finger, pulling her entire arm back, as if notching an arrow.

Then, straightening out the arm and hand she used to create the Brimflame sphere, she folded her ring, and pinky finger, leaving the other three open with the thumb pointing downward. Using the outstretched hand as an anchor, the head of the Brimflame transformed into a skull-like apparition.

"Seeker's ready! I'll fire as soon as you jump!" she yelled, informing him of the attack beforehand. Erden didn't reply, but a small nod of his head was enough to let her know that he had acknowledged her warning.

Following Calamitas' lead, Lumine also began to charge up an attack. Gathering tons and tons of Anemo energy into the front of her palm, the condensed energy took shape in the form of a basketball-sized orb—the energy inside running amok, traveling in both clockwise, and counter-clockwise directions, but never escaping the boundaries of the orb.

As Crysthamyr kept flying upwards with Stormterror following behind closely, Erden took a few steps back. Taking a running start, he jumped off of the shadow dragon as gravity pulled him downwards, right into Stormterror's path.

The raging dragon, seeing one of the annoying pests falling from above, opened his beak wide as its sharp, jagged teeth became visible for all to see. With intense zeal, he flapped his wings, accelerating upwards.

As soon as Erden came within range, Stormterror tried to snap his neck forwards in an attempt to gobble up the falling human. Tried, being the keyword, as the Brimflame Seeker created by Calamitas slammed right into his jaw, followed by the Anemo orb, courtesy of Lumine.

As if that wasn't enough, the Brimflame Seeker used the wind from the Anemo orb to enhance its own destructive power, creating a large explosion that engulfed the entirety of Stormterror's head, along with parts of his neck.

The dragon roared, feeling the burns on his scales and his singed feathers. He shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision. Suddenly, he felt a small weight land above his neck, right beside one of the purple spikes.

He tried to shake off the weight by flying erratically and repeatedly doing barrel rolls, but it was for naught as the weight on his neck still remained.

A foreboding feeling washed over his body, as his instincts began to cry out, like a loud siren blaring within his head. The premonition came true as he heard the voice of the human that was on top of his neck.

"Hey dragon, I have a question for you—do you want to see bloodshed?" he asked calmly, taking stance, his knees bent and upper body relaxed as he held the Murasama firmly, the flat of the blade perpendicular to the purple spike on the dragon's body.

"'Cause I sure as hell do!" he exclaimed, twisting his hips and moving his arms as the blade sliced through the spike in one clean motion, sending it flying away. Toxic blood erupted like a geysar, the pain from the wound causing the dragon to flail around in the air.

Meanwhile, Erden had already jumped away from Stormterror, landing back on Crysthamyr as he, along with the others, witnessed the dragon's unfortunate state.

Releasing one final roar, the raging dragon chose to retreat, finding the need to heal his wounds and nurse himself back to fighting state as soon as possible.

Observing the dragon's retreating form, Erden commanded Crysthamyr to take them back down to Mondstadt City as he made sure that the dragon wouldn't return any time soon. He then turned towards Lumine and Paimon, a smirk on his face as he casually addressed them.

"See? I told you that you guys worry too much," he asserted smugly. They looked on unimpressed, though Paimon did raise a question about his strength. "Wow, you're really strong... that means you could have dealt with the dragon much earlier, right?"

Her question was met with the sound of whistling, as Erden looked everywhere but her face. "Wow, those clouds must be made out of clouds."

Exasperated, she turned towards Calamitas, who did not look bothered one bit. "Is he always like this?" she asked, raising concerns about the way he acted. Calamitas, on her part, chose to clear up any doubts they may have felt about him as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, he's quite relaxed most of the time, but always gets the job done... most of the time. The fact that he was messing around even while fighting against the dragon, just goes to show that the dragon simply wasn't strong enough for him to get serious," she explained, justifying his attitude during the fight.

Understanding her reasoning, Paimon chose not to ask anything else. She floated her way over to Lumine, whose eyes were trained on the Murasama. With caution, she approached Erden, throwing subtlety out of the window as she questioned him about the sword.

"That katana... where'd you get it?" she asked calmly, her tone neutral, but her eyes betrayed the uncertainty hidden beneath her indifferent exterior. A response she received, but not one she was hoping for.

"Oh this? I sto— borrowed this from someone I know," he answered, swiftly covering up the slip of the tongue he made. "But why do you ask?" Interested, he threw a question of his own. 

"Nothing... just curiosity." She turned away, her lips freeing out a hushed whisper. Following that, a lull fell over them, the sound of flapping wings and the passing wind being the only thing audible as they approached the city.

Entering back into Mondstadt City, Crysthamyr landed in the city's lone plaza, the three riders jumping off the shadow dragon while Paimon simply floated away, choosing to stay right beside Lumine, her traveling companion.

Once all the passengers were off of his back, Crysthamyr's shadowy body dissipated, leaving behind the obsidian stone he was summoned from, which fell right into Erden's Inventory. The spectacle shocked both Lumine and Paimon, the former showing less emotion than the latter.

"You guys! Are you alright?!" Appeared a wild Amber, skidding to a stop right in front of Lumine. "Are you hurt?" She put her hands on her shoulders, checking for any injuries. After making sure that she was fine, she did the same for Erden and Calamitas, having slight trouble due to their height differences.

As she worried over them, the sound of applause resounded through the plaza, drawing their attention towards the set of stairs leading up to the area. Emerging from there was a tan-skinned young man, his hair navy-blue with streaks of lighter blue, accompanied by a waist-length lock of hair that began at the base of his scalp on the back of his head at the left. A blue earring hung from his left ear.

Over his right eye, he wore a gold-trimmed black eyepatch that was mostly covered by his bangs. His visible eye was periwinkle with a diamond-shaped pupil. The man wore a half-cape with a fur collar; a white-collared, cleavage-revealing blouse; dark, tight-fitted trousers, and knee-length boots. His Vision hung from a loose brown belt, having a blue gem and a rope.

The man walked over to them while still clapping his hands, only ceasing to do so when he stopped in front of the group. A smirk present on his face, surprise and commendation lacing his tone, as he remarked, "It is quite the surprise. From my observations, I knew you were strong... but to think you have enough power to go against a dragon."

Tilting his head, he continued on, "Are you new allies... or perhaps a new storm?"

Hearing his question, Erden had a thought emerge in his mind, completely deviating from said question. 'Storm...? That's right, I am the storm that is approaching— oof!'

A sudden elbow to the gut he received from Calamitas, interrupting him thoughts. With mild irritation, he asked her, "Hey, what was that for?!" Of course, she looked unapologetic, a deadpan expression gracing her pretty face. "I know that expression of yours. You were thinking about one of your 'memes', weren't you?"

He tried to defend himself, but didn't get the chance as Amber spoke first, her tone and body language exuding anxiety. "Stormterror... tried to attack Mondstadt itself! If he tries to come back again... Kaeya, you've come at the right time. We must—"

"Hold on, Amber. Aren't you forgetting to introduce us?" he interrupted, finding the following conversation to be easier if they knew of his identity. Faltering, Amber finally composed herself, introducing the eyepatched-man. "Oh... right. This is Kaeya, our Cavalry Captain."

Then, she pointed at Erden and Calamitas first— "I'm sure you already know who these two are." —before moving her finger towards Lumine and Paimon.

Turning towards Kaeya, she presented their names to him in order. "The other two are Lumine and Paimon, travelers from afar. Lumine here is currently searching for her brother, so I was going to help put up missing posters around the city... that is if Stormterror hadn't attacked."

'From afar? First, it was those two, and now it's this girl and the flying mascot... and not soon after they appear, Stormterror attacks.' His mind was running a mile a minute, as he found the timing to be quite suspicious.

'...No, if they were on the same side as Stormterror, then it wouldn't make sense for the dragon to attack them. And they did play the biggest part in defending the city, so I guess I could let this slide, for now.' However, due to not having any concrete evidence, he shelved such thought to the back of his mind.

"Looking for your brother, huh? I offer my condolences. I understand the anguish of being separated from family. Though, I'm afraid that you haven't arrived at the best of times," he remarked.

He felt sympathy hearing about Lumine's circumstances, the separation of family somewhat reminded him of his own situation, but he steered his thoughts away from that path, keeping a lid on memories of the past.

"Well, first things first, I express my gratitude on the behalf of the Knights of Favonius, for helping drive away Stormterror. Your fight against the dragon was witnessed by quite the amount of people, including the Acting Grand-Master of the Knights of Favonius herself," he applauded them, his appreciation for their efforts visible in his speech.

"Hence, why she is formally inviting you to our headquarters," he offered, willing to take them directly to the Acting Grandmaster.

Erden didn't see much of a reason to decline as he began to cook a plan in his head, but nevertheless, he still made sure to confirm with his companion and the other traveler and her guide. "I'm fine with that, but what about you guys?"

"Don't ask me, I'm just following your lead." Calamitas was the first one to answer, her intentions clear. Lumine on the other hand, was clearly hesitant. She just wanted to find her brother. She didn't want to be caught up in the problems of some other nation.

Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Kaeya assured her, putting her doubts to rest, "I know that you are quite worried about your sibling, so I am sure that the Acting Grandmaster could arrange something for you.

Although her concerns still persisted, she saw no other way which could help with her problem. Releasing a heavy sigh, she finally accepted, "...Alright. I'll go with you."

With Lumine accepting, there was only one more person left. But Paimon being Paimon, her gluttonous mind was filled with one question. "Will there be a reward? Oh, oh, will we get Mora?!"

"Don't worry! I'm sure you'll be rewarded handsomely." This time, it was Amber who chimed in, instead of Kaeya, who only chuckled in amusement. Now knowing that there would be a reward awaiting them, Paimon began circling around Lumine with gusto, urging the group to quickly follow Kaeya.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?! Let's go and get that reward! Ehehe... Paimon will be rich... with so much food...," she began muttering under her breath, a sly grin on her face as she wiped the small bits of drool falling from her lips.

Lumine just looked at her with a deadpan expression, not being surprised one bit, while Erden wore a wry grin, his thoughts filled with mirth. 'Good grief, she's still the same little glutton as I remember. Never change, Paimon. Never change.'

And so, the group moved their feet following Kaeya and Amber. It took them a few minutes to reach the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, minutes which were spent with Amber trying to make small talk with the entire group.

Arriving at the front of the headquarters, the group of travelers arched their necks, craning their heads upwards as they marveled at the architecture of the three-story building, resembling that of a castle. 

Unlike most of the buildings in the residential area of the city, the exterior of the headquarters seemed to constructed entirely using bricks and tiles. Lines of windows—arranged at three differing heights—allowed passersby to catch glimpses of the interior of the headquarters.

A few banners flapped here and there, while the design of a falcon overlaying a shield was etched on different parts of the building.

As Kaeya walked up to the entrance doorway, along with Amber and the group in-tow, The found the entrance to be left unguarded. "There aren't any Knights guarding the entrance..." The absence of knights guarding the entrance of what could be considered the heart of the Knights of Favonius, elicited a concerned inquiry from Calamitas.

"Ah... that is because of the recent attack by Stormterror, our forces are stretched thin dealing with the aftermath. On top of that, majority of our most competent knights were taken by Grand-Master Varka on an expedition, about half a year ago," he informed the group.

"Grand-Master Varka...?" parroted Paimon, the name not ringing any bells.

"One of the strongest people in Mondstadt; The Knight of Boreas, and the Titan of the Knights of Favonius. There is no one more deserving of the position of Grand-Master than him... well, that's not counting Jean, of course," he elaborated, his tone laced with admiration for the man.

He walked as he talked, opening the door, making enough space for the rest of the group to pass through. Upon entering the headquarters, they were greeted by a long hallway with several doors on both sides, and a staircase at the other end of the hallway, leading to the second floor.

Clean marble walls carved with intricate designs, chandeliers that hung from the elevated ceiling, a soft yellow glow that illuminated the hallway, casting shadows along the ground. It was decorated with minimal ornaments, and yet there was beauty in its simplicity.

"Over this side," he instructed, leading the group towards the first door on the left. But for some reason, he stopped a few meters away from the door. Turning around, he looked at Erden, gesturing at his face as he asked, "Do you mind?"

For a second, Erden was left confused until he realized that Kaeya was pointing at his helm. With a thought, it disappeared into his Inventory, allowing his wrapped up hair to fall down to his back. With a nod, Kaeya resumed the walk towards his destination.

Without even knocking, he pushed the door open as he walked in, announcing his presence to the two occupants of the room. "Jean, I've brought them," he stated, gesturing towards the group behind him.

The woman, whose name he called out, stood in the middle of an office-like room. Her golden-blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail using a black bow, some bangs falling over her gray-blue eyes that shined with relief.

She wore a sleeveless black button-up under a white vest with a pair of separate black sleeves, and a pair of white gauntlets.. A long blue tailcoat was attached to the white vest, and a short blue and gold cloak attached to a white collar.

White tights embroidered with a gold diamond-dot pattern covered her legs, along with a pair of white high-heeled knee-high boots. There was a golden Knights of Favonius crest on the front of her vest. Finally, her Vision hung off her belt at her back on her left.

Once the last person from the group walked in, they shut the door behind them. Looking around the room, it exuded a professional vibe—what with all the books adorning the walled shelves, and the varying-sized maps tacked on the walls, or scattered on the sole wooden desk in the office.

After everyone got settled, Kaeya began to recount all of the events that happened prior to their arrival to the headquarters. Jean chewed on her lips as she mulled over the new information. Thanking Kaeya, she turned towards the group of travelers.

"Mondstadt welcomes you, windborne travelers. I am Jean Gunnhildr, Acting Grand-Master of the Knights of Favonius," she stated, introducing herself, then gesturing towards the woman standing right beside her. "And this is Lisa Minci, our resident Librarian."

The now named Lisa was a woman of fair skin and green eyes. Her wavy, shoulder-length light honey-brown hair tied in a loose side-ponytail, covered under a large witch's hat. A pale purple rose was pinned to her hat, and a similar one on the tie of her ponytail.

She wore a purple and white dress with open slits at the sides with gold embroidery, along with black gloves with pale purple trim, black lace stockings, and black high heels, and an earring visible on one ear. She wore a gold necklace with her Vision clasped to the collar of her dress. Additionally, a large ornamental golden rose was attached on her belt at the hip.

"Oh! Are you sweeties here to help us out?" spoke Lisa, a tinge of sensuality discernible in her tone as she giggled. "You're all so adorable! Especially you... handsome." Her gaze swept over the entire group, settling on Erden's rugged visage.

A raised eyebrow she received from Erden, upon hearing the mature woman call him handsome. Calamitas on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. She began to scoot over to Erden until their shoulders were touching, grabbing on to his hand tightly.

He raised another eyebrow at her in concern, feeling somewhat bamboozled by her behavior. Seeing the questioning look on his face, she pouted, turning her face away as she fumed, silently. It took him a few more seconds before he grasped the reason for her behavior.

'Wait... is she jealous?' he thought, feeling both amusement, and surprise simultaneously. Finding that it would be discourteous to leave her hanging, he slightly wriggled the hand she was holding, freeing it from her grasp as he began to intertwine his fingers around hers.

The sudden action sent a jolt through her body as she promptly looked back towards his face, finding a reassuring smile directed right at her. Feeling her face heat up a bit, she looked down to hide the reddish hue that appeared on her cheeks.

'I highly doubt she is trying to flirt with me, considering we literally just met, but it's best that I nip this in the bud.'

Still wearing a smile on his face, he looked at Lisa, accepting her compliment while carefully drawing a line between them. "I appreciate the compliment, Ms. Minci... but" —raising their intertwined hands— "as you can see, we already have something good going for us."

"Heheheh, not to worry. I was simply teasing you." Being a good sport, she giggled at his response, taking the rejection in stride. Though deep down, there was a very, very small part of her pride that took a hit from the refusal.

Still, she continued on speaking, this time with a more serious expression on her face.

"As I was going to say, due to Stormterror's recent resurgence, the ley lines in Mondstadt are a complete mess. Before, I could have used them to help locating your brother, but right now, that is practically impossible."

She paused, folding one hand under her plentiful bosom while massaging her temple with the other.

"Simply put, Mondstadt's elemental sphere and ley lines are now akin to a yarn ball in the paws of a kitten. For a mage like me, it couldn't get much worse. My skin is one elemental particle away from a full-blown breakout."

As Lisa was done speaking, Jean chimed in, her expression apologetic as she addressed Lumine's main problem.

"If it weren't for this interference, we would have better ways to help you than just putting up missing person posters. We simply ask that you repose in Mondstadt while we help you seek out your brother."

Hearing that the search for her brother would be delayed, Lumine bit her lips, her frustrations obvious. Wanting to end the situation as soon as possible, she was about to offer her help, only to be interrupted by Erden's voice.

"Okay then, we'll leave you to deal with it," he stated, calmly.

"...Eh?" vocalized a bamboozled Jean, while the rest of members of the Knights of Favonius stared dumbfoundedly. Turning around, his back to the small crowd, Erden began walking towards the door leading to the hallway, holding Calamitas' hand as she walked in tow.

"Ah... please wait!" Jean called out, a minute hint of desperation audible within her tone. Hearing his name being called, Erden stopped walking as he turned around, a neutral expression masking his inner thoughts.

'Hook, line, and sinker...'

"Yes? Do you need anything from me?" he questioned, ignoring the infuriated look on Jean's face. Knowing she won't get anywhere without being blunt, she decided to act straightforwardly.

Sigh.

"Well... on behalf of the Knights of Favonius and Mondstadt, I would like to enlist your help in dealing with this situation." Although her tone was polite, the request did not seem to move Erden, as he still had the same neutral expression on his face.

"And... what do I get out of this? I apologize for my discourtesy, Acting Grand-Master, but frankly speaking, I have no reason, nor am I obligated to participate in the defense of this city," he paused, taking a breath, before continuing on.

"The only reason I fought the dragon before is that my companion and I would've been caught up in the storm anyway, so I found it optimal to drive away the dragon as soon as possible," he halted, taking another breath, while driving away a fleeting thought that popped into his mind.

'And also because I was starting to feel a bit bored, but no need to mention that.'

"So I ask you again... why should I involve myself in the matters of Mondstadt?"

Finishing off his inquiry, he waited for a response from Jean, who simply stared at Erden, her mouth agape. Hearing such an apathetic statement from the same person who defended Mondstadt City prior, left her feeling speechless.

But the Dandelion Knight of Mondstadt was not someone known for giving up. Gathering her wits, she stared resolutely, determined to convince Erden to help them in their endeavor.

Taking a deep breath, she set about conversing with him on equal grounds. "You asked me, what would you receive in return for your help? If you help us, I am willing to reward you for your services. I am sure we can negotiate on something that you'd find... fulfilling."

"Negotiations, huh?" he asked, rhetorically. A smug grin found its way onto his face, different from the neutral expression he wore before.

"Now you're talking my language, Acting Grand-Master."

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GGEZ

Chapter is kinda smaller compared to the ones before, the length being about 4.8k for this one. I tried to write for longer, but couldn't really focus this past week. Not only that, I've started working a part-time job recently, and have college classes to take on top of that, so I try to write as much as possible without trying to sacrifice too much quality.

Anyways, enough ranting, see you next time.