Temple Run (1/2)

"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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The sun hung high, the time—a little before noon. The sweltering heat fell upon the inhabitants of a quaint town located on the outskirts of the forest biome, who paid it no mind as they went about their day. They crafted, mined, farmed, and guarded, carrying on with their daily duties as they contributed towards the well-being of the town.

Deep within the forest biome, some distance from the town, a patch of land—a clearing—was situated. Tucked away within the depths of the forest, the area was mostly empty, ignoring the occasional lifeform that passed by and the mass of trees surrounding the clearing.

In the middle, a giant tree stood by its lonesome, weathering the calm breeze, and taking in the sunlight as it carried on with its natural process. It's texture reflected its age, being relatively new despite its size. Above the base of the tree, on its trunk, hung a wooden plaque as five gravestones surrounded the tree.

A young man knelt under the extending branches of the tree, right in front of the gravestones. A melancholic expression graced his face, with a tinge of wistfulness. He stared at the gravestones, the names written on them bringing up memories of the past.

Joe the Guide, Mash the Wizard, Knoggs the Tinkerer, Tony the Arms Dealer, Caitlin the Nurse...

Finally, he looked up towards the plaque that hung from the trunk, reading out the name written on it.

"Elysia... the Dryad."

Calling her name, the image of an ethereal beauty covered in leaves, with flowing vine-like green hair and empty-gray eyes, flashed through his mind, a serene smile on her face. He remembered her final words that she spoke, not to him, but to the Phoenix, as he lay bleeding out on death's door, his head on her lap.

"Please... have this life of mine... save him..." she spoke, her breath laden with exhaustion as her eyes met with the Phoenix's, begging him to save the man's life.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him, gradually becoming more and more audible.

"Erden... it's time." The source of the footsteps called out to him, but he did not look. 

Still gazing at the plaque, he stood up, dusting off his legs as he spoke to no one in particular. "I'll be going now. I hope... that you'll watch over me, as you've always done," he said, turning around to find Calamitas walking towards him.

Walking over, Erden left the area with her, as they prepared for their journey to another world. A few moments after he left, the lone tree shook, as its leaves glowed slightly before returning back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

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[Teyvat - Present time]

"Erden, you alright there?" Calamitas asked concernedly, seeing him spaced out. He looked at her, gazing silently as he responded back, "I'm fine, just remembering something from the past."

It had been almost an hour since they left the Grand-Master's office, but not before making three groups of two people, each hitting one of the three temples. To say the least, the choosing was quite awkward.

"Sooo, are we gonna decide the groups or what?" asked Calamitas, as she put the knights in an awkward spot. Amber had a slightly awkward expression on her face while Lisa and Kaeya made eye contact with each other, nodding imperceptibly. 

"Umm... I'll take Lumine with me." Amber was the first one to decide as she spoke, fidgeting in place as her eyes occasionally fell on Erden, gazing nervously. It was clear she wasn't ready to communicate with Erden so soon after the whole contract debacle.

"Well, that's fine with me." Being the generous senior that he is, Kaeya found no problems with her choice, thinking that it couldn't be helped. Considering that she wasn't as experienced as the rest of the knights present, he was right to think so. "In that case, I'll go with Mr. Yeager."

"Please, call me Erden. Being formal has never been my thing, so let's just drop the honorifics," Erden spoke right after Kaeya finished speaking, feeling rather irritated as Kaeya called him mister.

'Seriously, I'm only twenty-five, but being called mister makes me feel like an old-man for some reason. I know I have a beard and all, but still!' he thought to himself quietly.

"I see... then, Erden, I hope that we can put the prior experience behind us, and get along while we work together," Kaeya addressed Erden, extending his hand for a handshake. His gesture was accepted, as Erden extended his own, grabbing his hand firmly. The two made eye-contact—no hostility between them, but only a sense of neutrality.

Once they were done with the pleasantries, Lisa cut in with a sigh, her gaze falling on the third and final traveler. "I suppose for the third group, it will be the both of us," she stated, speaking to Calamitas, who simply shrugged, affirming her statement.

Seeing as the groups were decided, Jean finally spoke, delegating each group to one temple, believing it to be the most efficient method. "Now that the groups are formed, each group will take on one temple. Amber's group will take on the Temple of the Falcon, Kaeya will go to the Temple of the Wolf, and Lisa, the Temple of the Lion. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone present shook their heads in denial, prompting a small smile from Jean. She then repeated what she'd said before the group-making. "Then we will meet at the city's entrance in one hour."

Soon after, both groups of travelers left the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, going their own ways as Lumine and Paimon, along with Amber, went to Good Hunter. Apparently, Amber had promised to treat them to a dish called the Sticky Honey Roast, while Erden and Calamitas went to the Adventurer's Guild to turn in their daily commissions.

"Anyways, It's finally time! I was starting to get tired of all those stares," blurted Calamitas, feeling somewhat weary from the nigh endless strolling they did around the city, waiting for the clock to tick by.

Roaming through the Market District, they noticed some of the passers-by's discreetly point at them, whispering to their companions, a gleam of admiration in their eyes. It was something they had to endure the entire time they walked around, as they had become quite famous within the city, as the travelers who drove away Stormterror.

They walked on, simply smiling and waving back at some of the excited denizens of the city. In the distance, they spotted the giant entrance archway of the city, along with a few figures standing underneath it. One of the figures waved at them, signaling the duo to approach them.

"You're right on time." Kaeya was the first to speak, his tone carefree. Erden looked around, finding that everyone else was present... except for one. "I guess that Jean isn't coming?" Erden questioned perplexed, seeking confirmation from the knights.

"She had some... business to take care of," Lisa answered, putting a slight emphasis on "business". She then continued on speaking. "It will take a few hours for each group to reach their respective temples. So we prepared some supplies in advance."

The duo nodded as they looked at the other pair of travelers, finding them to be unsurprised. Calamitas guessed that they must have been told before she and Erden arrived. And speaking of Erden...

"Well, that's great and all, but where are the horses? Pfft, don't tell me you guys are going to walk all the way over," he jokingly asked, chuckling at what should have been a small prank. But seeing the awkward and expressionless looks on everyone's faces, he realized that the prank, was not in fact a prank.

"...You guys are going to walk all the way over, aren't you?" Receiving multiple nods, Erden facepalmed as Calamitas let out a sigh, while the knights could only look on sheepishly. Releasing his face, he looked towards Kaeya, a deadpan expression on his face.

"Aren't you the Cavalry Captain?" asked Erden, receiving another nod, this time from Kaeya. "...Then, where is the cavalry? The horses?"

Hearing his inquiry, Kaeya could only look away as he let out a nervous chuckle. He looked towards Lisa for help, but she simply stared at him with a look that said 'you got yourself into this, now get yourself out'. He sighed, taking a second to formulate a vague response.

"...The Grand-Master... took all of the horses on the expedition with him. He didn't take me with him because... I overslept, and they left without me." he drawled out, cringing the more he spoke.

"Pft... I see— khrk...! You— heh... you have my sympathies." Erden tried to speak, but his words came out along with a few weird sounds as he tried not to laugh. On the other hand, Calamitas put a fist on her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she tried her best to keep any laughter from leaking out.

"Hold on! You said that Grand-Master Varka assigned to you a top-secret mission, with the information being so confidential that if I were to find out, I'd be thrown into the sea and fed to the sharks, just like those pirate stories you told me about!" Amber cut in, her tone expressing the betrayal she felt, while Lisa almost facepalmed at her naivety.

"Ah... that... I lied," he uttered, hearing a gasp being released from her. He turned his gaze away as he prepared for the nagging he'd receive from the brown-haired girl, letting it in one ear and out the other. Surprisingly, he didn't hear anything, so he looked back at her, only to see her pouting at him angrily.

"Ugh, now isn't that time! Just you wait, I'm going to tell Jean once we get back!" she shouted, stomping away as she grabbed Lumine's hand, dragging her away.

'Hehe... I'm in danger,' he chuckled, thinking to himself quietly.

Paimon began to follow them, but not before looking back, a smug grin on her face as she laughed at Kaeya's misfortune. "Hahahaha, Horseless Eye-patch got into trouble! Serves yo—" She was cut off, as Lumine's hand suddenly clamped onto her mouth, dragging her along with her.

"You guys, do you need a ride?" Seeing Amber and Lumine walk off along with Paimon, Erden unexpectedly spoke out with concern, realizing the time and effort it would take for them to walk all the way over to their destination.

The three of them stopped in place. Lumine then turned around, speaking vaguely, "We appreciate the offer, but... I have a way to get there quickly." Saying that, she set about walking again, with Amber and Paimon in tow.

'Right... I almost forgot, she can also use the Teleport Waypoints.' 

He shrugged, choosing not to hold them any longer. Turning towards Calamitas, he asked in a gentle tone, "I suppose you don't need a ride either?" She rejected, shaking her head as she snapped her fingers, creating a floating, red, translucent construct of Brimstone, shaped like a bowl.

She looked up, tipping on her toes as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks, full of affection. "I'll see you later then." Saying that, she stepped onto the floating construct, her feet sliding into the center of the bowl. 

Turning her body, she looked towards Lisa, gesturing towards the construct as she requested, "You gonna come with? Or are you gonna walk all the way over?"

Lisa obliged, walking over as she looked over the floating construct with wonder. "This is quite... intriguing. I don't see a Vision on you, and yet I can sense small hints of elemental energy... mixed in with a different energy. It's the first time I've felt something like this."

Calamitas gazed at Lisa, scrutinizing her. Sensing only curiosity without any underlying motives, she humored her with indeterminate response. "I suppose you could say that it is something... unique to our homeland."

"My, truly, such an interesting phenomenon. If possible, I would love to discuss about this foreign energy in great detail... over a cup of tea." Even after knowing from her tone that she was avoiding the topic, Lisa pressed on, her scholarly spirit driving her thirst for knowledge as her eyes twinkled with curiosity.

"Uhm... maybe another day. Right now, we should really be focusing on dealing with these temples." She awkwardly looked away, suggesting to promptly deal with the matters at hand. Seeing her reluctance, Lisa reigned in her interest for the time being.

As soon as she stepped onto the construct, a translucent sphere formed around it. It encircled the entire thing along with both of its occupants, acting as a barrier to keep them in, making sure they did not fall off of it.

The construct then began to ascend. Once it gained enough height, Lisa pointed Calamitas in a specific direction as it set about accelerating, while Calamitas waved Erden goodbye. Erden of course, responded with a wave of his own, keeping his hand raised as he watched the two witches fly off into the distance.

"You really let her go, just like that?" asked Kaeya with curiosity.

"Yeah, why?" Still waving in Calamitas' direction, he responded to his inquiry with a question of his own.

"Well, according to the townspeople, there hasn't been a single time where you two were seen separated. So, I thought that you'd show more resistance to being separated."

"Eh, I'm not too worried. We're not kids, and her strength isn't any lesser than mine. And if anyone tries to mess with her, well... let's just say that she's got that dawg in her."

"...Dawg?" he parroted, feeling perplexed hearing the foreign term.

"...It's nothing."

"Alright... well, I guess it's just the two of us now," Kaeya uttered, more to himself than to Erden as he spoke to him. "So, do you have a way to get us to the Temple of the Wolf quickly? Y'know, without having to walk there, because I don't feel like having sore feet today."

Erden rolled his eyes at him, hearing him speak bluntly and informally. Shaking off any unnecessary thoughts, he summoned Crysthamyr from his Inventory, this time not bothering to bring out the obsidian stone that was his summoning item.

The dragon emerged from thin air, streams of shadows coalescing into one being as his body settled onto the ground. Erden extended his hand, rubbing underneath his chin as the dragon closed his eyes, enjoying the petting he was receiving from his master.

After a few moments, he stopped, mounting on Crysthamyr's back as he extended his hand towards Kaeya, who gazed at the dragon with fascination. He offered his support in climbing the dragon, which was accepted, as Kaeya grabbed onto his hand, using it as leverage to cautiously perch himself on top of Crysthamyr.

Once he was seated, he lightly ran his fingers across the dragon's scales, feeling a smooth, yet somewhat coarse texture covering the dragon's skin. Unexpectedly, he felt Crysthamyr move as the dragon straightened out his legs, before bending his knees and digging his sharp talons into the ground, preparing to take flight.

"Up, boy!" And with a single command, he shot up, flapping his majestic, shadowy wings as he commenced his ascension into the sky. Not even seconds went by before the dragon was hundreds of meters above the city, slowing down, allowing his riders to take in the sight of Mondstadt City.

"Oh... this is quite something, alright," mused Kaeya absentmindedly, peering at the city in silent wonder. He said nothing more, simply drinking in the exalted view, admiring the baroque, rustic architecture of the city.

"Huh... I didn't quite expect that reaction. First time seeing the city from this height?" He was snapped out his trance by Erden, belatedly realizing what had been said. Even so, he didn't turn his gaze away from the sight, responding back in a relaxed manner.

"There aren't any cliffs or elevations near the city that are tall enough for us to reach this height, even with a Wing Glider. So yes... this is the first time I've come up to such a height."

"I see. Well, you'll have time to sightsee later, but right now, I need you to point me in the direction of our target," Erden stated in a no-nonsense tone, leaving no room for any arguments. Kaeya didn't show any opposition, looking down at the city one last time before he extended his arm, pointing his index finger in a particular direction.

Noting the direction, Erden tapped Crysthamyr's neck once, pointing him in the same direction Kaeya had shown him. The dragon obeyed, flying off towards his master's destination at a sedate speed.

Feeling the air whipping against his face, Kaeya started a conversation with Erden, indulging in small talk to avoid any awkward silence. "So... what brought you to Mondstadt?"

Erden glanced behind him upon hearing the question, looking back ahead as he indulged his curiosity, pulling a "reason" right out of his ass. "Although I didn't have a particular reason, but if I had to say... I guess I wanted to see what a nation that follows the ideals of freedom would look like."

"And how did you feel, when you did experience the wonders of this city?" A gleam of anticipation in his eyes, he asked further, not sensing any rejection in his tone when he answered.

"Hmm... although it has a certain... feel of liberty to it, right now there is only a sense of oppression blanketing the city, due to current circumstances," he responded, his words reflecting his opinion regarding the present state of the city.

"Yeah, that's quite regrettable, alright... hey, how about this—once this whole thing blows over, how about I take you guys out for a drink, and show you and Calamitas around the city? I'm sure you've already toured the city, I can assure you that you'll only experience the true glamor of the city after everything returns to normal."

Erden raised an eyebrow at the unexpected offer, giving it some thought as he didn't reply for a few moments. Turning around, he gave Kaeya his full attention as he asked a startling question. "...You know, I've been wondering about this... but aren't you angry with me? I mean, I did sort of force your Acting Grand-Master into an unfavorable position, asking her to sign a... somewhat unfair contract."

The abrupt question left him speechless, as he went dead silent, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face, from frustration, melancholy, to finally ending at acceptance. Closing his uncovered eye, he contrived a response revealing his inner feelings, looking Erden right into his eyes.

With a sigh, he answered in a resigned tone, "It'd be a lie to say I am not upset about what you did, and I am not happy about Jean's decision... but I suppose I had an inkling that it would turn out this way. Jean is someone who has always put the well-being of the city and its people above herself, always taking on more she can handle, but she's always made things work, and has yet to lead us astray."

Stopping to take a short breath, he carried on, "Grand-Master Varka left her in-charge of the Knights of Favonius, because he believed her to be the best fit for the role. She made her decision when she signed that contract, and to doubt that decision would be to undermine her resolve and everything she's done for this city. So... I just have to accept the way things turned out, and support her the best I can, lightening her load as much as possible."

Erden intently listened to his stance on the matter, feeling quite impressed with his and other's faith in Jean. The corners of his lips were curved slightly, a small hint of a smile gracing his face as he murmured faintly, "I see..."

"In any case, going back on your previous offer... we don't drink, but nevertheless, I would like to accept. Callie did mention that she would like to take a look at some of the places in the city that were closed down only recently." He gave Kaeya a pat on the shoulder, turning his body forwards as he replied affirmatively.

"That's good to hear. By the way, I am curious about your place of origin, especially Calamitas. It is the first time I've seen someone with such a... unique skin color." Returning to his relaxed demeanor, Kaeya posed more questions, driven by a desire to learn more about the mysterious travelers.

"Well, where do I even begin...?"

And so, they spent the majority of the flight as Erden regaled vague tales about Terraria with careful consideration, omitting any major details including any mentions of another world, and the majority of monstrosities that plagued the land before and during his time in that world—including the extant of the divine.

Just like that, the hour passed as the shadow of Crysthamyr fell on the ground as he flew through the air, flapping his blackish wings. Abruptly, Kaeya suddenly pointed downwards, grabbing Erden's attention. He issued a command, causing the dragon to descend down on to the ground. 

Alighting on the grass permeating the surroundings, his legs absorbed the impact of the landing. With a leap, both riders disembarked, stretching their legs while the dragon went back into Erden's Inventory. 

They observed their immediate surroundings, seeing a few trees stood in place here and there, bordering the remains of rocky constructs. Patches of grass covered a path of stone, transitioning into a broken stairway leading to a giant gate of weathered stone jutting out from rocky outcrop, shaped like an arbor.

Artificial veins glowing with a dim hue lined the outer parts of the gate, leading inwards as they formed an intricate, triangular pattern right in the center. Similarly, the veins also made their way towards the top of the gate, creating a glowing, diamond-shaped formation.

The traveler and knight both made their way towards the door. As they approached closer, Erden stilled, sniffing the air out of nowhere. Kaeya looked at him in puzzlement, but his expression then hardened momentarily as he was hit with the scent of burnt slime.

"You smell it too, don't you?" he asked, confirming that he wasn't the only one smelling the scent. "The smell of burnt Pyro Slimes. I reckon there will be hilichurls too, and whatever is giving Stormterror extra power." He received a nod in response as Erden resumed walking towards the entrance, paying the smell no mind.

Stopping right in front of the door, he put his hand on the carvings. An ethereal blue began to glow from the triangular pattern, spreading to all corners of the gate, lighting up the dim veins in the stone.

The gate shook as it slowly rumbled open, the doors inducing a rough sound—of stone dragging against stone. The opening caused a small gale of dust to blow out from within the temple, ruffling the hairs of the two newcomers.

Looking straight ahead, the open entryway revealed a visage of purple, dotted with glowing lights, similar to the night sky. This was the entrance of the temple—a portal to teleport those daring enough to take its trial, a gaping maw in the form of an entrance, beckoning any who dared to covet the treasures hidden within.

'Huh, that's quite interesting, some kind of teleportation mechanism?' Noting the discovery to himself, he looked through his Inventory, his eyes zeroing in on a pair of red gauntlets, once a fine creation of Orichalcum, now reforged with Shadowspec Bars, making it an item of immense potential.

Directly equipping the gauntlets, he flexed his fingers and wrist, a barely audible clanking sound being generated from the movement.

"Hmm, gauntlets...? You're not going to use any other weapons?" Kaeya questioned his decision, his inquiry bearing hints of concern due to his choice of weaponry. After all, most combatants from Mondstadt either practiced swordsmanship, or spearmanship, while there were some who simply relied on their Vision, weaponizing elemental energies like a torrent of destruction.

"Not to worry, even with only gauntlets, I can more than easily take care of enemies like hilichurls and the like. Besides, it's been a while since these things saw some action." As he spoke about the gauntlets, he did so in a sentimental tone, which stood out to Kaeya.

"You seem quite fond of these. Can I ask why? Of course, you don't have to say if you don't want to." As he asked, a few moments of silence passed, before Erden spoke again, his expression reflecting nostalgia.

"...I guess, you could say these once belonged to a good friend of mine. He was quite... eccentric, but he was someone with a heart of gold. These gauntlets were his last creations." A somber look came on his face. Judging by his words, Kaeya could surmise that said friend was no longer part of the living.

"Do you know what he called these gauntlets?" A shake of the head Erden received, as he continued on speaking. Upon uttering the name of the gauntlet, the gloomy mood evaporated as Kaeya grabbed on to his stomach, trying to hold in a laugh.

"...Boogie Woogie."

"...Khrk... pfft... sorry, sorry, didn't mean to— hahahaha... oh my, haaahhh..." Hearing such a goofy name almost caused him to choke on his breath.

"Don't worry, that was actually my first reaction too when I heard the name, had me laughing on my ass for a good five minutes." Letting a few moments pass, Kaeya finally composed himself, still letting out a few chuckles here and there.

Materializing his sword, Kaeya put on a serious expression on his face as he addressed Erden. "Although that was a good laugh, now, we should focus on getting through this temple, as soon as possible."

"You got that right... by the way, Kaeya..." Almost stepping into the entryway, he halted, throwing one last question towards Kaeya as he yeeted himself into portal.

"What's your type of woman?"

The abrupt question broke his concentration as Kaeya almost tripped. Looking up, he saw that Erden had already stepped into the portal. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh, muttering to himself as he too entered the portal.

"Seriously... what a quirky character."

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