Chapter Text
It was well past closing as Diluc finished tidying up the tavern. Tonight had been worse than usual, with a bar fight nearly breaking out before Diluc had stopped it. A few glasses had shattered, and more than enough wine had been spilled. It led him to close the bar down a little sooner than normal to mitigate damages.
Diluc rested his forearms against the bar and sighed. He still had to take stock. He was tired enough that he was tempted to leave it until tomorrow. Too many nights recently had been spent gallivanting as Mondstadt’s Darknight Hero. Criminal activity from the treasure hoarders had increased, and Abyss Order schemes were always there to crush.
Speaking of the treasure hoarders, the bandaged wound on his side throbbed. With one foot, he situated one of the barstools so he could sit down. Exhaustion pulled at his eyelids, making their weight glaringly obvious. Diluc sighed again, absently wiping at the bar with the rag in his hand. He should probably get up and take stock so the Diluc of tomorrow didn’t hate him.
Just as he was standing up again, the door behind him creaked open.
Diluc began to turn, annoyance lacing his voice. “We’re closed—Shit!”
An arrow pierced through his chest before Diluc could even see his assailant. He vaulted over the countertop and crouched behind the bar, and an arrow embedded itself in the wall around where his head had just been, shattering a bottle of wine.
“Damn it,” Diluc cursed, his right hand pressing against the skin split by the arrow. Blood stained his white shirt, but it was slow enough to not be his greatest concern. He knew better than to remove the arrow, because then he really would be at the risk of bleeding out.
The arrow was lodged between two of his ribs, probably piercing his lung. Diluc cursed again, taking a shallow breath. He needed medical attention quickly, or his lung would fill with fluid and he’d drown on dry land.
First, he had to take down his attacker. Thankfully, he had the foresight to stash weapons in the cabinets beneath the bar. He opened one, skimming his hand along the top of the cabinet until he brushed the handle of a knife. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
He could hear footsteps nearing the bar. Multiple sets of footsteps. Shit, there was more than one of them. Diluc reached forward for a piece of broken glass and held it up. Using its reflection, he could see three vague human-shaped figures.
Three against one, and an injured one at that. This was going to be tough. He needed to get in close before their archer could fire another shot.
The archer should be by the door. Diluc took a steadying breath, then shot up. He ignored the pain, his eyes locking on the masked figure with his bow drawn.
Diluc slid over the bar and rushed the archer. Diluc grabbed the man’s bow as he fired, sending the arrow sideways rather than skewering him. Diluc stabbed the archer, then kicked his legs out from under him. The archer went down with a thud. The encounter lasted mere seconds.
Diluc turned to face the other two, dagger drawn and held a short ways in front of him. His side was starting to burn, the arrow shifting uncomfortably with his movements. Both of his opponents had long swords. Their range was considerably greater than his.
“Who are you?” Diluc demanded. The two masked figures stalked closer.
“You won’t be alive long enough for that to matter,” a voice whispered in Diluc’s ear. Diluc panicked. Had the archer gotten back up?
As he whirled around, jumping back to put distance between him and the unknown man, he realized there was a fourth assailant. How could he have missed that?
Before Diluc could attack, the fourth assailant smiled from underneath his angular mask. A gust of Anemo slammed into Diluc and launched him backwards. He hit a post, the arrow in his chest snapping with a sharp burst of pain, and crumpled to the ground.
“Shit,” Diluc cursed, and called on his Pyro vision. The two with the swords stayed back as the fourth assailant, the one with the Anemo vision, approached Diluc. He began to pull something out of his pocket.
“Recognize this?” the fourth man asked. Hanging from his fingers was a pocket watch, glowing green with the hue of Anemo. Diluc stilled, flames wreathing his dagger.
He recognized that watch. This man had no Anemo vision. He was holding a Delusion.
Fatui. Diluc should have known this would catch up to him. He needed to kill this man before his Fatui superior arrived. They were all threats to Mondstadt. Diluc struggled to his feet, refusing to grace the man with an answer.
Diluc dashed forward and slashed with his knife, a wave of flames descending on his attacker. The fourth man just smiled.
The pocket watch opened, its ticking loud enough to grate on Diluc’s ears, and another rush of Anemo bombarded Diluc. He managed to avoid the worst of it, but the blow knocked him off balance. When he took a step back, the two men behind him kicked Diluc’s knees, forcing him to fall.
That’s when the real attack began.
The man with the pocket watch held the Delusion by its chain, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. With each swing, another Anemo attack knocked Diluc off of his feet. One swing threw him left, into a wall, the next tossed him and pieces of furniture right into the opposite wall.
Diluc cried out in pain, his dagger dropped somewhere in the madness as he tried to shield himself from the worst of the collisions. Chairs and tables collided with him, furthering his chest injury while adding cuts and scrapes. His flames were swirled by the Anemo, setting the wooden furniture on fire and spreading to the ceiling.
A final swing of the watch sent Diluc straight upwards. He slammed hard into the ceiling with a grunt, and then gravity took hold of his body. He toppled to the ground, the arrow lodging itself further in his chest. He couldn’t see straight from the pain.
The rest of the furniture caught in the whirlwind clattered to the ground around him, splintering into pieces. Diluc couldn’t avoid it all, and nearly blacked out when a table fell on his lower back and legs. Something cracked, something in his body breaking. Diluc coughed and gasped for air, but the floor was tinged with his blood.
He was pinned as flames rose higher in the tavern. The building creaked as support beams began to fail. It would only be minutes before the building came crashing down on Diluc.
For the first time in a long time, Diluc was genuinely scared for his life.
The remaining three assailants gathered by the door. Diluc could barely see them through his dizzy vision. The man closed his pocket watch, then gestured to the other two. While they helped the incapacitated archer up, the masked man addressed Diluc.
“It seems we made a bit too much of a ruckus. We’d best be leaving before the authorities show up. Die well, Master Diluc. The doctor sends his regards.”
With that, they were gone, and Diluc was left alone, trapped beneath furniture he was too weak to lift, in a building minutes away from collapsing.
Diluc scrabbled at the heavy wooden table trapping his legs and back, but he couldn’t turn over to get a good hold. His hands were slick with his own blood, and breathing was getting harder and harder with each wet breath.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Diluc cursed, searching for a way out. His Pyro vision made him more resistant to flames, but even he wouldn’t survive a burning building crushing him.
“Help,” Diluc gasped weakly. “Please, someone, help. Barbatos, save me.”
Diluc’s hand fell to his side as his vision blacked out. He didn’t have the strength to remain conscious. All he could think of was the Delusion that man carried. He had seen it before, in the days he had spent hunting down those responsible for his father’s death. Diluc thought he had buried that past, but evidently he had angered someone powerful.
Diluc prayed to Barbatos that someone would find and save him. He thought he heard voices over the roar of the fire, but he passed out before he could be sure.
It was much too late for Kaeya to be awake, but he had just had a breakthrough in his recent investigation. Papers were scattered across his kitchen table, from reports to intel Vile had brought him to notes of his own.
Recently, there had been a rise in treasure hoarder activity, as well as Abyss Mage schemes. Kaeya had noticed it, and he was positive Diluc had, too. On a few occasions gathering intel, Kaeya had run into his estranged brother in his Darknight disguise.
His brother’s outfit was as ridiculous as it was unnecessary. Kaeya knew why Diluc had left the Knights, but it was a foolish reason. If Diluc weren’t so sensitive, he could have protected Mondstadt as a Knight instead of running around in that stupid costume of his.
( Perhaps Kaeya was less bitter about Diluc’s choice of nighttime profession, and more so about the fact that Diluc had abandoned Kaeya. But Kaeya brushed that thought aside. )
Kaeya ran his hand over his face, wincing when he realized he had forgotten to take off his eyepatch. In fact, he had barely taken off his uniform. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was going to be a late night, but he could at least change into something more comfortable.
As Kaeya stood, a thunderous clang sounded from the bell tower. Kaeya nearly froze in alarm. That bell only ever rang for emergencies. Most recently, the Knights had rung it whenever Stormterror descended on the city. Given that that crisis was over, that left very few options.
Kaeya was thankful to still be dressed at this hour, and immediately left his apartment. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw a thick plume of smoke rising against the calm night sky.
Fire.
Kaeya rushed in the direction of the fire, the harsh peals of the bell shattering the otherwise peaceful night. He could hear the city begin to wake up despite the hour, everyone concerned for their safety. Kaeya flew through the main square, dread seizing his heart as he narrowed down which building could be on fire.
Angel’s Share. Kaeya’s eye widened, and his pace quickened.
He passed Amber rubbing at her face to wake herself up.
“Secure the perimeter,” he ordered. She started in fright, not realizing Kaeya had suddenly arrived. “We don’t want civilians to get injured.”
“Yes, sir!” Amber saluted, gaining some of her usual energy back. Kaeya didn’t have time to make sure she did her job correctly, and he trusted her.
Kaeya grimaced at the sight in front of him. Angel’s Share was engulfed in flames, the fiery reds and oranges devouring the wooden structure. The roar of the fire was loud, only overshadowed by the clanging of the emergency bell. How did this happen?
Kaeya found Charles standing near the blaze, looking worried.
“Charles! The bar closed early tonight, didn’t it?” Kaeya asked when he approached the man, putting a hand on his arm. “Please step back. We don’t want anyone getting injured.”
Charles started, then walked a reasonable distance away.
“We’ll get the fire put out, don’t worry,” Kaeya assured him. It must be frightening watching your place of employment crumble. Kaeya craned his neck, searching the gathering crowd for Jean or Mona, or even Barbara. Or anyone with a Hydro Vision, for that matter. He saw Huffman bring a bucket of water, probably from the lake, but that would take too long. They needed someone with a Vision, or there wouldn’t be anything left of Angel’s Share to salvage.
Diluc was going to be furious when he found out.
“I never saw him leave,” Charles muttered.
“What?”
“Diluc. I never saw him leave after closing down.”
Kaeya froze. “Are you sure?”
Charles nodded. “My apartment overlooks the tavern. I was the one to call in the fire. Most nights I make sure he makes it out of the city safely. But I never saw him leave.”
Panic bubbled underneath the surface. The flames rose higher and higher, the support beams close to failing. If Diluc was in there…
“Stay right here. I’ll make sure he’s safe.”
Kaeya took off in a sprint toward the door. He would use his Cryo powers to reinforce the support beams, and to beat back the flames. Then, he’d find Diluc and drag him out of the burning structure—
“Kaeya! What are you thinking?” Jean grabbed him by the arm and stopped him in his tracks. “You can’t go running into a burning building!”
Kaeya shook his arm free, turning briefly to see Jean with Mona and Barbara in tow. The Acting Grandmaster must have gone to recruit them as soon as she heard the bells.
“Diluc is in there!”
“Let us put out the fire first,” Jean reasoned, then gestured to her two companions. The girls began to tackle the flame, but it wasn’t efficient enough. A wooden beam snapped, sending half of the roof crashing down.
“There’s not enough time!”
WIthout another word, Kaeya burst open the door of the tavern. Heat blasted his face, making his eye water and burn. Kaeya held his breath to avoid inhaling smoke.
Another beam cracked, threatening to send the whole roof down, but Kaeya shot his hand upward, a wall of ice following. With his ice shield keeping the roof from tumbling down, Kaeya began his search. It was hard to see with the smoke blurring the room, but Diluc’s bright red hair was like a spotlight.
Diluc was unconscious, buried underneath a pile of furniture and rubble from the roof. Flames encroached on him, near enough to burn. Kaeya stumbled forward, crouching down. He grabbed Diluc’s arms and tried to pull him out, but the wood crushing his back and legs was too heavy. Kaeya tried lifting it himself, but hissed when the hot wood burned his fingers.
It was getting hard to hold his breath, so Kaeya inhaled shallowly, immediately coughing. With his Cryo Vision, Kaeya lifted the rubble with a layer of ice. Without the extra weight on Diluc, Kaeya was able to easily pull him out.
Where Diluc had been laying, there was a pool of blood. Kaeya noticed what looked like an arrow protruding from Diluc’s side.
“Shit,” Kaeya cursed. This wasn’t an accident, it was arson. He didn’t have time to puzzle it out, not with his ice shield melting and Diluc on the brink of death.
Kaeya threw Diluc over his shoulder, then quickly rushed back outside. He heaved a breath of fresh air, then collapsed to the ground from lightheadedness. He didn’t drop Diluc thankfully.
He laid Diluc down, snapping the arrowhead so he could pull the arrow out. The smoke was thick enough in the air that onlookers couldn’t see exactly. To them, it seemed as though Diluc had been injured when the roof collapsed, not by an unknown arsonist.
“Barbara! Jean! I need your assistance,” Kaeya shouted. The deaconess and her older sister rushed to his side and immediately began work.
“It wasn’t just a fire,” Kaeya muttered, low enough that no one could eavesdrop. He gestured to the broken arrow. Jean grimaced, but helped Barbara heal Diluc.
“I can’t fix everything here,” Barbara said. She looked worried. It was never a good sign when the healer was worried. “I need to bring him to the Cathedral, to the hospital wing.”
Kaeya nodded. He looked back at Angel’s Share—or rather, what was left of it. Mona was nearly done putting the fire out, but the other half of the roof collapsed. Kaeya winced.
More carefully than when they were in the tavern, Kaeya picked Diluc up in a bridal style. He didn’t want to risk hurting Diluc further.
Kaeya gazed at the smoke, how it obscured the stars. He had a bad feeling about this.