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Collei thought that when the Traveler, Paimon and Dehya left, that would be the end of all of the unwanted visitors for today.
But she was wrong. Because of course she was.
"What purpose would you Fatui have to show up at Pardis Dhyai anyway?" She had one hand taking ahold of her boomerang hanging by her belt, more comfortable with displaying signs of getting ready for a brawl with these pawns than with The Doctor.
She knew why they were here. The Doctor still wants Haypasia.
"We've already made ourselves clear, Miss Forest Watcher." The sergeant said, the haughtiness in his voice did not go unnoticed by Collei. It was so glaringly obvious he did not care to keep a low profile. "Our superior gave us instructions to come here to collect medicinal herbs for research purposes."
"You could've done this at any point during your stay in Sumeru. Why now have you come here?" Collei was agile and strong in combat, a few Fatui would be no problem for her. Though if her Eleazar chooses this moment to strike, the scales would tip in the Fatui's favor. Something she cannot afford to happen.
"Even the Grand Sage himself doesn't have the right to question us. Why does an ordinary, disrespectful scholar like you get to do that?" The sergeant was trying to rile her up, or thinks he's so high and mighty that he believes his words would always let him get his way.
"Looks like you gave me no choice." Collei sighed. "The fact that you came to Pardis Dhyai now is far too coincidental for me to brush off. You're not really here for herbs, aren't you?"
"And where's your proof, hmm?"
"Your Harbinger." Collei spat the title like it was a poison in her system. "He knows nothing about keeping a low profile, does he? Is such arrogance and cruelty a common theme among the Harbingers?"
She can hear the Fatui growl at her assertion. Good.
"Though I may be a scholar on the grounds of Pardis Dhyai, I am still a Forest Watcher." Collei drew her bow to her side, Dendro energy surrounding her as her Vision began to activate its abilities. "And it will always be my duty to protect the scholars and citizens of Sumeru."
"What a clueless brat you are." The sergeant snarled. "Fine. Get her! Kill her if you have to!"
The Fatui charged at her.
"I won't let you touch Haypasia! As long as I'm alive, you won't even get near her!"
With those words, she ducked under a Geochanter's crystals that were aimed at her head. She drew an arrow back on her bow, infusing it with Dendro power and firing at his leg, a light cry of pain was heard. She followed up by throwing her Dendro infused boomerang at the Pyroslinger, smacking him in the face before it came back to her.
"Collei! Are you alright?" An unexpected but welcomed voice ran through the air. She was glad that the three of them came back
"I'm fine, the important thing here is to ensure Haypasia's safety!" Collei shouted as the trio made their entrance. Dehya slammed her claymore into the ground to separate a few of the Skirmishers while the Traveler fought with their unrivaled fighting skills.
"They've crossed the line, and now it's time to show them some consequences, the mercenary way!" Dehya grunted, spinning around with her claymore, her Vision radiated heat that's enough to rival the temperatures of Natlan.
The fight lasted for a while, mainly because there were more Fatui here than she originally thought. They kept coming no matter how many they took down, but in a way, it was a good thing as they gave her an outlet for her anger.
Collei felt horrible for feeling that way.
"This can't go on forever..." Collei gritted her teeth, as a realization hit her like she ran into a concrete wall.
Haypasia was left defenseless. They could take her while they were distracting them.
"Traveler, Paimon, go to Haypasia! Make sure she's okay!" She didn't know why they were the first ones to come to mind, but she blurted out their names regardless. Maybe it was because she trusted them, just like how it was when they were staying in Gandharva Ville.
"Got it!" Paimon responded, and the two rushed to her resting place.
While the duo ran off, Collei turned to Dehya and gave a nod.
Dehya nodded back, smirking. "Ready to take on more of these clowns?"
"You saw me just now. I'm always ready."
Side by side, they fought off the rest of the Fatui, with agility and strength intertwining together harmoniously. They were able to inflict Burning reactions upon their opponents, and Collei couldn't help the grin that crossed her face when she saw them writhe.
Despite their teamwork, the Fatui kept coming back for more.
Collei wasn't sure how it started, but she heard the clouds rumble with fury, and suddenly violent lightning bolts started to fall around them, striking several of the Fatui at once.
"What's happening?" The Dendro user turned to Dehya, who looked just as perplexed as her, but she recovered quickly.
"Look out!"
A bolt of lightning nearly struck her, but she moved away before it could hit her. Collei snapped out of her initial stupor and joined the mercenary in dodging the angry bolts, the Fatui were too slow to react to the situation, and many got hit.
"Retreat!" One of them hollered. "Retreat!"
The Fatui who didn't suffer from the lightning bolts fled. Their tails would be between their legs if they had tails.
Collei could've either let out a sigh of relief or a smirk of satisfaction at their retreat.
If she wasn't next that is.
She was too slow to react, having accidentally ended up where another bolt wanted her.
A flash blinded her, and the pain setted in very fast.
Collei screamed, and fell to the ground.
"Collei!" She felt Dehya hold her body, but the pain was all she could focus on. It was as if every nerve in her body had been fried in an instant.
She managed to crack open an eye. "Dehya...ugh...agh..."
"Stay still, don't make any sudden movements, you hear?" Dehya carefully lifted her off the ground, the lightning still not giving up its relentless assault, they were loud and they made her ears ring.
"What happened to you two?!" Paimon's voice was registered.
"We'll explain later, we need to get away from the thunder's range!" Dehya ran towards Haypasia's resting place. Collei caught a glimpse of the Traveler and Paimon following suit.
They made it into the glass dome that makes a nice resting area. The storm outside carried on.
"She's alright..." Collei let out a sigh of relief as she was lowered to the floor by Dehya, trying to get close to her and making her wound attack her again. "Ahh..."
"What did I tell you? No sudden movements!" Dehya hissed, placing a hand on her shoulder as gently yet firmly as she could.
"It's okay... it's not the worst pain I've experienced...agh..."
"You're no use to anyone if you don't take care of yourself first!" Paimon said.
"It's not fatal. I'll be fine."
"You can't push through the pain. You need to rest." The Traveler advised.
"I know...just-" Collei's eyes widened, a realization finally hitting her again. She would've found it a little amusing these kept popping up today if it weren't for the implications they brought.
"Tighnari...the thunderstorm..."
Paimon was the first to realize what she meant. "Oh no, his hearing won't be able to handle this kind of storm!"
"Please, go and see if he's okay." Collei pleaded, looking at the three of them. She wanted to go back herself, Archons above she wanted to, but there was no knowing if Haypasia would be safe by herself. "He has to be alright, it's not...I didn't...ugh...!" The pain set in again, her arm covering the wound as delicately as it could. "And- and the Fatui they- they could've-"
"Whoa slow down there, what's happening?" Dehya asked, not on the same page. It was understandable.
"Alright, as long as you make sure to take care of yourself first." Paimon nodded.
Collei smiled gratefully.
"Thank you."
As they left in a hurry, deep down, she prayed to Lesser Lord Kusanali, even if she's somewhere else in Teyvat, that Tighnari would be safe.
-
The way back to Gandharva Ville passed by relatively quickly as the trio raced through the rainforest. Urgency and extreme worry in the air as the unexpected thunderstorm came to a stop. Although the phenomenon ended, none of them paused in their haste.
"Something's not right." Dehya said, her face scrunching up. "I smell smoke."
"Smoke?" Paimon's voice went up a few octaves. "Oh no, does that mean the Fatui had already gotten there? Or the storm struck the ville?"
"I don't hear any sounds of a scuffle going on so..." Dehya shook her head. "No, maybe they managed to fight them off and..."
Finally, they reached Gandharva Ville, and it was a mess. The trees and houses were burnt to a crisp, soot covering the forest floor. Debris and decay were all around with various materials and objects scattered across the area.
The Traveler spotted a few familiar rangers, holding a few very familiar items in their hands.
"Is that..." Paimon's face turned deathly pale.
In the arms of Amir, there laid the now tattered cloak Tighnari never took off, a still glowing Dendro Vision, and the torn remains of Cuilein Anbar.
They found him.