"Careful!"
Amber drew her Bow of the Hidden, elemental energy gathering in her hand to form an arrow out of thin air.
Tsk, an endless quiver of arrows? Elemental energy is really unfair.
Gongqu didn't waste a moment lamenting that he'd given the Infinite Bow to the gatekeeper, Sebas. With Klee held in his right arm and a dragonbone sword in his left, he charged forward.
Bang, bang!
Amber shot down several surprise water orbs, but there were three Abyss Mages on the other side, and more than a dozen water arrows slipped through her defensive fire.
Gongqu didn't hesitate, he drove the dragonbone sword into the ground.
Grass Elemental Burst, Frenzied Flora: Modified!
A spine-chilling sound of tearing erupted from the earth as countless vines burst forth, weaving together into a sturdy grass shield.
Thud, thud, thud!
The water arrows struck the grass shield, embedding a few Grass Cores in it, but only a couple of vines were snapped.
"So… so strong!"
Amber had no time to marvel.
The three Abyss Mages, seeing their first attack thwarted, didn't let up, alternating spell after spell, suspicious bubbles and water orbs flying at them in a relentless barrage.
"Baron Bunny, go!"
Amber quickly tossed her rabbit-shaped explosive plushie into the middle of the Abyss Mages in an arc.
Then, she rolled and fired a flame-tipped arrow at it.
Boom!
The plushie exploded, a fierce burst of flame spreading out, only to be stopped by three shimmering blue shields.
"This isn't good. My Elemental Burst can only work up close, otherwise it won't be enough to break through those water shields. Traveler, can you cover me?"
"No need to complicate things. Klee, bring out a few Bouncing Bombs."
"Okay! Klee will help!"
Sitting in Gongqu's arms, Klee rummaged through her little backpack and pulled out a few adorable-looking bombs.
Gongqu planted the dragonbone sword in the ground, infusing the grass shield with even more elemental energy, turning it into a small fortress.
He then took Klee's bombs and lobbed them in a gentle arc. The bouncing bombs sailed over the fortress and landed squarely on the Abyss Mages' position.
Boom! Boom!
The explosions were far louder than Amber's Baron Bunny, continuous detonations that roared across the battlefield for over a minute.
When Gongqu reached out again, Klee didn't hand him another bomb.
"What's wrong, Klee? Out of bombs?"
Gongqu had to admit, the sound of those explosions was thrilling.
Klee pouted, grumbling, "Klee wants to play too!"
Amber sweatdropped. "Klee, we're fighting bad guys, not playing a game. Besides, at this range, you wouldn't be able to throw them far enough."
Klee lowered her head in disappointment. "Okay…"
Gongqu gently patted her head and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Klee. When we get a chance, I'll take you to my secret base. There's a huge lake there, and you can blow up all the fish you want. Even Jean can't stop you."
"Wow! Really?!"
"Of course! When have I ever lied to you, Klee?"
"Then… pinky promise!"
Seeing Klee's eyes sparkling as she held out her pinky, Gongqu was suddenly reminded of what Ying had said about stopping Alice from going too far.
It's just a pinky promise… Lady Alice shouldn't be too angry with me, right?
Nervously, he linked his pinky with Klee's.
"It's a promise! You'll take Klee to blow up fish!"
"Mm, of course!"
"Heehee! You're the best, big brother! Mwah~"
Suddenly, Klee planted a sweet, milky-scented kiss on his cheek, nuzzling her face into his neck with a gleeful giggle.
Gongqu glanced at Amber. In her eyes, he read a mix of shock, envy, and who-knows-what else. He sighed inwardly, his journey in Teyvat was getting wilder by the day.
"Klee, you mentioned the Abyss Mages were targeting the Knights. Do you remember exactly what they said?"
"Mhm! Yesterday, when I was out sneaking, er, accidentally wandering, behind Dawn Winery, I saw two fuzzy Abyss Mages. They said something about defeating the Knights and welcoming some princess… the rest I don't remember."
"Eliminate the Knights… bring back the Abyss Princess?"
"Yeah, yeah! That's it! Huh, big brother, how did you know?"
Gongqu just smiled and patted her head, not directly answering.
Bring back the Abyss Princess…?
Was this some rogue plan by the Abyss Heralds, or part of that riddle-loving Abyss Prince Kong's scheme?
He turned to Amber. "Klee's info is important. There might be more than one squad of Abyss Mages out there, they could even bring Abyss Heralds or other high-ranking creatures."
"You take Klee back. I'll help the others!" ×2
They spoke at the same time.
Then, they exchanged a wry smile.
"Never mind, let's go together. I'll have Klee play in the Serenitea Pot for now."
Seeing their serious expressions, Klee didn't protest or ask to join them. She just hung her head, looking a little glum.
"Klee, be good. The battlefield is no place for kids. Leave this to your big brother and sister, okay? Go play with Ayuan, alright?"
"Ayuan?"
"She's the teapot spirit who guards the Serenitea Pot for me."
"A big, fluffy bird!"
Soon enough, with Ayuan's confused expression as she accepted Klee, Gongqu returned to Amber's side.
"Oh, right, here, Amber. Try this bow."
He handed her a bow that, aside from lacking infinite arrows, was brimming with other enchantments, power, impact, and more.
"A wooden bow?"
"Don't underestimate it. The durability might be low, but its power should be quite impressive."
Amber accepted it with some doubt.
"Whew, it's… heavy."
"Get used to the weight while we're on the move. Trust me, it'll surprise you."
...
Deep within Whispering Woods.
Jean, acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, swung her Falcon of the West sword, decapitating a Hilichurl Shaman in one swift stroke.
There was no time to rest, a hulking Hilichurl Berserker charged at her like a bolt of thunder.
"Freeze!"
A massive blue claymore slammed in from the side, its weight knocking the berserker off course and leaving it wide open.
"Hah!"
Jean turned the opening into a counterattack, her wind-infused elemental skill piercing straight through the Hilichurl Berserker's chest.
"Thanks, Eula!"
"Hmph. Don't get careless, daughter of the Gunnhildr clan."
The two stood back-to-back, scanning the steadily growing tide of monsters.
"How's Kaeya holding up?"
"Not great. Without the high-grade artifacts that Gongqu gave us, he's locked in a tough fight. But he was worried about you alone, so he sent me to help."
Jean didn't question whether Kaeya could actually order Eula around, she accepted it for now, deep in thought.
"For so long, the Abyss was quiet. Why gather like this all of a sudden?"
"Of course, to welcome back our beloved Princess!"
From behind a Hilichurl Berserker, an Abyss Mage encased in an icy shield appeared before them.
"Abyss Mage! What is your true goal here?!"
"Hehehe… we've been watching the Princess for a long time. Since her companions left, she's teetering on the edge of the Abyss. But you, you stand in her way. Once you're gone, the Princess will return to the Abyss where she belongs."
"And when that happens, with the Prince and Princess leading us, the Abyss will plunge Teyvat into eternal night!"
Jean didn't even have time to demand who this "Princess" and "Prince" were. A fierce voice cut through the chaos.
"Never miss my mark!"
An arrow, wreathed in terrifying flames, streaked through the air right after.
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