"You're right, Kaeya, this does look very unusual even for a Hilichurl camp."
Naofumi spoke to the Cavalry Captain of the knights, Kaeya, a man with a tanned complexion and navy-blue hair with streaks of lighter blue, accompanied by a waist-length lock of hair that begins at the base of his scalp on the back of his head at the left. His visible eye is periwinkle with a diamond-shaped pupil.
Over his right eye, he wears a gold-trimmed black eyepatch mostly covered by his bangs. At first glance, Naofumi wondered if he was a pirate. Only to find out from the other knights who knew him best that he wasn't a pirate.
He wears a half-cape with a fur collar; a white-collared, cleavage-revealing blouse; dark, tight-fitted trousers; and knee-length boots. His Cryo Vision hangs from a loose brown belt, which also has a blue gem and a rope. He has a blue earring in his left ear.
Right now both of them, along with the whole 9th Company of the Knights of Favonius, the Cavalry are observing a Hilichurl camp. And like Naofumi said, it was different from the ones his party had taken down so far. Very different.
"Glad to see you agree with me Naofumi. Now, how should we take down that camp? The numbers within it look very… Worrisome."
Naofumi can see what Kaeya meant: the Hilichurls of different varieties, along with Mitachurls, and some new types of Hilichurls he hadn't seen. There was also a strange creature that was blue as it was saying some mysterious purple texts that were unreadable. It was giving Naofumi some… Unpleased concerns.
But in a few seconds, he recognized the unfamiliar creatures.
"A Samachurl, an Anemo one at that. And… Abyss Mage, Hydro! What is an Abyss Mage doing there?"
"Yes, your knowledge is quite good, Lisa would be proud."
Kaeya complimented Naofumi before his expression grew very serious.
"But we're not sure why but the Abyss Mage is certainly the reason why the recent amount of Hilichurls around Mondstadt has been increasing lately. We took down so many camps that it became a major problem."
Naofumi recalled that a few days ago, he had heard from the Grand Master, when Varka reassured him that the camps were going to be dealt with by Eula and Kaeya, he felt that both of them were going to be fine and would finish this after a day or so. But it now turns out it was more complicated than what Varka thought.
So every knight available within headquarters is searching to figure out what is causing all of this, and it has led up to today. And right now at this very moment.
"Do we have any Dendro Vision holders? From what I understand, Hydro Abyss Mages are the worst out of the other elemental mages, as it is more frustrating to break their shield and have to break out the bubble it makes to trap people."
Kaeya let out a frustrated sigh.
"If we had any then breaking that damn shield of it would have been very easy. But we have to settle with my Cryo Vision as it can be frozen. You can also use your Air Blast Shield to do more Cryo damage. The Abyss Mage is more powerful than any Hilichurl we have ever encountered. Don't give it a chance to get the best of you."
Naofumi nodded as Kaeya asked once again what the plan was. It is obvious that Kaeya didn't have one but did hear rumors of Naofumi being a battle strategist. Even if it was for TCG, only a fool could have missed how much planning Naofumi did to beat an expert's deck with a beginner's deck.
Naofumi thought for a moment before an idea came to his head as he explained what they all could do as he spoke of his idea. When everyone heard it, they all agreed with it, and some even were excited about being stronger. Naofumi even equipped the Knights of Favonius Shield.
It turns out that even when not everyone has a system like a few people do, they can still gain physical experience, and in a faster way. So every knight is getting stronger with or without a statue system. With that, everyone got into position. Everyone was waiting for the signal as everyone was still getting ready.
Once Kaeya made a gesture, Naofumi began attacking.
"Gust Shield!"
Gusts appear on the Abyss Mage as it immediately pops up to shield the skill, but it is expected to be an Anemo skill, not a shield skill. So the winds not only managed to slowly break the hydro shield but it was also hurting the Abyss Mage. It managed to feel the damage as it quickly teleported out of the gusts. Only to be met with—
"Air Strike Shield!"
A big shield struck it as the Abyss Mage was pushed away. The Hilichurls that were alerted by the first strike were already charging their way to Naofumi. He blocked the arrows coming at him as he yelled out his next skill.
"Favonius Shield! Zweite Aura!"
A green barrier surrounded every knight within as it increased their physical bodies' power, endurance, and speed. It was enough for the knights to attack the Hilichurls as everyone noticed how more effective the battle was on their side. A few Mitachurls attempted to kill the knights but were stopped by Naofumi blocking their strikes.
He cast the buff spell on himself, Kaeya, and a few others before his MP ran out and needed to recharge.
Naofumi was the whole tank of this attack as it was his duty to defend all the knights. He also tried to attack as much as he could, but it seems these stronger Hilichurls were immune to his six-point attack. But that didn't mean he was just going to defend.
"Dodge this!"
A burst of cold energy emerged from Kaeya's sword, aimed directly at the Hydro Abyss Mage as it became frozen solid. Kaeya looked so satisfied and glad it hadn't used its chance to launch that annoying bubble attack. It also looks like he took some Hydro damage. But he is still eager to take down that Hydro shield as he strikes it with his sword.
"Make sure it stays frozen, at least until we break the damn Hydro shield!"
"Got it! Air Strike Shield!"
Another big shield knocked over a group of Hilichurls as the knights quickly took advantage of it. Kaeya nodded as he figured Naofumi would do the rest until he was ready to use his Elemental Skill again and went to assist his fellow knights as Naofumi knocked back the Mitachurls who had just swung their axes.
"Air Blast Shield!"
Naofumi uses his Elemental Skill to keep the Abyss Mage frozen. He noticed that it was about to thaw out the ice until Naofumi kept it frozen with his Hydro shield. He also knew Kaeya's Elemental Skill still needed to gather energy to use it again. From the looks of it, Kaeya gathers some particles as he kills Hilichurl after Hilichurl.
Soon he got enough energy to use his skill again.
"Freeze!"
Like before, Cryo energy once again froze the Hydro Abyss Mage; you can even see the annoyance it was giving Kaeya. Kaeya himself gives a cheeky smile in return. Naofumi was wondering if he could copy the shield… Would it be possible? He decided to just beat it instead of giving it a chance to do something to him.
"Naofumi!"
Kaeya shouted as Naofumi immediately blocked a huge strike from all the Mitachurls, but this time he was ready.
"Shield Prison!"
A huge cage of shields was able to trap every Mitachurl, as they were either struggling to get out or to break out of the cage. But Naofumi wasn't going to let them do that. Instead…
"Hey! Everyone! Keep the cage going until the skill disappears!"
He then proceeded to strike the cage as it rolled over to a nearby muscular knight, the knight immediately understood what Naofumi said as he used his claymore to strike it in another direction. All nearby knights got the message as each of them sent the shield cage in different directions.
Kaeya watches in amusement.
"Making them dizzy after spinning that much. A good idea."
The cage soon vanished as every Mitachurl had the iconic swirling stars above their heads showing that the spin was too much for them. Kaeya wasted no time in ordering the knights to finish the Mitachurls off. Naofumi immediately turned his attention back to the Abyss Mage. He noticed the Hydro shield was about to break.
"Favonius Shield! Gust Shield!"
Naofumi once more cast the knight's version of the buff skill along with his shield skill. The skill was just enough to finally break the Hydro shield, leaving the Abyss Mage vulnerable to attack as it was now standing on its two feet.
"Attack while we have the advantage!"
Kaeya charged in with the other knights assisting him, the Abyss Mage was receiving hit after hit as it reminded Naofumi of that one scene from JoJo's Bizarre Adventures. But instead of kicking it, the knights were using their swords, polearms, and claymores. Naofumi was tempted to join.
But suddenly the Abyss Mage immediately got back up as a magic circle appeared below it. It also began chanting as bubbles big and small began to appear, one of the knights was trapped inside as she struggled for air. Luckily another knight was able to pop the bubble with his polearm.
"Damn it! Naofumi, we have a few seconds until it regains its shield! We need to finish it off now!"
Kaeya shouted as it seemed he didn't have enough Elemental Energy to do another Elemental Skill. Plus, he needs to be at close range to attack, but those damn bubbles will trap him.
"Air Strike Shield!"
Naofumi launches another big shield as it sends the Abyss Mage flying, but once it gets back on the ground, it begins to chant again. But this time there were Hilichurls that surrounded the Abyss Mage as a defense barrier. He now understood what Kaeya meant, but what could he do? That was his last SP! …Wait!
"Hold on, do I have enough… "
Naofumi concentrates on his energy, but instead of an Elemental Skill, he is going to do his Elemental Burst. His shield was glowing with a mix of deep green and turquoise. And with no hesitation, he swung his shield as it sent an energy shield at the Abyss Mage and the surrounding Hilichurls.
It struck as a burst of powerful wind currents, striking every enemy, leaving a good amount of Anemo damage. Naofumi noticed the shield was still glowing as he sent out another energy shield, then another, each strike left behind strong Anemo damage. He also charged forward as he continued sending energy shields.
Naofumi was able to get close to the Abyss Mage, as his shield was still glowing with energy, and he struck down the Abyss Mage. That single strike was powerful enough to put down the Abyss Mage as Naofumi was surprised by the amount of damage that attack did.
Character EXP +1500
Character EXP +500
Level up!
Core Shield unlock!
Cryo Regisvine Corolla Shield unlock!
Cryo Regisvine Root Shield unlock!
Cryo Regisvine Flower Shield unlock!
Cryo Regisvine Shield unlock!
Naofumi was stunned by the amount of exp the Abyss Mage gave him. He was also surprised that it was able to get him to level 10. Even Kaeya got to level 5. But then again, he wasn't really surprised, the amount of Hilichurls these past few days was able to get him from level 7 to level 9 as they were stronger. He then looked at the shields he unlocked.
Core Shield: equip bonus: core detection (medium)
Cryo Regisvine Corolla Shield: equip bonus: Cryo core damaging increase (small)
Cryo Regisvine Flower Shield: equip bonus: defense +10
Cryo Regisvine Shield: equip bonus: alchemy creating up, cold resistance (medium), skill: "Change Shield"
Equip effect: icicle regisvine spray (medium), vine
"The last shield looks very good… Darn, I have to master the other related shields before using this particular shield."
Naofumi mutters as he looks back at the Abyss Mage's corpse, which lies there unmoving. He holds his shield as it automatically absorbs the Abyss Mage inside. Naofumi notices that he was still underlevel to unlock any related shield. But there was something that was put in his inventory, something that concerns him.
"Dead Ley Line branch? Is the Ley Line also a tree?"
Naofumi was still confused about the Ley Lines, especially since he was told by Lisa that the Ley Line is a network that is all over Tevyat. But it was still mysterious to him to even recall the information he heard. Still, it was connected to the blossoms that grew by the Ley Lines in certain areas and in some mechanics that spawn Hilichurls and other creatures.
He didn't think much of it as he went to Kaeya, who had just finished off a Hilichurl. He also saw the other knights taking care of the last remaining Hilichurls. He even saw the Samachurl being taken care of by two knights. Which means a few more shields within the Hilichurl series.
"Seems like this area has been cleared."
"It seems like it. But I doubt this ends what is happening. There have been sightings of other Abyss Mages around Mondstadt, which means whatever they are planning involves Mondstadt."
Kaeya spoke with the most seriousness, and Naofumi could only agree, as it was his first time facing a creature of the Abyss Order. And what he just fought with everyone else was just a part of many. Who knows what they could be planning by having stronger enemies… All around Mondstadt.
"Wait… If the Abyss Order is behind this, then there could be a reason why there are Hilichurls around Mondstadt. What if they are trying to make the city defenseless with fewer knights guarding? A lot of people did mention the Abyss Mages have intelligence which means they are planning something or at least calculating with the amount of Hilichurls around the nation."
The moment Naofumi said this, Kaeya realized that what Naofumi said could actually be true. Why else are there that many Hilichurls within the week?
"You could actually be right, Naofumi. But what could the city have that got the Abyss Order's attention?"
With just a thought, he could guess one of the reasons, he slowly glanced at Naofumi. Kaeya wondered if Naofumi, being the Shield Hero, someone that was never heard of before, with his abilities, made the Abyss Order want to have the legendary shield. Naofumi noticed his glance and realized what Kaeya was thinking.
He couldn't blame him; his shield felt like a cheat code that gave him anything that he could unlock. If he were to unlock a shield that increases the stats or EXP of Abyss creatures then it would make sense that the Abyss Order would do all of this just to get to him without interference.
It does seem plausible, but Naofumi has only been here for two and a half weeks, and he is just well-known in Mondstadt. So, unless news spreads fast, like the newspaper, the Steambird in Fontaine, that can be overheard in the open, then the Abyss Order may have heard of him.
Speaking of the Streambird, Naofumi did recall when he first picked up the newspaper that an Astrologist named Mona said in the paper that Mondstadt is going to experience some challenges during the second week of the Windblume Festival. But she didn't say what kinds of challenges Mondstadt was going to face.
Naofumi mentally smacks himself on the head for not realizing this sooner, especially since he saw it in the newspaper.
"Okay, so I could be the reason for all of this."
"I'm not saying it is you Naofumi. You're just one of the possibilities. There must be something else the Abyss Order is after, but we don't really know what it could be. I need to immediately report this to the Grand Master. This is something every captain needs to be informed about."
Naofumi nodded in agreement but suddenly his shield vibrated violently. He realized it was the Great Snowboar King Shield: alert shield. It was an ability that warned Naofumi of anyone posing a threat to either him or his allies. He got the shield while exploring Dragonspine with Eula when they came across the big boar after accidentally thawing it out.
He checked where the danger was located… It was targeting Kaeya! With no warning, Naofumi got behind Kaeya just in time to block a fire bullet aimed at the back of Kaeya's head. He saw a man in red in the distance with a sniper gun! The man was shocked that his bullet was stopped by Naofumi as he immediately ran, but Naofumi wasn't going to let him get away.
He took off after him with Kaeya as he realized what had happened. Luckily, thanks to the level-ups, Naofumi's speed stat was more than enough to catch up with the mysterious man and was about to tackle him. But he noticed his SP had finally recharged as he wasted no time.
"Shield Prison!"
The cage of shields successfully traps the man inside as Naofumi can hear bullets being shot. It seems the man was trying to break free of the Shield Prison but was unable to. Kaeya soon caught up as he looked at Naofumi.
"Good! You got the Fatui Skirmisher! This Pyro Slinger isn't easy to get as they attack from a distance with their snipers. Thanks for saving my life, Naofumi. I can own it for you by having me pay for our drinks at Angel's Share."
"Let's deal with this Fatui first. The shields are going to vanish soon!"
Kaeya nodded as they both got ready to fight. The moment the Shield Prison vanished, the Skirmisher began firing bullets as Naofumi immediately blocked, and Kaeya took cover before attacking.
"Cool it!"
"Air Blast Shield!"
A combo of Cryo and Anemo, along with an increase in their stats, was just enough to knock the Fatui Skirmisher to the ground. The man went unconscious as Naofumi assumed both of their attacks were unintentionally aimed at his head. Kaeya tied him up with a rope that Naofumi provided him. Kaeya also took something off the Skirmisher as he handed it to Naofumi.
It felt ominous when Naofumi took a look at it.
"It's best if you put that in your shield. And I wouldn't want this in my hands as much as I already did."
Naofumi noticed the glare Kaeya showed when he spoke about the thing. A silver gem with a strange symbol, which Naofumi concluded was the Fatui symbol, and a red glow. He grabs the thing, wondering if this was similar to a Vision with the Pyro attack as he absorbs it.
— Shield: equip bonus: error (cannot unlock bonuses)
Naofumi was confused. This was the first time his shield couldn't identify what he had just absorbed. Did he need to absorb more of these to fully unlock this strange shield?
"What is this?"
"A Delusion, a curse object that Fatui members use to use elements without having a Vision. Keep that object in your shield, Naofumi. It's best for everyone if it isn't shown to others or used."
Naofumi nodded as the strange shield's name changed to the Delusion Shield, but the bonuses were still locked away. As much as he wanted to ask more, but the look on Kaeya's face made Naofumi stop himself from asking further.
"This is more complicated now. Especially since a Fatuus had just tried to kill me. This means whatever the Abyss Order is planning for Mondstadt, the Fatui might possibly be doing the same."
Naofumi and Kaeya quickly head back with the captive Fatuus as they all need to get back to the city as soon as possible.