Rising Storm || Genshin Impact

18: The Mark

Y/N dug through the cluster of leaves that only scarcely covered the large device buried underground, it's bright blue and silver linings glinting through the foliage. She dusted it off, feeling the glassy, cool medal stinging against her warm skin. The device had a circular base with a thick, grey border surrounding the azure glass. A sapphire coloured liquid bubbled inside the clear container, casting light of the same opulent colour onto Y/N's sunset-tinted face. 

"This is it." Venti breathed.

The girl nodded, her eyes remaining glued on the mechanism in awe. She eyeballed the fluid thrashing against it's capsule like waves crashing onto a shore, boiling with bubbles like a pot of stew over fire. And yet, she felt no heat emitting from the liquid's container. The metal remained cold as ice.

She felt Venti's touch gracing upon her shoulder.

"We shouldn't try to dig it up, it might set off an alarm. Let's go meet Albedo." he suggested, helping Y/N stand his arm. She smiled and nodded, gazing up at the bloodstained sky. She could've swore that just a few minutes ago, the sky now coloured red, orange, and pink was instead, light blue. 

"Did we really spend the whole day looking for this?" she exhasperated.

Venti chuckled, "I suppose so! All the more reason to inform the others soon as possible." He gazed up at the clouds, then to Mondstat, then back at the mysterious capsule. 

"The devices have already been placed, so it's no longer dangerous to wander outside the walls at night. That said, I could really use a bottle or two of wine at the tavern right now." he whined, reaching his arms up in a stretch.

Y/N snorted, "Alright then, snitch. Let's go."

...

"Ah, yes. How curious indeed."

Venti and Y/N led Albedo to the devices location. Mondstat was now under a shimmery blanket of stars on a black sky, Y/N shivered as the chilly, night breeze tingled against her back. Albedo wasn't even fazed with the cool temperature. His tolerance to cold must've improved with all that time he spends in Dragonspine, Y/N thought.

Albedo stood up from his crouched position in which he observed the mysterious capsule, turning to face the other two. The device's blue light radiated even brighter in the dark night, illuminating each of their faces with a mellow, effulgent glow.

"Thank you both for your great work today. Had you not helped, we may have not been able to track down all of the Fatui's implementations." he bowed.

"No worries, t'was our pleasure." Venti grinned.

Y/N nodded in agreement, "But now that we're finished with this initiative, what should we do next?"

Albedo took a moment to consider her question. He closed his eyes in thought, his eyebrows fuzzing as he placed a finger on his chin.

"I suppose that we should continue monitoring the behavior of animals that reside near the devices. I'm certain that our wild game is what the Fatui are aiming at." he concluded.

Y/N raised an eyebrow at the alchemist, "So we just wait?" she inquired with her arms crossed.

Albedo stared back at the traveler, merely blinking at her statement with a neutral expression. "I'm afraid that's all we have planned for now. Do you have any suggestions? I'd be happy to hear them."

"If so, then yes. I do have an idea." Y/N beamed. "We should stock up on resources before the machine's purpose goes into full effect. Meats, fowls, and other sources of protein. If we start gathering now, it'll lessen the burden later on. We wouldn't want all of Mondstat to go hungry."