Chapter Text
Dionysus knew the dangers the Delusion drawback had, especially for the fighting aspect. After a bit of trial-and-error, he realized that he needed to balance out the three different aspects warring within his Delusion, ideally leaving the span of a day before he used the Delusion again. He knew he was pushing his luck while in Mondstadt, and had to practically barricade himself in the hotel in order to focus on cooling down the Delusion. He knew he was lucky in that he had put off the new pile of paperwork, and dived immediately into it, falling into the familiar rhythm of reading and signing, spending a particular amount of time with the few contracts within the pile. After what seemed like a couple of hours, he began to feel as though he would be able to resume his other duties with his neutralized Delusion.
He should have known better.
“Lord Dionysus! You’ve received an urgent summons from the Acting Grandmaster!” Roma knocked on his hotel door, and Dionysus sent up a small prayer in something he felt was borderline exhaustion.
“Tsaritsa grant me strength,” he murmured, before slightly adjusting his mask and opening the door, raising an eyebrow at Roma as he leaned slightly into the doorway and held out a hand.
“Ah!” Roma blinked in surprise but quickly handed over the letter, heavy with something inside. “That red-headed guy handed this to me while I was hanging over with Mikhail and Lyudmila, said it was something from the Acting Grandmaster. He didn’t tell me what was in it though.” Roma pouted, and Dionysus let out a small huff of laughter.
“Better hope it’s not something dangerous, hm? You’d be out of a job if I died, assuming you’d still have your life.” Dionysus responded, forming a small ice blade and slicing the top of the envelope open before letting it evaporate into water vapor.
“My Lord!” Roma gasped theatrically, “Have you so little faith in your faithful subordinate? I am absolutely hurt.”
Dionysus just rolled his eye, but lightly shook the envelope after taking out the message to get the object, eye narrowing as he identified it as a broken piece of a hydro abyss mage’s staff. He handed the empty envelope to Roma, who frowned when he spotted the item
Greetings Ambassador Dionysus, I deeply apologize for sending this letter to you via a messenger and not personally by myself, but I was unfortunately pre-occupied by the pressing matter enclosed within this letter, and could not afford to leave where I am currently stationed. This letter contains confidential information that the Knights of Favonius would not ordinarily share, but we are allies in this matter and thus I saw reason to send this letter to you and your team. I weighed the decision to send this letter as of writing it, the matter is not as pressing as it could develop. I decided to send it because of the previous meeting where you declared an interest in helping the Knights of Favonius on this particular issue earlier this day.
Dionysus frowned, only slightly taken aback at the formal tone. He figured it made sense, but the language gave him a sense of dread concerning the matter enclosed within the letter, especially when he thought back to the meeting he had. He kept reading,
A camp of abyss mages along with some hilichurls has appeared within the Knights’ designated watch area around Mondstadt. It is located between Windrise and Springvale, although much closer towards the lake than the village. Our scouts have reported that there are a minimum of five abyss mages, and a handful of hilichurls in the camp, though that is just the preliminary estimate.
Dionysus stared blankly at the letter, thoughts running through his head and multiple theories created and destroyed in record time. Five abyss mages? At minimum? He had never seen something of that magnitude, though there were instances of two or more close but independent abyss mages and their followings grouping up after being engaged. However, five abyss mages was much too high to be an incident like a merged group, and Dionysus could only come to the conclusion that they were working together on something big. He also briefly wondered if it could possibly have any connection to the Treasure Hoarders that were just disposed of in the Windrise area.
He signaled to Roma that they were to move out in a few minutes, and Roma saluted in understanding before rushing off to wherever Kasya was. Dionysus kept reading.
Our scouts reported that there was something close to the center of the abyss mages’ grouping, but there were always at least three mages surrounding it. It is almost impossible to distinguish between the mages that share the same element but there was a confirmed five mages in one area alone. I am writing this letter to ask for your help and cooperation in gaining intel and the destruction of the mages and their camp. The team with me is the same team that was in the meeting, however I have also called on other divisions both in the city and nearby to assist. Even more might be summoned, but if you were to join you would coordinate with me as a separate allied force and entity, and not fall under my direct command or leadership. Regards, Jean Gunnhildr, Acting Grandmaster.
Dionysus allowed himself one sigh out loud, before folding up the letter and placing it back within the envelope. He returned back into the room and shut the door, walking over to the desk and throwing the envelope onto the pile of paper, keeping the broken piece of the staff in his pocket. Heading over to the dresser, he pondered what outfit he should wear. The letter didn’t specify what type of abyss mages were spotted at the camp, so he figured he should wear the outfit with the elemental resistance. Opening the dresser doors, he hummed and looked at the array of clothing before he grabbed the outfit he wanted, along with the special accessory he specifically set aside for abyss mages.
The outfit was one of his combat-oriented ones, which meant it was looser and much less restrictive than his formal ambassador ensemble or even his daily wear. It consisted of a shirt with loose sleeves, pants that were made of a material known for flexibility, boots that came up to mid-shin with only a slight heel, and a long button coat with only slight sleeves that really only seemed like shoulder pads. It was specifically designed with defense and speed in mind, as the coat covered his back and wasn’t designed to be loose at the back like a cape would. The loose and flexible shirt and pants were in order to let Dionysus move quickly in a pinch and without hindrance like his regular outfit might, and the boots were to support his calves and shins and also allow him his customary pivot via the heel. The final accessories were added, and he clipped the fur along the small collar on the coat.
A knock at the door led him away from the mirror and towards the door, where he greeted Kasya and Roma who were also dressed in their preferred combat outfits, bow and sword visibly placed on their back and waist respectively.
“Are the preparations complete?” he asked, receiving a nod from Kasya.
“Yes My Lord. May I speak freely about something?” Dionysus looked at Kasya, before nodding once.
“You may.”
She hesitated, but took a breath and spoke, “My Lord, due to your Delusion, I fear that there may be a time where you might be forced to use it in the worst scenario. I- I hope you can give the two of us permission to remove you from the field if it is activated and there are warning signs of overuse.” She shared a look with Roma before turning back to Dionysus and bowing her head slightly.
He thought for a moment. His division leader made a valid point, and while he would like to convince himself that he wouldn’t end up using the Delusion, even by accident, he knew he couldn’t do it. There was always that chance, and it introduced a variable that he would prefer to keep away.
“I give permission. I say this,” Dionysus grew serious, tone slightly deepening, “I am putting trust in the two of you with the handling of this issue. Outsiders are more easily able to spot my Delusion usage, and I am trusting the two of you to handle whatever may happen regarding the activation of my Delusion. Do not fail me.”
“Yes My Lord.” The two kneeled and bowed their heads in deference until Dionysus put his hands on their shoulders and they got up.
“Good. We shall head out towards Windrise.”