eighteen | XVIII

                                    

                                          

ミ☆
     the situation outside the golden house was nothing short of chaotic. the land was doused in darkness by the looming storm clouds above that promised hardship for the beings beneath it. the ocean flanking the harbor crashed against the dock with so much force that the entire thing shook wildly. farther out, the being known as osial loomed idly aside as he processed the situation before him. 
    the god had multiple heads that resembled the myths about a creature known as a hydra. if she didn't know any better, she would have assumed that was what it was. the heads slithered around mid-air, each one was about the size of the barge ships that came to and fro from the harbor. the girl feared for what would happen once he decided to attack.
     she and xiao were lucky to have noticed the jade chamber having moved to the battlefront. from the looks of it, the quarrel between the qixing and the adepti seemed to have been postponed. 
     "what is the situation here?" (y/n) stormed onto the platform, tearing herself from xiao's hold in order to make room to summon her weapon. ningguang hovered in the air as she upheld the entirety of the floor they stood on, both ganyu and keqing guarding her warily from below.
     "we've managed to summon guizhong ballistas for the time being. moon carver, cloud retainer, and mountain shaper have taken it upon themselves to operate the machines while we provide protection from whatever onslaught we might face any moment from now," the tianquan replied.
     "then allow me to help in any way i can. i will do whatever it takes to keep liyue harbor safe from harm."
     "very well," ningguang gave her a once-over with analyzing crimson eyes. "you are shaking... and injured."
     ningguang was right. tremors pestered her limbs despite her best attempts to cease them. the girl was so soaked in blood and rain that it was hard to decipher fear from pure exhaustion, but despite this, she chose to push forward. xiao rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
     the tianquan focused back on the task at hand. "please refrain from worsening your state. i would not forgive myself for allowing you to stay if such were the case."
     "i second that," ganyu remarked. keqing sent a stern nod in her direction as well. (y/n)'s grip on her sword tightened as she nodded in return.
     "we've got company," xiao twirled his jade spear into position as multiple vortexes suddenly began to form at the edge of the platform. the grey masses churned maliciously as fatui soldiers began to file their way through the darkness.
     everyone prepared for the impending fight. in truth, she was scared. the sound of rain drumming and the throb of her arrhythmic heartbeat fought for dominance in her ears. her body ached in a multitude of places and her vision still hadn't returned fully, plus, her movements were limited with the number of broken ribs she suffered from. she wasn't entirely sure she would get out of this without a shattered body.
     pushing those thoughts aside, she ignored the excruciating pain the best she could. 
     "don't croak on me now," xiao said softly. her heart skipped a beat.
     "i won't," her voice cracked. "i promise."
     what happened next was a blur. the amount of red that splotched her sight made it difficult to tell who was in front of her. she merely hoped that her companions knew not to jump in front of her sword before she could help it. whatever energy she had left was utilized by going in auto-pilot mode.
     she couldn't tell how much time had passed until she had been knocked hard to the side. a grunt escaped her lips as she tumbled into the hard ground. the girl was forced to snap back into manual and the pain she had been suppressing returned along with it. a tall man adorned in glowing teal clothes held a rippling shield in front of the bulk of his body; the tank of their soldiers, she assumed. anemo swirled threateningly around his clenched fist. that must have been what caught her off guard.