The Wolf-Boy (A Genshin impact story)

"Okay," Diluc nodded. "I don't really see why that's a problem"

Jean blinked twice at the claim, holding her neck carefully. "You mean..."

"Yes," the tall man brushed his long red hair from the bar's counter as he polished a wine bottle. Jean could nearly see her reflection inside the glimmer of the glass, giving her another excuse to straighten her ponytail; no doubt Diluc would want to see her at her best.

In truth, however, Diluc barely even noticed. He was far more busy noticing his reflection in the wine bottle. He noticed a stray hair poking out and tried to flatten it for lady Jean. "I can fight the hilichurls. It should hardly be a problem"

Jean felt her face go red. She had prepared for a fight with Diluc; normally, the solitary man was hard to work with. He had issues talking to others when it wasn't strictly about business. Perhaps there was something special about today?

It wasn't blatantly obvious that Venti had tried to set Jean up with Diluc in this manner. After all, the god kept secrets surprisingly well. However, Jean knew of Venti and Diluc's 'friendship'. The god would demand wine from the businessman at any moment he could; he was a drunkard of a god.

The affluent name Diluc served under granted him extraordinary power inside the town. In fact, at some points, it was as if the two were reigning queen and king of Mondstadt; one held the title of the dawn winery in his fingertips while the other controlled the knights of Favonious. Venti had some motive for setting the two up, Jean believed.

Had the little imp convinced Diluc to join Jean? She had to fight back the urge to bury her face in her hands; what a nightmare it would be if Venti had created some special mission? After all, the two of them were some of the only people in Mondstadt who knew of the archon's true identity as a childish bard. It'd be disastrous if he exerted his power here.

"Perhaps we should group together?" Diluc offered, a soft light shining in his eye. The grandmaster had to take another step back in shock at his proposal. Was this the same Diluc she'd always known?

"You!" the crimson-haired man roared. "Get down off of that table! NOW!"

The fire inside the bartender's eyes glinted, a mirror image of the vision dangling from a thin rope at his belt. Jean watched as the drunk man moved down from his vantage point, a look of disgrace crossing his face. In certain ways, the two of them were very much alike. The only thing truly differing their 'correctional behavior' was the fact that Diluc often broke up bar fights by joining them. Jean put a hand up to her mouth to suppress the laugh threatening to bubble up.

"This is why I hate wine," Diluc mumbled, grabbing his large claymore from below the counter. "It make fools quite foolish"

"You know," Jean began to stroll along with Diluc as they exited the dark establishment. A flood of sunlight covered the duo as they pandered among the stores lining the street. Children ran between the duo as a few stray puffs of dandelions floated slowly across the sky. "I've often questioned why you serve wine when you hate it"

"Well," he put a finger up to his chin, deep in thought. "I suppose my brother would have been a more likely candidate to serve that foul creation"

"You didn't have to leave the knights," Jean cursed herself as the words came out of her mouth, but she made no move to stop herself. "We could always take someo-"

"How many times do I have to tell you," Diluc's voice lowered down to a discrete grumble. His complexion remained calm, but Jean knew the red-haired man was always at his angriest when appearing calm. "I have no wish to join your bloody knights. I favor it almost as much as I do my elemental vision. And I'm sure you're aware of how that played out"

"I apologize," Jean ruffled up her shirt. "I only wished to-"

"You wished to have me by your side at all points?" Diluc scoffed. "Jean, let's face the facts; you're running a failing service for this town. I'm the king of wine in all of Tevyat; meanwhile, you're trying to train those idiot knights of yours how to hold a sword"

"They," the grandmaster involuntarily brandished her sword. "Are perfectly capable"

The duo spun around at the sound of a large crash and a scream. Jean's eyes widened in fear before turning into pure anger.

"Oh," Diluc smiled snarkily, the expression somehow both rude and charming. "Yes. They seem perfectly capable"

Before Jean stood a nightmarish scene; Kaeya was dangling a small girl in a thick red coat above the walls surrounding Mondstadt. She screamed with glee as she threw bombs down before the raised drawbridge. Lisa was scanning her book, calling out instructions to the two knights. Meanwhile, Amber was performing illegal gliding maneuvers inside the city borders, throwing down her garish doll onto the bridge.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jean shouted, already feeling the loss of her composure. She ticked down each law that was being broken by her knights by the second. If the real grandmaster ever came back, he'd have her head for this incident.

"I thought you said they were capable," Diluc's smile grew wider despite himself.

"They are!" Jean huffed. "I trained them myself. Whether they use the knowledge I give them or not is beside me.

"You!" Jean pointed to Lisa. "Who gave you permission to release Klee from solitary confinement?"

The brunette witch lazily shrugged. "Barbara"

"Hey, sister!"

Jean whipped around, catching sight of a girl with matching blonde hues and a sparkly blue dress. "Barbara," Jean felt herself grow red as Diluc stared down at her. "Did you tell them they could release Klee?"

"Well," the peppy singer put a pale finger up to her red lips. "I didn't see a problem with it; after all, it's nearly Windblume!"

"Barbara!" Jean shouted. "I sent the messenger from the adventurer's guild to tell you!"

"Tell me what?"

"Gah!" the grandmaster plunged her sword into the ground, feeling woozy. Was the sun always so bright? "The abyss order is planning an attack like we haven't seen before. We need to protect the city and cancel all festivities"

"Cancel?" Barbara gasped. "First of all, I never got the message. Secondly, I think Klee would still be able to help us; she's very talented, you know"

"Klee makes a mess every time we ask her to help us!" Jean tried to calmly explain. "We can't risk burning all of Mondstadt!"

"Aw..." Klee sniffed from atop the spires of the wall. "Klee's going back to solitary confinement..."

"Shh..." Kaeya warned, fixing her plush hat as a strong gust nearly knocked it off her head. "Don't worry. Jean isn't that mad"

"Gah!" Jean shouted from below them. "Look, I gave you all very simple instructions. And where is that messenger from the adventurer's guild anyway? I thought I asked her to send you the message?"

"Well," Lisa coughed. "She kinda ran off..."

"Not very capable after a-"

"Quiet!" Jean ordered Diluc. "Okay, you know what? It's fine; we still have all day to fix it! We can just-"

Jean stopped for a second, feeling another rush of heat pass up her face as Diluc moved to comfort her.

"Jean, honey..." Lisa crooned. "Are you okay?"

"You're looking a little- oh!" Barbara exclaimed as Jean's eyes shut and her body fell to the ground. Diluc swept down to the ground, balancing her head inside his gloved palm.

"It's the stress," Diluc nodded to Barbara before she too fell to the ground. "She needs to relax, I think. It was all too much for her"

"Aye," Kaeya shouted from atop the tower. "I've never seen her that mad before"

"Well," Diluc's face entered the same anger it had before. "Maybe if she hadn't hired buffoons as knights this never would have happened"

"Buffoons?" Amber asked as she hopped down from her glider. "It's better than the other things we've been called"

"Move," the bar-owner growled. "I'll take her beyond the lake surrounding Mondstadt; while you fools prepare your plan, we'll be out there, protecting Mondstadt"

"Well!" Lisa scoffed, putting her hands to her comically large hips. "I never! That man has far too many anger issues!"

"Guys," Amber's voice hit a nervous chord. "Maybe he's right"

"What do you mean?" Barbara wondered aloud.

"She means that we shouldn't be doing this," Kaeya grunted. "Which is a perfect reason of why we should"

"Huh?" Klee bounced up and down from Kaeya's lap. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Kaeya placed her down as he clambered down to the other knights' level. "Jean never would have thought of this plan"

"Is that why it's bad?" Barbara asked.

"No," his white teeth glinted in the sunlight. "It means the hilichurls will have no plan for us"

"It's perfect!" Lisa laughed, suddenly understanding Kaeya's words. "If Jean and the adventurer's guild are out there, there's no way the abyss order will believe we're here doing this!"

"Then let's continue," Kaeya smiled. "Klee? We're gonna need a lot more bombs!"

"Yay!" the small child shouted with glee as she stuck more bombs to the drawbridge. "Hilichurlies go boom!"

"Hilichurls go boom," Barbara nodded in agreement.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

"The princess wishes for her servant of night to march faster!" a perky voice broke out through the woods, alarming the woodland creatures. "Faster!"

"Gah," Bennet grunted as he pulled Fischl's cart throughout the gnarly path inside the woods. He could feel the stares of animals as the noisy wheels climbed up the hill. "Why are we doing this again?"

"To gain a vantage point above our foul enemies!" Fischl declared. "We shall strike when the moonlight casts it's glow upon the valley! Thus our counterattack begins!"

"No," Bennet protested. "Why am I carrying you?"

The princess stared down at her pointed boots. "Thou truly believes one could walk in these? We plucked straws before our departure, my servant of the night! And you picked this position"

"So you took advantage of my bad luck?" Bennet asked. "How annoyi-"

"Hush yourself!" Fischl shouted. "I hear a noise..."

"What?" Bennet squawked. "You're the one shouti-"

"Shhh!" Fischl placed a hand above her vision. "Oz," she whispered. "Reveal thyself"

The raven came out silently. "Scan the forest for intruders," she commanded. "Go!"

The bird nodded, flying out into the woods. Before Fischl could look through her magical raven's eyes, an explosion of purple energy blasted out from the thick trees.

"My!" Fischl screeched. "Someone has harmed my knight!"

"I thought I was your knight?" Bennet asked. "Ah well... we should probably keep going, just in case..."

"No," Fischl demanded. "Survey the area"

"Are you insane?" Bennet shouted back. "Oz just got killed and you want me to go out and see what's there?"

"Hmph," Fischl stroked her lace-gloved hand. "My raven shall return from his dark netherworld soon enough. Shall we pull straws once more?"

The white-haired boy ignored her wicked smile. "No," he hung his head low. "I'll go check on it"

He trudged through the woods in his much more capable boots, his hand resting gently upon his sword. It'd be just his luck to get attacked out here.

A rustle came from his right, creeping closer. "Who's there?" Bennet asked. "I-I'll warn you! I have a vision, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The rustling stopped for a moment, only for a thick brown and grey shape to crash from the trees, collapsing on top of him.

"Gah!" Bennet screamed. "Wolf!"

He adjusted his vision, terrified of the weight above him. Thick grey hair piled down onto his fist, but Bennet noticed something wrong.

"Wait a minute," his fingers played with the fur as he realized the weight lying upon him. "It's a boy?"

"Do hurry up!" Fischl's voice broke out from the path. "Don't die!"

"Who..." Bennet began to ask, just as the boy's head rose. His clear, tanned face pondered quietly as his warm brown eyes stared into Bennet's green ones.

"Razor," the boy's voice was as gnarled and sharp as his teeth. He had a crude outfit of forest green pants inches too short, a tattered brown cape, and a scrap of cloth serving as a shirt. "Razor... wolf"

"You're not a wolf!" Bennet laughed, before backing away as the boy growled, baring his teeth. "Okay... so maybe you're a little like one... but you look human"

A quick growl shut the adventurer up. “Razor wolf. And you...”

The wolf boy sniffed the air, his face cracking into the shadow of a smile. “Smell good. And hurt”

“Huh?”

“Hurt,” Razor pointed to Bennett’s exposed midriff.

“Oh,” Bennet held his hand up, holding the back of his neck as Razor inspected the wound. “Yeah, I must’ve tripped!”

Without warning, the feral teen held his palm against the would, ripping off a bit of fabric from his already torn shirt. Bennet felt his face go red as the boy fumbled with the wound, tying the ripped cloth.

“The Prinzessin der Verurteilung demands her steed once more!”

Razor flinched at Fischl’s haughty voice. “Humans in the woods? Does she bring the... the burn-y lady?”

Bennet pondered for a moment. “Well, I’m not sure exactly what you mean. But Fischl’s nice! She’s fun”

“I shall have your head if you shant return!”

“Girl sounds scary,” Razor shivered. “What is your business?”

Bennet thrust his hand up. “We’re part of Benny’s adventure team! Mondstadt’s gonna get attacked, so we have to keep watch!”

“Mondstadt...” the ashen-haired teen looked down the city far below them. “Attack?”

“Oh yeah,” Bennet grumbled. “But we’re gonna protect it!”

Razor pivoted, facing the woods. “What’re you doing?” Bennet asked aloud.

“The animals,” Razor hushed him. “Show me the camp”

A hulking wolf bounded from the woods, nearly landing on Bennet. The boy screamed before regaining composure.

“What is holding up thou?” Fischl stomped through the woods, a scowl etched upon her face. “Oh my! A magnificent creature!”

“Show us the camp,” Razor ordered the wolf. It nodded its large grey head, jumping back onto the trail.

“You can...” Bennet found himself at a loss for words before laughing. “You can talk to animals?”

“Hmph,” Fischl scoffed. “Your Prinzessin can speak to Oz”

“Razor grew with the wolves,” he explained as the trio began to dash up the hill. “He can speak”

“Thou could also speak normally,” Fischl jabbed.

“Like you do!” Bennet retorted. “What’s your problem?”

“Pardon us for a mere moment,” Fischl dragged Bennet into the woods. “We shall speak for a hairbreadth of a second”

Razor shrugged, the movement awkward and jumpy. “Razor will keep trail”

Fischl and Bennet leaned into each other by a thick, gnarled tree, their faces only seconds away from crashing. “I can’t trust him,” Fischl spoke, breaking character. “He’s not-”

“Amy,” Bennet hummed, holding the sides of her head. “Trust me. Razor is kind. I don’t know for sure but he...”

“Oh!” The blonde girl held her hand to her mouth as Bennet revealed the wound. “What happened?”

“I was hurt,” Bennet smiled. “But I’m all better now. Please... whether you’re Amy or Fischl; just try to help. You’ve already torn Mona away; we don’t need anyone else to be hurt”

“I understand.” Fischl tore back onto the path, returning to her haughty pose. “Let it be known to the dwellers of this world that the Prinzessin der Verurteilung will no longer be requiring her carriage”

“Der ver...” Razor struggled with the words. “Razor no good with words”

“Yes,” the young woman tried to hide her aghast face. “It’d appear so”

The adventurer’s guild arrived at the scene of the camp. At least, the remains of it.

“There’s something wrong,” Fischl ran up to the shoddy huts the hilichurls usually inhabited. Instead, the corpses of the monkey-goblin creatures lay face down, their masks cracked and shattered. "Someone got here before us"

"Maybe Jean?" Bennet assumed. 

"No..." Fischl scoffed. "Jean throws her enemies off cliffs with her wind to avoid any unneeded casualties. Dost thou truly believe Jean would leave these minions of the abyss to lie, discarded and broken?"

"No," Bennet mumbled. "Razor, can you smell anything?"

"Razor..." the boy repeated his name. "Smell perfume. Bitter..."

"Jean wouldn't wear perfume like that," the princess explained, still struggling to get back into her character. "So who could it be?"

"The bodies are slightly wet," Bennet pointed out. 

"Moisture?" the corn-blonde girl swiped a piece of torn fabric. "Oh... it's the stars"

"The stars?"

"The witch servant of the stars," Fischl explained. "The-"

"Tis I!" a haughty voice broke out between the trees, almost in a mockery of Fischl. "Mona Megistus! The luminary of the stars!" 

There isn't much in this world that can truly dampen the spirits of the adventurer's guild (and a specific wolf boy). Most of the time, as long as something involves meat and a certain degree of adventure, they can't pass up any opportunity. The guild is known for its tolerance of almost anything.

Anything, except for its own member; Mona.