come thursday, hua cheng will lead them into the caves that they arrived in - but deeper, bringing a hand up to summon that hard starlight he's wielded for weeks now. his daemon leads the way, tails flicking, head moving, tracking down the direction that they're meant to go in. ]
I'm not sure how time will pass for you, considering how your previous trips have gone, but you need to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.
Ask questions, now, if you have them. This is it, until we see you on the other side.
[ here we are - the moment of expected challenge. xie lian has been waiting for this, hoping for this, and for it to finally come to fruition has him feeling more determined than ever. he stands in his white silks, bandages around his neck like always, his back straight, chin lifted, and san lang mirrors his posture - a powerful qilin, strong in the face of danger, hand around the hilt of fang xin at his side. there is nothing to be afraid of.
he's going home.
xie lian takes a deep breath. ]
We will be successful. [ he says, in a voice that allows no argument, glancing back to his two companions.
... and then, after a moment, xie lian turns his attention to hua cheng. ]
It will be home, Baraqiel. [ a little softer. ] Hua Cheng.
It's okay. Like he said, we'll make it. No matter what, we'll come out on the other side of things.
[Is he scared? Hell yes. But his want to help others is stronger than that fear, for now. Twice he's cone out of these things with deep scars on his heart, but he can survive a third. He's hopeful at least.]
...will we know, when we find what we need?
[Then he'll wait and let XL and HC be gay for a moment.]
but in all seriousness, kaeya moves to stand beside rin and let this exchange happen, polaris stood by his side in his white wolf glory, ears pricked forward at attention and blue eyes hard and focused. there's certainly fear here, but it's only fear of the unknown, fear of the deep and dark abyss. and to combat it, he simply sets a hand on his sword, resting it there. the three of them and baraqiel--hua cheng--have come so far, have they not? ]
Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best is what these past few weeks have taught us, isn't it?
We will return. Victorious. Failure is no option of ours.
This place... could you say anything of what awaits us here? Or would that just be too telling?
If it's the same as when they fell through in Ahnkeen...
Rin's been there. Dianxia has heard of it. The Kiln of Mt. Tonglu, and one that is at a timeframe where it is opened from what Rin has told me, which means countless ghosts, demons, and monsters have been drawn to it and the resentful energy that roils off of the mountain. If it's still open, they will be hunting and killing one another and anything that found its way onto the mountainside.
They will be in the thousands, if not the millions. I don't know what you're meant to be finding, but I can hazard a few guesses - and you'll know it when you find it, once you get through the numbers.
I can't come with you. [ and he's clearly loathe to say it, a growl coming from the daemon ahead of him, all of its tails lashing, before it looks at the three of them. they continue deeper into the cave, following the trail discovered and left behind. ] I spent years in the Kiln. I know it better than most. But so long as you aren't separated, and you do not let yourselves get surrounded, you should be alright. Just try not to get caught in an eruption - they happen occasionally.
[ hua cheng slows, to let kaeya and rin by, turning to look at xie lian. ] ... of course you can, Dianxia.
[ even just the phrase feels ominous - the kiln of mt. tonglu. by now, he's heard the phrase a few times, and he knows what comes with it. the birth of a supreme ghost, like qi rong, like crimson rain sought flower (standing in front of him, now) and...
... like the white no face.
he's expecting it, almost. that is the only thing that could possibly give him any pause, or any fear. facing down a million ghosts is nothing. today, xie lian looks himself; he looks like the crown prince, like the god he was born to be.
he looks back to the other two, determination in his eyes, and nods. to rin, especially - who wanted a second chance, who confessed his fears and worries to xie lian not days before, who he will do everything to support, and to kaeya, who has done so much for him here. his right hand, his sword.
... and he looks, finally, to baraqiel, stepping up closer to him. xie lian's expression is hard to read, as he looks up at hua cheng, brows knitting together for a moment like he's deciding if he has anything else to say. words, ultimately, aren't going to be enough. ]
...To deal with the Kiln as I would at home. [ the best that he can, anyway. ] I would require one last exchange of spiritual energy. I still have some from this weekend, but I intend to use it not just to heal.
[ but -
to battle. to slay ghosts. to win, and to bring that item back home.
[Rin doesn't look happy to be going back there. That place holds horrible memories for him, and was the start of a string of terrible luck and even worse tragedy. Rin would be happier if he could forget the kiln, honestly.
But he can't. Hua Cheng needs this. So he'll swallow down his fears and go back in, because that's what people do when they help others.
'May your heart be as still as water', he reminds himself. They can do this.]
I think I remember the way. And who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and our ghost friend will come back to help.
[But then there's talk of exchanges of spiritual energy and Rin is not at all prepared for how Gay things are about to get, so he just watches curiously.]
[ kaeya listens as xie lian speaks--to deal with the kiln as i would at home. so long as he does that and returns, then kaeya will have no qualms with what he does. that is, after all, part of reason he is so determined in this. to bring both xie lian and rin back to the others, to bring baraqiel's item back, to return everyone home.
glancing at rin, he offers a pleased look. ] Then truly you're a boon, Rin. And a brave boon at that. A brave friend as well, if you're here to walk through fire once more, so to speak...
[ though he does tilt his head at that, raising a brow curiously at ghost friend. ]
[ tanhua sniffs both rinkou and polaris as they pass, crimson orange fur bristled along the hackles, down the spine, but more at the knowledge of what they're going into rather than at either of them. rinkou gets her fur smoothed out on top of her head with a quick, quick licks from the daemon, before it turns and bites polaris on the ear. (not hard, mind, but a reminder. watch them.)
then it moves to brush up alongside san lang, leaving them to discuss the ghost friend, tails lashing, as hua cheng regards xie lian.
well, if anyone was going to go into the kiln on his behalf - he goddamn wouldn't pick any of them, because he would prefer going in himself, but at least he knows they'll take care of each other. they'll bring each other back. small mercies, he supposes, even if they aren't truly that merciful at the end of the day.
he reaches up, wings twitching with restlessness - pauses, fingers curling - and then completes the path, cupping xie lian's cheek. ]
I think the exchange for this would be for you to come back to me. Enough has happened in 800 years that I do not like that you go somewhere, again, that I cannot follow.
[ san lang presses up against tanhua as it comes by, just once. reassuring and quick, a steady presence of white and gold as he always is.
and xie lian...
well. he lets hua cheng do whatever he likes. he doesn't need to see the flicker of his wings to know that he's worried. normally, he'd refer back to the other two - glance back, check on them - but right now, the whole world is narrowed down to the watcher in front of him. ]
...I will. [ a solemn promise, serious, as he meets his gaze. ] I'll live for you as you've lived for me.
[ kaeya's just grinning and rin then just. grabs his arm, so he swerves on a heel with a soft laugh. it doesn't take much to turn him around. even polaris will just pad close to his knee and sit, you know, just to be thorough. ]
[ the other two are basically left on read for a moment. sorry, guys. i think you knew this was going to happen though.
xie lian's promise makes him laugh, if only softly, and hua cheng inclines his head in the slightest of nods. ]
That is all that I would ask, and all that I can, I think. You will already be looking out for one another. [ or else, but, you know. tanhua got the message out already. ] So I will accept this as payment, for now, and you can consider the exchange done.
[ and it's just you, and your daemons, and nothing else as you step through the window. there's a thick, cloying ash in the air to greet you, but something more oppressive, something that weighs heavier.
xie lian will recognize it as resentful energy. the land reeks of it, almost, as if it's soaked into the earth itself, but rolls down from the mountain that looms over the ruined city that you've found yourselves in. it's familiar, rin. you know this place, now, these buildings, the temple that the mural sat in, the shapes groveling and dying amongst the ash. the quiet whispers on the wind, picking at the back of the mind, just barely a breath in the ear, but somehow almost tangible.
but the destruction will be familiar to all. a civilization left to burn and decay under the weight of what feels like a divine punishment, nothing left of the glory it once held. a kingdom destroyed by calamity, its people lost, ravaged and torn asunder with nothing to save it. the evidence of failure, of what happens when the fires burn out of control, when you just can't stop a disaster even as its epicenter.
you're back in the city - or, newly arrived to the city, in the case of kaeya and xie lian. you've emerged at a different location than the last time, rin, but you would recognize it regardless. you can hear familiar skittering, the soft voices of despair in a language that you have to readjust to, that kaeya will take longer to understand, but that xie lian will know when he should not - but also the rumble of earth in the distance, the cacophony of howling, roars, screams, cackling laughter further beneath that.
welcome to the base of the kiln. how will you proceed? ]
[ the stink of resentful energy is what immediately clues xie lian in to home; perhaps even worse, even more cruelly familiar, is the destroyed city that they stand in.
san lang growls softly as they step through to study their surroundings and xie lian holds still. if he thinks about it too much, the strange words that appeared on his skin earlier in the week almost feel like they're aching. The fall of the Kingdom of Xian Le. the destroyed civilization, the ruined gold and red of what must have once been great.
but this isn't xian le, even if it feels cacophonous and familiar. even the language, which xie lian has no trouble comprehending in a dissonant way. he stills, listening.
xie lian doesn't draw his blade immediately, but focuses in on the honing in warmth of spiritual energy coursing through his veins, on holding steady and fast and not the way his heart feels like it pounds in his chest, and turns his gaze to the noise from beyond, and to the mountain. he opens his mouth to share what is being said, and the language that comes out is - wrong?
it's the same one as whatever those strange voices is speaking, and it doesn't quite translate, right away. ] T̶h̷e̷y̴ ̴c̴r̸y̵ ̶o̷u̸t̴ ̴f̶o̷r̸ ̷h̴e̷l̸p̶.̷.
[ ...
he frowns, troubled, and then shakes his head. when xie lian speaks again, it's back to normal. ]
[Ohh, he hates being back here. The ever-present weight of 'you're a failure, you can't save anyone' mixed in with the new fear of 'you're going to fail him too, just like you failed him before.' It's just whispers but they echo into his mind, and he grits his teeth and looks to the other two.
Aaaaand he stops with his mouth open because what was that speech there Xie Lian??? But then Xie Lian recovers, and Rin stumbles over his words for a few moments before speaking.]
Oh- uh- yeah we should probably be running soon, the rats are probably coming.
[ the sheer destruction of it all has kaeya giving long pause for a moment, his eye scanning over everything. xie lian speaks, and the sound drags one long moment like writing a letter underwater, the words floating up off the page like blood, wrong, unintelligible. you're our last hope.. bitter and sick. his mouth draws right a moment before he looks over at the both of them. ]
And I'm guessing these are some sort of great rats of abomination, no doubt.
[ both disbelief and uncertainty, but he's serious okay. regardless, he holds to the hilt of his sword in a ready position, doesn't remove it as polaris carefully guards their backs, padding with care through the cave and occasionally pushing his nose into the ground below to scent anything before lifting it upwards. a breath, a sign, no doubt cloyed by all the waste laid bare before them, but searching for anything telling. like rats. if these are ghost rats then oh well.
kaeya's own nose wrinkles, but he stands firm. ]
Onward then, quickly. If we're to run, then let's try to do it quietly, yes? Draw as little attention as possible.
[ the voices get louder, as the auto-translate begins to bleed into your minds. xie lian and rin, first. kaeya, last. with rin, at least, it makes some sense - he's been here, before. but xie lian? strange.
the skittering gets louder. some of the shapes climb out of ashen husks in the street - prostrating figures, dying figures, the eternal tombs of people left behind. a few are wounded, and the others are looking at them in interest, considering them with red, beady eyes. they are large, especially for rats, and they are squeaking and chittering, yes, but also -
but also, speaking in this terrible chorus of voices, despairing, strained, sobbing and raw. a people left behind. ]
[ the words of the creatures are as clear as if they were spoken in mandarin, not whatever magic allows them all to understand each other. and for xie lian, the screaming, sobbing voices are just a callback to the day everything came tumbling down. they begged for xie lian's help, begged him to cure them, no, cure me, cure us, your highness, why, why -
san lang looks to xie lian, for a moment, taking barely a step of pause.
this could be xian le, but it isn't. it isn't - what's done is done, even if it hurts. his hand tightens on his sword. ]
It's resentful energy. From Wuyong. [ it's not real.
the thudding of his heartbeat courses with the spiritual energy in his body for a moment, and daemon and god look at each other. we should probably be running soon, rin said, so, he shouts - ]
It's not real - move!
[ xie lian won't be fooled by this again. a terrible hellbound creature took the form of a plague-stricken citizen and it nearly killed him, but this is his homeland, this is his turf, and hua cheng needs him. his heart is strong, and so are those of his companions, and xie lian trusts kaeya and rin both that they will get through. he promised rin he would be his support for situations just like this, and so, xie lian will be a guiding light.
with a shing! noise, he draws fang xin, its glow ominous and cold in the darkness of the mountain. ]
Don't listen to them, and run!
[ just like he ran from home, but with their voices screaming and pleading in his ears, he will lead the charge in the direction up towards the mountain. ]
[The words choke him up, familiar pain digging into his skin and driving right into his skull. It's against his very nature to turn tail and run, even though he remembers how horrible it was before he still can't help but want to help them somehow.
'You can't save everyone.' It digs into his mind, driving up his reflex to be stubborn and rebel. But he can't stop here, they'll die. He has to swallow down his pride and run.
And run he does. Not looking back, not even once, Rin sprints down the path. It's a familiar trek for him, he knows which way to go. Up the mountain they go, avoiding the rats before they can decide to attack them. Don't listen, just run.]
[ yeah wow fuck those rats. kaeya breaks into a sprint the moment he's told, even as he hears the words flood his senses. xie lian says it isn't real, but it comes close as the voices swarm upon the rats revealing themselves. polaris darts after him, a snarl on his muzzle as his ears pin back, snapping once before getting back to moving.
rin runs with a sense of familiarity, and kaeya keeps close to the both of them, gotta keep moving so up the mountain we go. let's keep moving and see what we find. ]
[ the rats squeal and scream, making horrible sounds as you rush through the ashen streets and rubble of a city long forgotten. there are some that attack, launching themselves at you, but the only issue is their numbers. they subsist off of corpses, roiling in their own resentful energy. they are not strong.
you kick up more dust and ash as you go. rin will know that some of these mounds of ash were once people, but, if they're paying attention, so will xie lian and kaeya.
but you all have weapons, and ferocious daemons, and they won't chase you up the mountain. so there are no screaming rats that follow you for long, and any that are injured are immediately descended upon by those that are in fairer sorts. a distraction, for your retreat.
not that where you're going is much better.
this area won't be familiar to rin, but the concept and the terrain at least are. the screaming and howling, the roars, the sounds of fighting, the smell of rot and bloodshed - the higher you go, the closer you get to it, the more you can tell that chaos broke out some time ago and has simply continued. days, weeks, who knows who long it's been? ahnkeen was weeks ago, but time never does quite pass the same, in these places, does it?
the kiln calls, an almost tangible touch like a hand cradling the backs of your skulls. those regrets that are tattooed on your skin, those sins, are whispers in your ears.
[ running, running, running. it's just up into the air - xie lian swings his blade with an expert slash as a rat leaps at him and sends it flying in severed pieces past him, as san lang grabs one and sinks his teeth into its body, tossing it away.
fleet footed and heart pounding in his ears, xie lian will run and run and run. past the ash mountains, past the whispering, screaming voices crying for him to save them, over and over.
they're not real. they're already gone. xian le is gone, and this place was, too. as they reach the kiln and get to a distance safe from the corpse eating rats, feet pounding into volcanic ash and more mountainous ground, xie lian finally takes the moment to turn his head and look around, checking their surroundings for fierce creatures or anything particularly wrathful. right now, it's just bloodshed and chaos, the marked lair of ghosts.
any pathways for us to take? is it just rampant destruction?
to the others, looking back to ensure their safety - and with a little smile that everyone's together and seems to be okay: ]
[He hates that pull. He remembers it so clearly, and he hates it. But how can he fight something so strong? It's only fortunate that the kiln is calling them to the spot they need to go to anyway.
Rin tries not to look at the ash as they run by. Seeing those people last time was horrifying enough.]
Right, to the top. We didn't quite make it last time.
[The words on Rin's arm itch. He tries his best to ignore that too.
But as they run, he's looking for the blurry ghost friend. Are they around this time? Or have they moved on and won't be assisting in try 2?]
[ because there is no other option but to climb. kaeya looks ahead, but his periphery catches these mounds of ash, the shapes of people gradually forming upon closer examination, and it just seeks to send a tremor down his spine, the words are a firebrand on his skin and he draws his sword, refuses to let the sensation spread between his shoulder blades.
he unfortunately doesn't have any other encouraging words, he's examining the remains of whatever chaos might have broken out here. what's been left behind? does the ground simply look disturbed or is there more? gouges or footsteps, claw marks, anything really. ]
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AND WHAT ELSE IS NOT TO BE OVERCOME?
come thursday, hua cheng will lead them into the caves that they arrived in - but deeper, bringing a hand up to summon that hard starlight he's wielded for weeks now. his daemon leads the way, tails flicking, head moving, tracking down the direction that they're meant to go in. ]
I'm not sure how time will pass for you, considering how your previous trips have gone, but you need to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.
Ask questions, now, if you have them. This is it, until we see you on the other side.
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he's going home.
xie lian takes a deep breath. ]
We will be successful. [ he says, in a voice that allows no argument, glancing back to his two companions.
... and then, after a moment, xie lian turns his attention to hua cheng. ]
It will be home, Baraqiel. [ a little softer. ] Hua Cheng.
... May I ask you for one last exchange?
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[Is he scared? Hell yes. But his want to help others is stronger than that fear, for now. Twice he's cone out of these things with deep scars on his heart, but he can survive a third. He's hopeful at least.]
...will we know, when we find what we need?
[Then he'll wait and let XL and HC be gay for a moment.]
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but in all seriousness, kaeya moves to stand beside rin and let this exchange happen, polaris stood by his side in his white wolf glory, ears pricked forward at attention and blue eyes hard and focused. there's certainly fear here, but it's only fear of the unknown, fear of the deep and dark abyss. and to combat it, he simply sets a hand on his sword, resting it there. the three of them and baraqiel--hua cheng--have come so far, have they not? ]
Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best is what these past few weeks have taught us, isn't it?
We will return. Victorious. Failure is no option of ours.
This place... could you say anything of what awaits us here? Or would that just be too telling?
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Rin's been there. Dianxia has heard of it. The Kiln of Mt. Tonglu, and one that is at a timeframe where it is opened from what Rin has told me, which means countless ghosts, demons, and monsters have been drawn to it and the resentful energy that roils off of the mountain. If it's still open, they will be hunting and killing one another and anything that found its way onto the mountainside.
They will be in the thousands, if not the millions. I don't know what you're meant to be finding, but I can hazard a few guesses - and you'll know it when you find it, once you get through the numbers.
I can't come with you. [ and he's clearly loathe to say it, a growl coming from the daemon ahead of him, all of its tails lashing, before it looks at the three of them. they continue deeper into the cave, following the trail discovered and left behind. ] I spent years in the Kiln. I know it better than most. But so long as you aren't separated, and you do not let yourselves get surrounded, you should be alright. Just try not to get caught in an eruption - they happen occasionally.
[ hua cheng slows, to let kaeya and rin by, turning to look at xie lian. ] ... of course you can, Dianxia.
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... like the white no face.
he's expecting it, almost. that is the only thing that could possibly give him any pause, or any fear. facing down a million ghosts is nothing. today, xie lian looks himself; he looks like the crown prince, like the god he was born to be.
he looks back to the other two, determination in his eyes, and nods. to rin, especially - who wanted a second chance, who confessed his fears and worries to xie lian not days before, who he will do everything to support, and to kaeya, who has done so much for him here. his right hand, his sword.
... and he looks, finally, to baraqiel, stepping up closer to him. xie lian's expression is hard to read, as he looks up at hua cheng, brows knitting together for a moment like he's deciding if he has anything else to say. words, ultimately, aren't going to be enough. ]
...To deal with the Kiln as I would at home. [ the best that he can, anyway. ] I would require one last exchange of spiritual energy. I still have some from this weekend, but I intend to use it not just to heal.
[ but -
to battle. to slay ghosts. to win, and to bring that item back home.
the god, rushing in to save his believer.
not for the first time, and not for the last. ]
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But he can't. Hua Cheng needs this. So he'll swallow down his fears and go back in, because that's what people do when they help others.
'May your heart be as still as water', he reminds himself. They can do this.]
I think I remember the way. And who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and our ghost friend will come back to help.
[But then there's talk of exchanges of spiritual energy and Rin is not at all prepared for how Gay things are about to get, so he just watches curiously.]
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glancing at rin, he offers a pleased look. ] Then truly you're a boon, Rin. And a brave boon at that. A brave friend as well, if you're here to walk through fire once more, so to speak...
[ though he does tilt his head at that, raising a brow curiously at ghost friend. ]
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then it moves to brush up alongside san lang, leaving them to discuss the ghost friend, tails lashing, as hua cheng regards xie lian.
well, if anyone was going to go into the kiln on his behalf - he goddamn wouldn't pick any of them, because he would prefer going in himself, but at least he knows they'll take care of each other. they'll bring each other back. small mercies, he supposes, even if they aren't truly that merciful at the end of the day.
he reaches up, wings twitching with restlessness - pauses, fingers curling - and then completes the path, cupping xie lian's cheek. ]
I think the exchange for this would be for you to come back to me. Enough has happened in 800 years that I do not like that you go somewhere, again, that I cannot follow.
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and xie lian...
well. he lets hua cheng do whatever he likes. he doesn't need to see the flicker of his wings to know that he's worried. normally, he'd refer back to the other two - glance back, check on them - but right now, the whole world is narrowed down to the watcher in front of him. ]
...I will. [ a solemn promise, serious, as he meets his gaze. ] I'll live for you as you've lived for me.
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And if Kaeya doesn't turn around fast enough he's grabbing his arm to yank him around.]
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You're right, you're right.
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xie lian's promise makes him laugh, if only softly, and hua cheng inclines his head in the slightest of nods. ]
That is all that I would ask, and all that I can, I think. You will already be looking out for one another. [ or else, but, you know. tanhua got the message out already. ] So I will accept this as payment, for now, and you can consider the exchange done.
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I SUNG OF CHAOS AND ETERNAL NIGHT
xie lian will recognize it as resentful energy. the land reeks of it, almost, as if it's soaked into the earth itself, but rolls down from the mountain that looms over the ruined city that you've found yourselves in. it's familiar, rin. you know this place, now, these buildings, the temple that the mural sat in, the shapes groveling and dying amongst the ash. the quiet whispers on the wind, picking at the back of the mind, just barely a breath in the ear, but somehow almost tangible.
but the destruction will be familiar to all. a civilization left to burn and decay under the weight of what feels like a divine punishment, nothing left of the glory it once held. a kingdom destroyed by calamity, its people lost, ravaged and torn asunder with nothing to save it. the evidence of failure, of what happens when the fires burn out of control, when you just can't stop a disaster even as its epicenter.
you're back in the city - or, newly arrived to the city, in the case of kaeya and xie lian. you've emerged at a different location than the last time, rin, but you would recognize it regardless. you can hear familiar skittering, the soft voices of despair in a language that you have to readjust to, that kaeya will take longer to understand, but that xie lian will know when he should not - but also the rumble of earth in the distance, the cacophony of howling, roars, screams, cackling laughter further beneath that.
welcome to the base of the kiln. how will you proceed? ]
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san lang growls softly as they step through to study their surroundings and xie lian holds still. if he thinks about it too much, the strange words that appeared on his skin earlier in the week almost feel like they're aching. The fall of the Kingdom of Xian Le. the destroyed civilization, the ruined gold and red of what must have once been great.
but this isn't xian le, even if it feels cacophonous and familiar. even the language, which xie lian has no trouble comprehending in a dissonant way. he stills, listening.
to be expected, really. quieter, mixed in -
xie lian doesn't draw his blade immediately, but focuses in on the honing in warmth of spiritual energy coursing through his veins, on holding steady and fast and not the way his heart feels like it pounds in his chest, and turns his gaze to the noise from beyond, and to the mountain. he opens his mouth to share what is being said, and the language that comes out is - wrong?
it's the same one as whatever those strange voices is speaking, and it doesn't quite translate, right away. ] T̶h̷e̷y̴ ̴c̴r̸y̵ ̶o̷u̸t̴ ̴f̶o̷r̸ ̷h̴e̷l̸p̶.̷.
[ ...
he frowns, troubled, and then shakes his head. when xie lian speaks again, it's back to normal. ]
Rin. [ quietly. ] Is this familiar?
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Aaaaand he stops with his mouth open because what was that speech there Xie Lian??? But then Xie Lian recovers, and Rin stumbles over his words for a few moments before speaking.]
Oh- uh- yeah we should probably be running soon, the rats are probably coming.
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And I'm guessing these are some sort of great rats of abomination, no doubt.
[ both disbelief and uncertainty, but he's serious okay. regardless, he holds to the hilt of his sword in a ready position, doesn't remove it as polaris carefully guards their backs, padding with care through the cave and occasionally pushing his nose into the ground below to scent anything before lifting it upwards. a breath, a sign, no doubt cloyed by all the waste laid bare before them, but searching for anything telling. like rats. if these are ghost rats then oh well.
kaeya's own nose wrinkles, but he stands firm. ]
Onward then, quickly. If we're to run, then let's try to do it quietly, yes? Draw as little attention as possible.
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[ the voices get louder, as the auto-translate begins to bleed into your minds. xie lian and rin, first. kaeya, last. with rin, at least, it makes some sense - he's been here, before. but xie lian? strange.
the skittering gets louder. some of the shapes climb out of ashen husks in the street - prostrating figures, dying figures, the eternal tombs of people left behind. a few are wounded, and the others are looking at them in interest, considering them with red, beady eyes. they are large, especially for rats, and they are squeaking and chittering, yes, but also -
but also, speaking in this terrible chorus of voices, despairing, strained, sobbing and raw. a people left behind. ]
Y̢o҉ur Ro̸y͏al H͜i̛g̢hne͞s̸s͠ ҉-҉ Ýo̷uŕ Hig͢h́nes̷ş,͢ p̴ļease, Your ̀H͜igh҉nesş,̕ ̕save m̵e ́şa̶ve͜ m̸e̴ ̕save ̢m҉e!!̡!
[ rin, you'll remember this. ]
Go͡ḑ ͏hav͝é ͘me͡rcy,͠ pl̨e͜a̕se, ͠pl̵e̕as͝e̷, l҉e̡t me ŕep̵e͡nt̡, ̧O͜ L̷ord̢.̨.͏!
[ it's a familiar cry, miserable. ]
Yo͠u ͟did̴ ̕ţh̨i͠s! ͢Y̷ou͜ ͝caused ҉t͟hi͜s͝!͝ You ͢b̨urnt̸ ҉ev̀ery͜thi͝ng̡ ̴do̸w͘n..͝! [ oh, that's new. ] Yǫu w̛er͢e ̴o͝ur ho̷p̵e҉,̷ o͟ur͏ ͞lig̵ht͏,͠ yo͢u were g͘o͟in͞g͞ ͠t͝ò ̶s͘ąve͜ u̸s̶ ͠all̕!!̴
[ well, that's fun. ]
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san lang looks to xie lian, for a moment, taking barely a step of pause.
this could be xian le, but it isn't. it isn't - what's done is done, even if it hurts. his hand tightens on his sword. ]
It's resentful energy. From Wuyong. [ it's not real.
the thudding of his heartbeat courses with the spiritual energy in his body for a moment, and daemon and god look at each other. we should probably be running soon, rin said, so, he shouts - ]
It's not real - move!
[ xie lian won't be fooled by this again. a terrible hellbound creature took the form of a plague-stricken citizen and it nearly killed him, but this is his homeland, this is his turf, and hua cheng needs him. his heart is strong, and so are those of his companions, and xie lian trusts kaeya and rin both that they will get through. he promised rin he would be his support for situations just like this, and so, xie lian will be a guiding light.
with a shing! noise, he draws fang xin, its glow ominous and cold in the darkness of the mountain. ]
Don't listen to them, and run!
[ just like he ran from home, but with their voices screaming and pleading in his ears, he will lead the charge in the direction up towards the mountain. ]
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'You can't save everyone.' It digs into his mind, driving up his reflex to be stubborn and rebel. But he can't stop here, they'll die. He has to swallow down his pride and run.
And run he does. Not looking back, not even once, Rin sprints down the path. It's a familiar trek for him, he knows which way to go. Up the mountain they go, avoiding the rats before they can decide to attack them. Don't listen, just run.]
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rin runs with a sense of familiarity, and kaeya keeps close to the both of them, gotta keep moving so up the mountain we go. let's keep moving and see what we find. ]
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you kick up more dust and ash as you go. rin will know that some of these mounds of ash were once people, but, if they're paying attention, so will xie lian and kaeya.
but you all have weapons, and ferocious daemons, and they won't chase you up the mountain. so there are no screaming rats that follow you for long, and any that are injured are immediately descended upon by those that are in fairer sorts. a distraction, for your retreat.
not that where you're going is much better.
this area won't be familiar to rin, but the concept and the terrain at least are. the screaming and howling, the roars, the sounds of fighting, the smell of rot and bloodshed - the higher you go, the closer you get to it, the more you can tell that chaos broke out some time ago and has simply continued. days, weeks, who knows who long it's been? ahnkeen was weeks ago, but time never does quite pass the same, in these places, does it?
the kiln calls, an almost tangible touch like a hand cradling the backs of your skulls. those regrets that are tattooed on your skin, those sins, are whispers in your ears.
you're going to fail, just like you always have.
what's the plan, gentlemen? ]
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fleet footed and heart pounding in his ears, xie lian will run and run and run. past the ash mountains, past the whispering, screaming voices crying for him to save them, over and over.
they're not real. they're already gone. xian le is gone, and this place was, too. as they reach the kiln and get to a distance safe from the corpse eating rats, feet pounding into volcanic ash and more mountainous ground, xie lian finally takes the moment to turn his head and look around, checking their surroundings for fierce creatures or anything particularly wrathful. right now, it's just bloodshed and chaos, the marked lair of ghosts.
any pathways for us to take? is it just rampant destruction?
to the others, looking back to ensure their safety - and with a little smile that everyone's together and seems to be okay: ]
He said we need to get to the top.
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Rin tries not to look at the ash as they run by. Seeing those people last time was horrifying enough.]
Right, to the top. We didn't quite make it last time.
[The words on Rin's arm itch. He tries his best to ignore that too.
But as they run, he's looking for the blurry ghost friend. Are they around this time? Or have they moved on and won't be assisting in try 2?]
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[ because there is no other option but to climb. kaeya looks ahead, but his periphery catches these mounds of ash, the shapes of people gradually forming upon closer examination, and it just seeks to send a tremor down his spine, the words are a firebrand on his skin and he draws his sword, refuses to let the sensation spread between his shoulder blades.
he unfortunately doesn't have any other encouraging words, he's examining the remains of whatever chaos might have broken out here. what's been left behind? does the ground simply look disturbed or is there more? gouges or footsteps, claw marks, anything really. ]
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cw: EYE STUFF
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cw: more eye stuff
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