[Location: Entrance to Old Mondstadt (Stormterror's Lair)]
[Time: 08:15 AM]
The wind here wasn't just moving air; it was a physical barrier, a wall of rejected atmosphere that screamed keep out.
We stood at the edge of the canyon. The ruins of Decarabian's ancient capital loomed in the distance, a dark tower piercing the swirling gray clouds.
"The barrier is thicker than I anticipated," Jean shouted over the gale, shielding her eyes. "Even with Venti's help, navigating this will be difficult."
Venti strummed his lyre, but the notes were snatched away by the wind. "Dvalin has channeled the ley lines of the old city. He's essentially rebuilt the God of Storms' fortress."
Diluc frowned, adjusting his gloves. "So we need to disable the Light Actuators in the three corners of the ruins to lower the wind wall. Standard siege tactics."
"Boring," I rumbled.
I stepped forward. The wind whipped against my metallic scales, making a sound like hail hitting a tin roof.
"Raiden?" Paimon squeaked, holding onto Aether's scarf for dear life. "What are you doing? You'll get blown away! You're heavy, but not that heavy!"
"Great Sage," I thought. "Analyze the composition of the barrier."
[Great Sage]
A feral grin spread across my muzzle. To a normal person, this was a wall. To me? It was a buffet.
"I'm not going to solve puzzles," I told them, my telepathic voice cutting through the noise. "I'm going to eat lunch."
I walked up to the invisible wall of wind. It pushed back, trying to fling me off the cliff. I dug my claws deep into the stone, sparking against the rock.
[Unique Skill: Predator] – [Activate].
[Sub-Skill: Gluttony Mode].
I opened my jaws. A vortex of dark purple energy formed in my throat, spinning in the opposite direction of the wind barrier.
SHWOOOOM.
The sound changed. The high-pitched whistling of the wind dropped to a deep, agonizing groan. The barrier didn't break—it bent. It was being sucked into my mouth like spaghetti.
"He's... he's eating the storm," Diluc muttered, his stoic expression cracking for the first time.
"Unbelievable," Jean whispered.
The taste was sharp and minty, like chewing on ice-cold lightning. It filled my stomach, expanding my mana reserves rapidly.
[System Alert]
Skill Acquired: [Air Step] (Ability to create solid platforms of compressed air).>
"BURP."
A shockwave released from my mouth, blasting a hole straight through the wind wall. The path was clear.
"After you," I said, wiping my mouth with a claw.
[Location: Inner Ring – The Ruin Guard Patrol]
We moved deeper into the ruins. The architecture here was brutalist and jagged, a stark contrast to the freedom of modern Mondstadt.
And it was crawling with machines.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Three Ruin Guards (Mr. Cyclops) turned their rotating torsos toward us. Their singular eyes glowed ominously.
"Missiles!" Aether warned.
The backs of the machines opened. Dozens of glowing orange rockets launched into the air, spiraling toward us.
Jean stepped forward, raising her sword. "Dandelion Breeze!"
She created a field of wind to deflect some, but there were too many.
"Leave the big toys to me."
I didn't dodge. I charged.
Using my new [Air Step], I kicked off the empty air, propelling myself upward like a missile. I intercepted the volley of rockets with my body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions blossomed across my scales. Smoke obscured me.
"Raiden!" Paimon screamed.
Out of the smoke, a blue blur shot downward. I landed on the shoulders of the center Ruin Guard. The machine buckled under the weight.
[Steel Strength] + [Dragon's Haki].
I clamped my jaws onto the Ruin Guard's "head" (the eye). Metal screeched as I crushed the core. The machine powered down instantly, turning into a heap of scrap.
The other two Ruin Guards swung their massive arms.
"Dawn!" Diluc's voice rang out. A phoenix of fire swept past me, knocking the second guard back and melting its armor.
Aether was on the third, weaving between its legs and slashing at the weak points on its back.
I hopped off the destroyed machine. The second one, half-melted by Diluc, was stumbling.
"You look crunchy."
I lunged, biting the Chaos Core right out of its chest.
CRUNCH.
[System Alert]
[Great Sage] requests permission to analyze internal blueprints for [Motorcycle Eradicator] construction.>
"Permission granted. Save the scrap metal in the Stomach."
Within thirty seconds, the ambush was cleared. I stood atop a pile of smoking machinery, chewing on a robotic arm.
"Efficient," Diluc noted, sheathing his claymore. "Brutal, but efficient."
"We're close," Venti said, pointing upward. The central tower rose vertically, surrounded by a spiraling wind current. "Dvalin is at the top."
[Location: The Tower Spire]
We used the wind currents (and my convenient Air Steps) to scale the tower. The air grew heavy with corruption. The sky turned a sickly purple.
At the summit, a massive platform awaited. And there he was.
Dvalin lay curled in the center, groaning in pain. The purple blood clots on his back were pulsing like tumors.
"He's suffering..." Jean said softly.
Dvalin's eye snapped open. It was fully red now. No recognition. Only madness.
"INTRUDERS!"
He took flight, his roar shaking the very foundations of the tower. The platform we stood on began to crack.
"This is it!" Venti shouted, his braids glowing. "We must break the clots on his back to purify the poison! Aether, take the skies! Raiden... can you keep him grounded?"
I looked at the dragon—he was five, maybe ten times my size. He was a true Dragon of the East. I was just a Lesser Dragon, a mutant lizard.
But I had something he didn't.
I had Determination. And a very versatile Skill set.
"I'll do better than that," I snarled, my muscles bunching up. "I'm going to wrestle him."
"Hey! Overgrown Lizard!" I roared, projecting the thought with maximum hostility. "Your mother was a gecko and your father smelled of elderberries!"
Dvalin paused, confused by the insult, then shrieked in rage. He dove straight for me.
"Great Sage! Activate Thought Acceleration! Maximize Battle Mode!"
[Great Sage]
I bared my teeth. It was time for a Kaiju battle.