บท 108: Alice's Commission
"My knight!" Arriving at Mondstadt's plaza, Fischl greeted Allen excitedly "Let's travel together again to uncover the mysteries of this blurred world!"
"Good morning, Allen" Oz greeted.
"Good morning, my princess" Allen greeted "You too, Oz."
The three went over the Adventure Guild while talking about everyday life. A month had passed since Fischl became an adventure and as Allen foresaw, Fischl had shown great talent as an adventure, reaching rank 10 in a few days and even acquiring personal commission requesting her explicit help, mostly with work of exploration and information, the guild already planning to make her an official investigator.
Over these days, the tales of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung had become quite well-known over adventures. She would have a lot of people trying to recruit her in their group if it wasn't for her form to act that kept most people away.
However, Allen was clearly one of the few exceptions, being one of the few that tried to understand her view and dreams and who followed her along, doing missions together from time to time.
"Good morning, Allen, Fischl." Katheryne saluted.
"What would be today's fate?" Fischl asked Katheryne.
"Today, we have a special commission for Allen"
"For me?" It was strange for a commission going especially for him unless it was a continuation of a previous one and he didn't remember any these days.
"Yes. The client is lady Alice" Katheryne informed "She has left some words to you. "Hello Allen, do you remember that time? That thing that you owe me? Today's your lucky day to pay! I'll be waiting outside the city, there's no way to get lost!""
"It seems that she is in a hurry, would you accept the commission, Allen?" Katheryne asked.
"I don't have much of an option" Allen sighed before turning to Fischl "I apologize my princess, but our destiny it seemed to be interrupted by a malicious witch. But do not worry, I will take care of here quickly to return another moon at your side."
"Hm!" Fischl nodded "I wish you luck in your voyage."
Allen quickly left the city and as Alice had told there was no way to get lost. Just passing the bridge a big machine stood in the middle of the path. It had a semi-round form and resembled the face of some animal painted all red, making it seem like some toy for children. Next to it, Alice was waiting for him.
"Yo! Allen!" Alice beemed "Glad that you came."
"You kind of forced me, Alice" Allen turned over the machine "What's that?"
"This is a Dodofortress, a teleport. It will bring us to our destination. Once there, I'll tell you your mission." Alice explained "It will be easier to explain once you see it yourself. However" Alice turned her head over the sky "I didn't think that you will bring company."
Allen turned to where Alice was looking, seeing Oz flying over them. Seeing itself discovered, Oz landed in front of them and with a flash, Fischl appeared in its position.
"I summon thee!" Fischl commanded and Oz again appeared next to her "Thou seeker of darkness, how were thou able to see through our true identity."
"And this little cutie who should it be?" Alice smiled tilting her head, her eyes piercing over Fischl.
'She is most likely dissecting Fischl with her All-seeing eyes' Allen sighed 'It's not like I can stop her'
"Why did you follow me, my princess?" Allen asked.
"As the Prinzessin, I need to take care of my retainers. I will not let you face the shadows of the unknown alone."
"She was worried about you" Oz translated gaining a glare from Fischl.
"This is a commission directly for me. I do not think that Alice would want anyone else."
"Why not?" Alice interrupted with a smile "The more the merrier. And she seems a funny company."
"Great!" Fischl jumped happily before returning to her royalty tone "Of course, there are no borders capable to stop this Prinzessin."
"Let's enter!" Alice offered.
"Haha, behold, the doorway cloven by Thundering Retribution... by such means as I once descended into this realm to bring retribution do I now venture into the next. Oz! Lead the way!"
"As you wish, Mein Fräulein" Oz entered the Dodofortress, completely disappearing.
Fischl blocked her right eye with her hand "Oz has reached the other side. Do not worry by darkness as you have me to guide you through them" Fischl took Allen's hand pushing him inside, both of them teleporting away.
"A destiny thread around both of you..." Alice said once she was alone with a serious tone "Will it be their bodies or their souls? Fufu" Alice laughed "How interesting!" She jumped inside the fortress, disappearing within it.
...
Allen was only able to see pure darkness until he was finally swallowed by light, finding himself over a beach.
"Ag!" Just as he was about to move, Fischl appeared over him, slamming him to the ground.
"S-sorry! Are you okay?" Fischl said with full worry, helping Allen stand up. "What is this place?" Fischl asked shocked about their vision.
They were on a little island inside a camp decorated similarly to the Dodofortress, with a beach of pearly sand and clean water all seemed quite the idyllic paramo, however, what extended away from the island was nothing like that.
A dark and foul fume contaminated all around, swallowing what seemed to be further islands and tainting the ocean with it.
"I don't know but stay near me" Allen tensed up, putting his hand over his sword, preparing to fight.
"Welcome to the Golden Apple Archipelago!" Alice appeared behind them.
'Golden Apple Archipelago. That's the place from the summer event of the 1.6 version.' Allen realized 'However, it shouldn't be like this as it was used as a summer vacation.'
"What's this place?" Allen asked as he felt that strange feeling inside him. He knew what was that contamination, 'Abyss'.
"Over 2.000 years ago, Barbatos used his divine power to push the snow and ice away and with it cleaning Mondstadt of them and the contamination from it, destroying mountains in the process and terraforming all Mondstadt." Alice explained "This archipelago is the result of it, these islands are the rocks pushed away by Barbatos, the contaminated Pilos Peak."
"That god was truly irresponsible never thinking about the consequences" Alice reprimanded Barbatos "It wasn't very important, but after the Cataclysm it had gotten quite worst. If left alone, the corruption will extend and even reach Mondstadt." Alice explained "That's why I am cleaning it now."
"If that's the case, why are we here? What could we possibly help with?" Allen looked over Fischl 'I can resist well enough the Abyss but who knows how Fischl could be affected.'
"This is not the true Abyss, Allen" Alice tried to calm down "These are simply traces from it. I could clean them alone, but that would take quite a few years that's why I need your help."
"So what this Prinzessin shall do? Waste away the place, drown the island. While all of them are more than capable actions, I must warn you of my mortal limit, to not destroy my confines breaking this weak world."
"It's simple, you only need to let yourself be swallowed by the Abyss element" Alice explained "This one will react with your bodies and souls and transform, creating a long-lost scenario, a past memory, for you both to complete. You can take it as your ancestors' legacy, this Abyss energy keeping inside it."
"If you solve it, the Abyss energy would be cleaned. The most important and influential the scenario, the more difficult will be but more Abyss would be cleaned."
"Are you saying that we will enter some kind of memories of our ancestors?" Allen asked confused.
"Exactly" Alice nodded "In them, you will randomly become part of it and you need to bring the memory to its end."
"It's could be dangerous?" Allen asked warily.
"No" Alice answered "I'll be observing both of you with my eyes, if something were to happen I can force you out of it, but that won't clean anything so try to avoid my help. You only have one opportunity, one scenario for everyone so it will be a pity to fail at it."
"A world opens in front of us!" Fischl declared stepping over a prepared boat "Let's ride the infinite, my knight!"
"Good luck, I'll be looking after you" Alice said goodbye while keeping on her island.
"Let's learn more about your body and soul, Allen" Alice turned to look over the black smoke that before her gaze took the form of a similar elf like her but with brunette hair and heterochromatic eyes, one blue and the other golden "I couldn't solve mine, but let's hope they can solve theirs or I'll need to stay here over 3 years cleaning it."
...
As they crossed over the black smoke, a strange sensation filled their bodies as the world around them started twisting until it completely changed.
Allen found himself in a completely different place, in a big square, with few pedestrians walking over, with no trace of Fischl or the boat or the ocean anywhere.
"Where I am?" Allen started analyzing it attentively. First of all, his sword had disappeared and with it, his clothes now changed into a white shirt and green pants with a green coat. With the change he discovered that his Vision had disappeared, but...
'Luckily, I still have my Delusion. I could become Columbina when I want' Allen could feel it. Apart, he found inside his robes a notebook and a lyre 'Now to look at my surroundings.'
Over the plaza, a large city extended and on top of it a tall tower in the middle of it and the strangest of all, instead of the sky, a column formed by a strong gale surrounded the city into a cupula, caging the city within.
"Please, sir. Could you tell me what's is this city's name?" Allen asked one of the few people.
The man looked at him a little strangely as if he was mad, but nevertheless answered "Mondstadt. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, I'm not feeling too well today" Allen laughed it off before asking again "And what's the name of this city's god?"
"Of course, it will be the God of Storms, Decarabian"
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