With and Without You (AetherxAyaka)

Chapter 21: The Perpetual Machine

Aether glanced at Ayaka briefly looking for her consideration. Once she nodded her head in agreement they both pushed through the giant opening continuing further.

The air felt cold and dense, with every breath they both could feel the intense humidity.

The muddy floor didn't help either. Their feet sank into it, slowly like quick sand, if they stood still for too long. Debris laid at every where. Some stones and bricks laid singularly, broken and full on top of the mud. Others lied down in disorganized piles of rubble, some being intact while other bricks were reduced to dust and grounded particles.

As they ventured some of these bricks desperately clung to each other and to the walls, sagging and leaning over, threatening to fall. These parts of the walls twisted and occluded movment within the seamlessly endless passage.

Roots and plants filled in places where the bricks weren't and even a tree had laid fallen down into the passage at one point. It seemed impossible for entire length of a tree to grow underground in a place like this, but it was far from the most mythical thing either Aether or Ayaka had seen.

Cling!

Aether accidentaly kicked an unseen  metal object during his walking. It was sent hurling into the darkness, but didn't go unnoticed.

Ayaka's attention was brought to the direction of the sound as Aether had eyed where the object flew. He knew not exactly where it was on the ground ahead of him, but he could approximate where.

After a some steps he stopped and held is torch far out infront of him. A glint appeared in the mud just before some overhanging rubble.

Aether kneeled down and prodded at the object before fully pulling it out of the mud.

"What's that Aether?" Ayaka asked now focusing on what he had been drawn to."

"Well this explains everything!" He said.

"Care to elaborate?"

He stood up and held the metal object towards her.

"This is a Fatui recruit insignia, the very same type of insignia that they use today."

"I still don't get out that solved everything Aether..."

"Remember Fatui men we confronted just outside of Araumi?"

Ayaka nodded her head and spoke

"Mh-hmm they said something about keeping other people away from Araumi. Like they had some evil plan."

Aether stuck out his hand and acted as if he was displaying the area in front of them.

"This, this right here is a part of their plan. Why they are here in Araumi." 

"That's a bad thing though, isn't it?"

"Most certainly it is, but it at the very least explains my suspicions. The vine was soaking wet, the floor is covered in a thick layer of mud, the air is very humid, and the walls are seriously eroded... this area at some point was flooded. It had to be, I mean there's still puddles on the ground here and there!"

It clicked in Ayaka's head just then what he was implying.

"Soooo, you think the Fatui did this? They drained the water and searched these ruins... what do they hope to obtain? I doubt anyone had ever seen this much of the ruins in centuries... there's no possible way of knowing what was down here..." she said in slight disbelief.

She didn't doubt this was the work of the Fatui, she doubted why the would do this. Upfront it seemed like a lot of work for absolutely nothing.

"That's just sort of how they operate; but if I had to guess, the Fatui are very well informed. They have access to all kinds of informative sources that we don't have... and if these ruins are like anything like those in Monstadt or Liyue I bet their after some sort of weapon."