Whale and Dragonfly // OC x Childe Genshin Impact fanfiction

Chapter 22: Mysterious Adepti

Charlotte felt stupid for even having hopes that her mora bag wasn't taken. Of course it was gone by now!

Cursing, girl raised her head up, looking at the sky. Sun was slowly setting and now she knew she's about to run out of time. Yet, brunette didn't regret saving the woman and her child from the hilichurls' attack.

She sighed and looked around. Something shiny immediately caught her eye. Not far from the place where she dropped off her bag, laid a single mora coin.

Zanni knelt down, picking up the coin. Looking up again, she saw another a few steps away. When she dropped the bag, it most likely tore a bit and whoever stole it didn't notice. Seems like the thief left a trail of golden coins. Situation wasn't as bad, after all.

Girl started following the coins trail, picking up every shiny gold piece, to make sure she returns the exact amount of mora she needed to collect for her mission. Things got weird that she noticed that the mora trail lead to the hilichurl camp.

What's with her and the hilichurls today?

Sighing, she picked the last coin, walking into the camp. There were many small hilichurls as well as 2 big ones, also known as mitachurls. Both of them had giant axes in their hands. Must hurt a lot getting hit by one of those...

If it wasn't enough that the number of enemies wasn't in her favor, girl couldn't help but notice that black smoke surrounding their bodies, just like the hilichurls trio from previous encounter. It didn't take long to notice what Zanni was looking for – a group of creatures were dancing around the mora bag, as if it was some sort of religious totem.

Sighing, Charlotte walked into the camp, immediately alerting its inhabitants. Apparently, there were way more of them than she first thought – a few seconds later 20 hilichurl fighters, 2 axe mitachurls stood in front of her and pyro and electro hilichurl shooters targeting her from the defense towers.

"Listen. I don't want to fight. Hand over the bag and I will leave you alone." Said Charlotte and immediately got embarrassed of how stupid she was acting.

Hilichurls don't understand human language, do they?

"Uh... Me... Bag..." She pointed at the bag in the side, then at hilichurls. "give... me..." she pointed at her chest again.

It only earned her a growl from the hilichurls. They all started circling her, leaving her no choice but to get her sword out and prepare for a fight.

Before she could even touch one of them, 2 arrows, one infused with pyro, other with electro, flew down from the defense towers, piercing the ground right under Charlotte's feet. It caused an explosion, launching Charlotte in the air, making her lose the grip of her sword.

She recovered from the fall quick enough, but she was now completely surrounded by hilichurls and her sword laid on the ground who knows where. Now she was getting scared for real. She got no way how to defend herself.

One of the hilichurl fighters jumped forward, lifting up his club, ready to strike. Zanni lifted her arm, turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, getting ready to be knocked out.

But the club never reached her.

All of the sudden, a loud noise of something falling down was heard. Charlotte opened her eyes to see what was happening, but the only thing she could make out was scared hilichurls and green particle dashes here and there.

Before she could even realize it, all of the hilichurls were dead, all green particles gone as well. Instead of the churls crowd, in front of her now stood a young man, not too tall, green glowing polearm in his hand as he observed the territory.

"Tch... You humans sure are stupid walking into danger like that..."

He turned around, finally facing the girl on the ground. Charlotte's eyes slightly widened as she was able to see his face now. A handsome one indeed.

Man had medium-length dark green hair with teal undertones that looked black in the darkness of the night. They were swept back and with two longer locks to frame his face. His big golden eyes with cat-slit pupils shone in the darkness, just like his green tattoo on the right arm. He wore white, sleeveless shirt, an interesting-looking necklace hanging on his chest. His pants were baggy and purple, his shoes nearly reaching his knees. On his left arm, he wore a white sleeve with golden and red lining, his both hands covered by turquoise gloves, anemo vision gently glowing on the right one.

"Are you going to sit here all night or stand up?" He made his weapon disappear, crossing his arms on his chest.

"O-Oh..." Charlotte immediately stood up, dusting her clothes. "Thank you for saving me. May... I know your name?" She looked at her savior, curious as he looked like no ordinary human.

"Sigh... Why is it that you humans want to know everything in detail all the time?"

Charlotte couldn't let the "Humans" part slide so easily. Why is he talking as if they both were different race? Is he... not a human? Thinking about it, it would make sense if he wasn't...

"Sorry if I offended you. I only wanted your name so I could thank you properly." Girl sighed, walking away to get her mora bag and patch up the hole in it.

"You are a brave one, showing no respect for the adepti like that."

Zanni froze to place. Adepti...?

She turned around, looking at the man in front of her.

"A-Adepti? I... I'm so sorry... I... Had no idea..."

Green-haired adeptus only tch'ed at her apology.

"Whatever..."

Girl stood up, throwing the mora bag over her shoulder and checking if no more mora is falling out. Reassured, she turned back.

"Thank you for saving me again, the mighty adeptus."

Man was eyeing her with a careful look, his eyes slightly narrowed. Charlotte was starting to get worried whether she has said something offensive again.

"Think of it as my gratitude for saving that woman and kid earlier."

Girl was now caught off guard again.

"H-Huh...?"

Short man in front of her sighed, turning away, examining the dead hilichurls on the ground.

"Did you notice the black smoke on their bodies? It's the demonic effect caused by me. By the karma I have accumulated. There's no need for you to know much about it. These creatures are born from me and I, as a Yaksha, must watch after the people, so creatures like these hilichurls don't attack them... I was busy dealing with other attack and wouldn't have been able to save that woman. So... thanks."

Charlotte was watching the man with wide eyes. Adeptus, even better – Yaksha, himself thanking her? Just like that?

"N-No problem..."

"I must take my leave now. Adeptus Xiao. Call out my name if you're in trouble." Turning his back on her dramatically, he disappeared in the cloud of dark green particles.

Charlotte stared at the spot where he stood for a long time, still wondering if what she just saw was a daydream and her mind playing tricks on her. Then, remembering the mora bag thrown over her shoulder, she turned to the exit of the camp, sprinting back to the Liyue harbour.

It's early evening, but even so, she needed to get back to the Northland Bank as soon as possible.