A Star's Fate | aether x reader

Chapter 8-

After arriving at Stormterror's Lair, you were blocked by a translucent magical barrier. Fortunately, Venti knew how to break it, however was interrupted by the ambush of a mob of monsters.

"The stage will need to be cleared before I can begin my performance. Generally speaking, such chores are not the concern of the performer himself." You rolled your eyes at Venti's cheeky remark as you blew away a hillichurl.

"What's going on? There shouldn't be any hillichurl camps near Stormterror's Lair," Jean queried.

You eventually fought them all off. As you regrouped Venti said with a hand on his chin, "Uhh, hillichurls do not usually venture into areas with high elemental concentrations. It puts a heavy burden on their bodies."

"The Abyss Order must be manipulating them from behind the scenes, yet they shouldn't have been able to determine that we'd come," Diluc thought out loud, "They're presumably spreading their forces to halt our plan."

"Without further ado, I suppose I can play faster if my only audience is the wind," Venti strummed a few notes on his lyre and the barrier burst open in a gust of wind.

"Oh it actually opened, you're not entirely useless Tone-Deaf bard," you commented.

"This is it. We are now entering Stormterror's Lair. Watch yourselves, let's move," Jean ordered.

The ruined area was smothered in a wispy blanket of fog, the crumbled halves of old architecture looming into the stormy sky. Apart from the rumbles of thunder, there was an eerie silence that made your spine shiver, yet for some unnamable reason your heart felt burdened. The air was melancholy, and it was as if you could feel the pain and loneliness of the tortured dragon who took shelter here.

"There's the front entrance to Stormterror's Lair. The gate is pretty large compared to us, but how does Dvalin get in with his huge body?" you questioned, looking up at the towering archway.

"He doesn't walk in, he flies in," Venti laughed.

"Right."

You jogged up to the cracked gate, "It's stuck."

"It'S sTuCk," Venti mocked as you narrowed your eyes at him.

You ignored the bard as Aether looked up, "Hey look at that giant hole in the roof."

"Hmm, maybe we could make use of that wind current," Venti pointed next to the structure.

"Let's make a detour then, heading up!" you cheered.

"LeT's MaKe A dEtOuR tHeN, hEaDiNg Up!"

You five then began to make your way inside using the wind currents and you asked, "Do you think there'll be Abyss Mages in the ruins? Well if there is I'm sure Master Diluc can handle i—"

"Do not underestimate them just because I have beaten one before. I'm not boasting, I'm just saying there's more to the Abyss Order than a few mages," Diluc scolded.

"Correct, heheh, that is why I tagged along after all. Well that and also for your safety," Venti sighed, "Ah, why am I so diligent? Too diligent for a poet, in fact."

"You? Diligent?" you blew air out of your nose in amusement.

Eventually, you glided in through the roof and Venti told you a little ancient history on the ruins. Diluc pointed out a device called a 'light actuator' and you discovered a simple puzzle that needed to be solved. After fixing the actuator you all split up to go activate the rest which were scattered in and around the ruins. You met back at the top of the tower.