Wherever The Wind Blows - Aether x Venti

Chapter 3: Stormterror

Aether POV:

"A Wind Glider?" I said while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Outriders use them to ride the wind, but the citizens of Mondstadt love using them too." Amber smiled. "I brought you up here so that you could use it right away. The wind is the heart and soul of Mondstadt, so naturally I want you to experience what Mondstadt's spirit feels like."

"So how do I use this thing?" I asked.

Amber chuckled.

"It's easy to use, but you still have to pay attention to my instructions."

I climbed up on the railing and looked out over the edge. The ground was pretty far away and if I did something really wrong- no, I didn't even want to think about it. I shifted my attention from the ground to Amber's instructions.

"Alright, I want you to take a step out in the air when I count to three. While you're in the air, unfold the glider and glide your way down to the ground. 1, 2, 3!"

I took a step out in the air and unfolded the glider. For a moment, I was certain that I was going to fall. Then out of nowhere, my glider caught the wind and slowed my fall. Amber was waiting for me when I landed safely.

"Good job! You handled it really well, Aether." Amber clapped her hands. "Now, let's go up again. This time, I want you to glide down to the fountain we saw earlier. Let's turn it into a race! I'll run and you glide."

As I got up on the stone railing again, Amber counted down. On three, I threw myself into the air. Once again, the glider caught the wind and slowed my fall. I leaned forward and glided in the direction I was leaning. As I landed on the grass across the street, I took off running, this was a race after all. I jumped over the railing and glided down to the fountain where Amber already was waiting for me.

"Jeez, you really are a slow one, aren't you?" Amber teased.

"Shut up, Amber, no one could catch up to you." I smiled. "It was really fun though."

Amber grinned.

"Glad you like it."

"Whew! Paimon is glad that you aren't hurt, but that looked dangerous! Are you sure this is safe, Amber?" Paimon said and turned to Amber who nodded.

"As long as you use it correctly, it'll be okay."

Paimon's eyes widened.

"Okay?! Paimon's not risking Paimon's traveling companion's health to glide through the air!"

I laughed.

"I'll be fine, Paimon. I'm tougher than I look. Thanks for your concern though."

Paimon made a little "Hmph!" sound as the wind started picking up. Amber noticed it too and seemed confused.

"Why did the wind start blowing so suddenly?" I asked Amber.

"I don't know. Storms usually don't just come out of the blue."

"If you're nearly blown away again, Paimon, you may hold onto my braid." I joked and turned to the floating mascot beside me.

"Hey! That was one time!" Paimon looked annoyed.

The sky started to become dark when thick clouds blocked the sun. The wind blew even harder now and Paimon was actually having difficulties staying in the same place. I offered a hand to her and she gladly grabbed it. Amber was still looking at the clouds. Around us, people went indoors. Many shops closed in order to not lose any goods in the storm. Then, a distant roar could be heard shortly followed by the dragon itself. Stormterror flew in over Mondstadt and made a couple of loops over the city. Showoff. The next time Stormterror flew in over the city, it smashed a building's roof with its claws. I stood there and watched as even the knights took cover. Stormterror stopped and roared against the sky over the surface of Cider Lake. Tornados roamed the streets as the few people who happened to be outside and the knights ran for cover. Me and Amber got a little too close to one of the tornados and I could feel the strong wind trying to drag me into it. We tried to run from it, but then suddenly I was picked up by the wind and tumbled around in the air before I was thrown up into the sky. My glider unfolded and held me stable above the clouds. I heard Stormterror's wings behind me and turned around just in time to see the dragon flying towards me and knocking me out of the air. I managed to unfold the glider once again and stabilize myself. How am I floating this high with just a wind glider? A mysterious voice answered my silent question.