Two Birds on a Wire (A Diluc and Kaeya fanfic)

Part 3

The Abyss Mages were easier to find than Diluc thought they'd be. There were about five of them, and they were gathered in a circle in a small clearing amidst the trees. They were far enough from the village that he could fight them without alerting the villagers, but still close enough that it proved hazardous if things went south.

From the looks of it, there was one cryo Abyss Mage, one pyro, one hydro, and two electro. They seemed to be chanting something simultaneously, but it was in an ancient language that Diluc couldn't make out.

He knew this was supposed to be a trap, but it didn't seem like a particularly good one. He'd killed more Abyss Mages than he could count, yet the Abyss Order only sent these five to destroy him? Either the Order made a grave miscalculation, or something was amiss here...

Whatever the case, they needed to be stopped. Trap or no trap, the Diluc had a mission to accomplish. He gripped his claymore tightly and prepared himself to fight. Before he could move in closer though, he heard the sound of a teleporting mage come from behind him. He quickly swirled around and came face to face with one of the electro mages.

"The Darknight Hero," the Abyss Mage cackled. "How kind of you to join us!"

---

Over the past few days, Kaeya heard rumors that the Darknight Hero would be making another appearance soon. At first, he thought the rumors were nothing but the wishes and hopes of those who wanted to see the fabled vigilante for themselves, but he decided to dig deeper into the rumors after a recent encounter he had with a pyro abyss mage.

Two days ago, Kaeya had been patrolling along the path leading to Springvale when he saw the lone mage darting behind a cluster of trees. For someone like him, dealing with a single Abyss Mage wasn't any problem at all, so he quickly defeated it and questioned what it was doing so close to the village.

"I'd never tell our secrets to Favonius scum like you!" the mage screeched, squirming against its bonds. "What I'm here for is my own business."

"Oh really?" Kaeya said, his gaze darkening. In one swift motion, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at his captive. "Are you sure about that? This blade is very sharp, you know."

The pyro mage wailed and shook its head frantically. "Okay, okay, fine! I'll tell you! Just keep that thing away from me."

Kaeya was glad this particular mage happened to be a coward. It usually took a lot more to get information out of one. Or perhaps it had memories of facing the wrong end of a blade before and didn't care to again. Whatever the reason, this was going much easier than he expected.

"So?" The cavalry captain demanded. "Care to explain what brings you here this fine evening? And alone, might I add?"

The mage was silent for a few seconds before hesitantly giving in. "I was...Scouting out the place for...for..."

"For what?" Kaeya was growing a little impatient. Maybe he should have gone harder with his threat to ensure a more thorough interrogation. His grip tightened on his sword.

"A ritual! In two days, a ritual will be held that will get rid of the Darknight Hero once and for all." The mage, though still bound and at the mercy of Kaeya's sword, cackled like it was the one who had the edge. "And once he's taken care of, it's only a matter of time until the city falls to the Abyss Order."

The Darknight Hero, huh? So the rumors were true, he probably heard about the Abyss Mage's plan and was going to try and foil it. But if they wanted to lure them here...The vigilante could very well be led into a trap.

"How many of you will be at the ritual? How exactly are you planning to 'get rid' of the Darknight Hero? And what exact time will it take place?"