maid • kaeya

xxxvii

• third person •

His chest heaving, Luca wiped the sweat and blood off his forehead, yet another splatter of blood erupting behind him as he attempted to get into the base again.

At this point his vision was being used automatically. Any time someone would come near, it would just kill them. It was great, but, so, so exhausting.

Luca could feel his mind blanking with every second that passed, his own blood dripping down his face, and his arms. He'd been shot once or twice. His shield wasn't holding up very well.

And every time he tried to heal himself, well, another soldier would appear out of nowhere.

It's okay... After I've killed them all... I can just... kill him...

Just as a gap opened, Luca hurried to get into the base. His stone structure burst through the wooden door as he stood back, before he rushed in.

Immediately, he was ambushed again.

Ugh...

Again, crimson blood, splattering across the room.

I didn't used to get so exhausted like this... I've really weakened these past five years...

Maybe I'm just getting old...

A Fatui soldier grunted as Luca pinned them against the wall, his shield finally refreshing again.

"Where is he," Luca muttered, grasping their throat.

"You won't get paid if you die," Luca stated beneath his breath. "He doesn't care about you, or your family, or anyone you want the money to go to. Spit it out."

Luca's shoulders tensed when a dark chuckle erupted behind him.

Without a second to waste, he stabbed the soldier in his grasp, spinning on his heels.

"Imagine if your dear daughter found out about this... Imagine if she saw you right now... Oh my."

"Ah!"

Luca's eyebrows furrowed when his stone structure was met with a clang.

"Don't like the taste of your own medicine?" Mr Dumont taunted. He was shielded, three times over. Cryo, electro, and then pyro on top.

"I only do this for my daughter," Luca muttered. "For my family. You wouldn't understand that, would you, Uncle?"

Dumont's shoulders shook as he laughed once again.

Luca frowned as he burst into a guffaw, almost manically, his pupils glistening with a dark crimson: a reflection of the blood beneath him.

"Of course I do! I'm doing this all for my dear sister you abandoned. Don't you know how harsh the press is? Everyone thinks that the business going down is because of you, betraying us all. And who does that blame go to after?"

"Mother wouldn't want me dead," Luca stated, his voice trembling almost inaudibly. "Stop making excuses!"

"You're just making everything harder for Lucien." Luca began to approach him. "Have you even tried to help her? No! You're just too concerned about the money going into your pockets!"

Luca could feel his chest heaving. His stone structures were getting weaker; of course he couldn't pierce into those shields. Fucking Fatui. He just needed to find those responsible for shielding him and kill them.

"Your dear Lucien is useless, Luca." Luca's gaze darted around. "We need someone fresh: someone who hasn't had the burden on their shoulders their entire life."