#...well tbh he still kinda is | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

goretoberisallyearlong · 1 year

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(Lillian -> what I named Lumine in my playthrough, and what this specific version of the character'll go by. That's not hugely important to the story, but she does get referenced!)

Let's see...hm...as of posting this, I don't think there's anything in particular I need to warn for? Well, aside from 1 certain boy becoming very, very physically cold.

This story's from back when I first started writing Benny in particular, and was definitely a couple of updates ago (before the Sumeru Abyss chapter), so I'm not entirely certain how it aged. Hope y'all enjoy it anyway!

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Commissions never exactly went well for the infamously unlucky Bennett. It was perhaps pure fortune in of itself that people couldn't request that a certain person be disallowed from accepting their requests, they could only specify a single adventurer or team to do them at most. If someone was found guilty of being a...close-minded individual, they'd have their membership stricken. And if a client was being that sort of distasteful, they'd be blacklisted. Thus, Bennett always had something he could do, even as a one-man team, sometimes two-man team. Most people living in Mondstadt had learned to either live with the risk or pick a favorite person to request if they couldn't handle the possibility. It was also lucky that the commissions were assigned generally by Katheryne and the other higher ups, as he wasn't sure he'd be able to make a decision with all that weight on his shoulders...

...well, regardless, today wasn't much different from any other day. Missions in Dragonspine were far from unheard of, though quite a few adventurers would reject them outright. There were usually more hands, so it wasn't like there was any big worry about doing so. It was just that Dragonspine was so...so cold, far below freezing, and so eerie... Plus, the monsters that hung around there -- er, Hilichurls and the like (Lillian had started asking people to stop calling them "monsters", he needed to get into the habit if he wanted one of the few people on his side to stay that way-) -- were a lot stronger than the usual fair in Mondstadt.

Of course, Bennett had a Pyro Vision, and adventuring with Lillian, getting downright spoiled with equipment from her sometimes, had made him quite strong, too! So, he was the perfect man for the job... ...if...it wasn't for that persistent bad luck of his...

This commission was cobbled together from various reports of...something, someone perhaps, that seemed related to Abyss Mages, the Abyss Order in general, seen wandering around the mountain. Normally, this sort of thing would require someone other than Bennett, at least all on his lonesome anyway, but the Knights were busy, and Lillian was all the way in Sumeru, dealing with...some kind of thing related to fungus. He didn't really know. Either way, it'd take a while to contact her, and even longer for her to arrive, most likely... Out of the adventurers they currently had, he was the most qualified, at least on paper. Even if it was scary, even if he could get hurt...they could at least trust that he'd come back in one piece, more or less.

The first obstacle, one not particularly unusual for him, was that, shortly after he left Mondstadt, it started raining. Storming, really. Another adventurer might call it quits for dealing with Dragonspine in particular on a day like that...but Bennett knew, most likely, it'd just happen again. And again, and again, and again, until someone else got the assignment... ...Until then, people would be at risk. He couldn't allow that.

Then, once he actually got into Dragonspine, he was hit with obstacle number two; Albedo. He was supposed to be getting in contact with the boy, not necessarily because he definitely knew something, but moreso out of the hope he did. At the very least, maybe he had some idea of what to do next, what observations to make or cautions to heed- So, of course, when Bennett got t0 his little base in the mountain...no one was there. Just a little note explaining that Lillian had called for him, so he'd be gone for an unknown length of time.

...It truly was just his luck, wasn't it. Of course Albedo would be gone. Of course he would be. ...And Bennett couldn't blame him for it, because he, too, would jump at the chance to be around the traveler, for even just a little while more...

He sighed, sneezing and sniffling a bit a moment later. He'd been walking for hours without break now, and...he was so, so cold... The fact that he had come into this freezing climate already wet hadn't helped matters...

...he hadn't eaten since breakfast either...

"...what time is it...?" He asked himself, lighting the nearby stove and pulling out his pocketwatch; another trinket he had been given as a present. Just having it made him feel stronger...so he made an effort to keep it on his person whenever he went out anywhere. Just in case. "...little past twenty-one hours..." He sighed, tossing some eggs on the stove. For most people, the day would be over. For him, though... ... ...He took a deep breath, and punched his fist into the air, attempting to pump himself back up. "Alright! There's still some hours in the day! ...Maybe I can still make some headway on this commission..." He could at least return to the base once he had wandered around for a bit...Albedo probably wouldn't mind, right...? If he started walking back to the city now...ugh...he wouldn't get any sleep, most likely...and that was on top of having to deem the whole mission a failure...

He hadn't even done anything yet, not really...

Once his eggs were ready, he gulped down them down. He was still...damp, as the cold air was the opposite of helpful with drying him off, but...at least he wasn't as cold as he had been when he first started cooking. A deep breath, a count to ten... ...and he rushed back out. Whatever this thing was that others had seen, it should stick out like a sore thumb, right...? Surely it wouldn't be that difficult to find it in such a desolate, hardly populated place like Dragonspi-

"--wah-!!"

In hindsight, going back out when it was already dark...perhaps wasn't the smartest idea he had come up with. A few steps in the wrong direction, and he found himself tumbling down the nearby ledge, instead of getting back on the path like he had intended.

"owowowow..."

"pffffft, heehee...~ That was quite a fall~!"

And of course, there'd be a Cicin Mage right there to giggle at him. He huffed in return, propping himself up on his sword. He couldn't see her as well as he'd like, despite the fact that she could apparently see him just fine... ...that didn't mean he was just going to turn a blind eye, however. Especially as she could easily attack him when he let his guard down.

"You're...Unlucky Benny, right~? Heeheehee~"

His face grew uncomfortably warm, his icy skin struggling to handle the rush of blood. Even the Fatui knew of him? By that nickname? He supposed she was close enough to Mondstadt to have heard of him, but...gods, why couldn't they recognize him from association with Lillian instead...?

"Wonder why you'd be aaaalll the way out here all by yourself...~ Don't you know it just gets colder at night~?" She grinned, then threw her hand out. A blast of ice came towards him, as did her three Cicins. Backed up against the wall, all he could do was scramble to get his footing and jump out of the way-

Then, another spike of ice erupted from the ground, catching his foot and sending him crashing forwards-

The Cicin Mage twirled away from him, allowing him to go crashing off the little cliff they were standing on as well-

He landed hard, the mage's giggling ringing in his ears. She sounded further away now, and nooot particularly like she was going to pursue him...but all the same, he got right back up. Something audibly popped and crackled inside him, yet his arms seemed to be right where they should be, and he could stand just fine. There were some aches and pains, but it wouldn't slow him down!

...though, now, he wasn't sure how he'd get back to base, per se. He certainly couldn't climb up like this, or at least not while his luck was so intent on making him tumble. And about the Mage...

"Oooh, I wouldn't go that way if I were you~!" "If you come back here, I promise to treat you nice and gentleee~!"

...um...she...probably wouldn't be a factor anymore. At least, not one he presently had to deal with. And, truthfully, he wasn't really supposed to be picking fights with the Fatui unless it was demonstrably self-defense... Doubling back to fight when she wasn't pursuing him probably didn't count.

A nearby torch, which he had to set alight, provided some much needed warmth as he got his bearings. Now that he could see properly, he was...dangerously close to someone's settlement -- he had to assume it belonged to other Fatui members, all things considered, but...then, where were they? At this time of night, they should probably be huddled around the flame, or otherwise snuggled up in the tent to sleep off the night...right? ...Come to think of it, even if she could see, why was that Cicin Mage still awake as well? Not that a Cryo-user like her seemed to mind the cold in any way...

He glanced back towards her, startling slightly as he realized she was watching him. When their gazes (presumably) met, she grinned and waved. Then, she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"You've still got time, big boy~! We can help keep each other warm~!"

...He decided to shout back the same way. "No thank you! I'm on official adventurer business!"

A pause. "...What kinda business? Whatcha need when it's this late?"

...Why the sudden change in tone? He rubbed his upper arms, not feeing the greatest about all of this... ...Maybe she's seen something? Maybe that's why she doesn't want me to go this way. Just my luck... Surely, though, she was just warning him away from her teammates...right...? "I'm looking for something that's related to Abyss Mages! ...Have you seen anything?"

The Mage stopped her girlish, playful movements entirely. Even the fidgeting with her Catalyst stopped. Then, she called back, "Kid! You really should turn ba-" She went silent, staring.

Bennett...felt something breathing against his back. Something that seemed to be much taller than him. The flame, which had been burning so brightly, went out in an instant. He felt...so...so cold... A chill that dug almost desperately into his bones, as if to warm itself with his insides...

"𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓵𝓵 𝓭𝓸." A hand was placed on his arm. The frigid limb numbed over the pain he felt, while the voice he heard numbed his fear. Why...be afraid? Who was this? Surely they...didn't mean him any harm, right...? "𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓭… 𝓨𝓮𝓽, 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓻."

"𝓒 𝓸 𝓶 𝓮 𝔀 𝓲 𝓽 𝓱 𝓶 𝓮 ."

Bennett dimly looked up at the Cicin Mage, unmoving from her position. Then, he turned on his heels, letting the large man(?) lead him away...at least, up until his feet left the ground entirely. He could watch the frost form on his legs, and feet... The iciness from the other's touch on his rear and his back, chilling him to his core... Did he...truly need to be colder than this...? Surely, he'd die, right? ...No, certainly...this person knew what they were doing. He had nothing to fear.

All he had to do was... ...was.......

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"Ah, fffffff-mmmhhh...Someone's gonna hafta tell the Adventurer people about this...crap, they're going to blame me for it, aren't they... "...I mean, I guess it's kinda sorta my fault...just...a bit... "...fffuck...maybe he'll come back, and I won't need to...? "...of course it had to be him of all people..."

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Bennett opened his eyes. Though he was facing the sky at first, needing to force himself up off the ground, it was more than overcast. Winds whipped against him, a blizzard raging at near full force. He couldn't see his own hand in front of his face...

Was it...still nighttime? Had he slept? Everything hurt...

His body barely responded to him, his movements were slow and sluggish... He tried to get a spark going but, despite still feeling his Vision's presence, its pulsating marking his own heartbeat, he couldn't summon even a hallucination of heat... He had never trembled this bad in his life. His teeth were clacking together... Someone had taken his shirt. Only his shirt, for what little mercy that was.

Just barely cutting through the fog of snow was a red glow, an attractive, intoxicating pulse, not unlike his Vision… Not knowing what else to do, or where else to go, he forced his legs to carry him over to it...and, much to his surprise, right out of the blizzard. He had found a little cave, one he hadn't been wholly aware of… He certainly had heard something about a small, "creepy" cave on Dragonspine before, but...was this it...? Was it really?

The sound of a heartbeat filled his ears. Warmth gently returned to his body, making it easier for him to move deeper into the cave… ...straight to the thing he had spotted. It looked like an odd orb, strung up close to the cave wall...yet, this is where the beats were coming from… Was this...a heart itself...? He supposed that would – should, perhaps – be…rather… …

...Did...it matter...? He was so exhausted… How long had he been awake...? The fried eggs from before had hardly been a meal as it was, and now it felt like he hadn't eaten for hours since then… Everything from the last…while…was an absolute blur. He could hardly recall why he had left home this morning… Right now, that seemed like such a foolish decision… …though, was anyone waiting for him at home…? Pains, a desperate need, in his chest, telling him to return, to tell "someone"...made it feel distinctly so, yet… What was their name…? Their…names…? Their faces… What was his purpose here…? Why…was he out in the dangerous, horrific cold…when he could have been in this place…? Nice and safe, and…

He let himself flop down right in front of the heart, curling into it slightly. The warmth from it was...comforting. Like his bed at home… The rhythm in his ears synced up with the one in his chest, calming him… Maybe, before, he would have thought better of laying on the ground this way, yet…ah, who cared anyway…it was comfortable enough. Soft, and safe… This all did nothing for his hunger, but he felt like...he could rest here...for a while…he wouldn’t have to worry about such things, at least…not until he had slept some more…

He...could try to remember why he had come all the way out here to begin with...later… Once he...woke back up… … ……….