"Mother of—Amber, help! This director is about to die! I'm never scouting ahead again!"
"Hu Tao, you're the one who led those Ruin Hunters here?! I'll remember this grudge!"
"Hey, hey, Eula, don't put this on me! You're the one who woke them up! They just decided to chase me instead!"
Even as they bickered, Eula and Hu Tao moved in perfect sync. The Melt reaction between their Cryo and Pyro dealt massive damage to the Ruin Hunters. With Amber providing ranged support and Qiqi's healing, Hu Tao's group was clearly better equipped than Lumine's.
The snowy mountain was acting strange today. Paths that were normally safe were suddenly swarming with Ruin Hunters. That alone would have been manageable, but someone had gone and activated the Ruin Guards up on the cliffs above.
Those Ruin Guards, unable to reach their targets, simply rained missiles down on them. The "aerial bombardment zone" Klee had wanted to create had become a reality for Hu Tao's group instead. Watching the swarm of missiles streak across the sky, Hu Tao's face turned pale. Zhongli, how she missed him right now.
Day one of missing Zhongli's shields. Hu Tao made a mental note. But this was no time for that. She wasn't confident she could survive this missile storm unscathed.
"Eula, Amber, take cover! I'll protect Qiqi!"
After spending time together, Hu Tao no longer had any thoughts of burying Qiqi. She had actually grown fond of this cute, dazed little zombie. Unfortunately, Qiqi spent most of her free time staring at a little finch named Six-Six, leaving Hu Tao no chance to get closer. (Qiqi was adorable, but she'd be even more lovable if she didn't show up on 50/50s.)
Now that she finally had a chance to protect Qiqi, Hu Tao was determined to earn some goodwill. At the very least, she wanted Qiqi to stop running away every time she saw her in Liyue Harbor.
"Qiqi can protect herself."
Qiqi drew the Sacrificial Sword Baizhu had given her and dashed behind a rock on her tiny legs. She was so fast Hu Tao couldn't even catch up.
Wait. Was this speed a result of all the times she'd chased Qiqi? Did that count as shooting herself in the foot? Probably not. Hu Tao idly poked at the air to dodge another missile, feeling her little head spin.
"Hu Tao, Qiqi! Quick, there's a cave! Let's hide!"
"Coming, coming!"
Though she wanted to fight the Ruin Guards head-on, Hu Tao knew she couldn't reach the flying Ruin Hunters. Reluctantly, she gave up on the idea.
Inside the cave, Amber finally had a chance to catch her breath. But a chill ran down her spine. What kind of place was this? It was freezing. Looking at the others—Eula and Qiqi aside—why wasn't Hu Tao cold?
"Amber, you must be feeling cold. That means your Pyro energy isn't strong enough yet."
"If you have time, you should focus on improving your control over Pyro."
Hu Tao lightly patted Amber, and she immediately felt warmer. This was the first time she'd learned that Pyro could be used that way. Seeing the admiration in Amber's eyes, Hu Tao felt a swell of pride. All her hard work had paid off. Back when she was learning this technique from Zhongli, she had ruined quite a few outfits.
"Speaking of which, this cave really is colder than usual, isn't it? Look at the ground—I've never seen these blue plants anywhere else."
"They're quite pretty, actually. I'll dig some up and take them back to Wangsheng."
"Based on my judgment, these plants only grow where Cryo energy is abundant. They won't survive if you take them back."
Seeing Hu Tao about to use her Staff of Homa as a shovel, Eula's eye twitched. Though she didn't know the weapon's name, she could sense it was no ordinary tool. Using it as a gardening implement was just too much.
Hu Tao thought it over. Eula did have a point. She hadn't seen these blue plants anywhere else on the mountain. What a shame.
"Have you noticed? There are Ruin Guard fragments everywhere. Looks like a major battle took place here."
Eula picked up some scattered pieces. From her experience dealing with Ruin Guards, she could tell these fragments had been here less than an hour.
Could someone be fighting Ruin Guards inside the cave? And what about the ones outside—had they been activated from here too? These questions were giving Eula a headache. This trip to the snowy mountain had been anything but peaceful. She just wanted to join an event with Amber and earn some Mora. Why was it so difficult?
"So someone actually found their way here. Then serve the Abyss!"
A deep voice echoed from deeper in the cave. Before Hu Tao and the others could process what was happening, a water blade streaked toward the defenseless Amber.
"Amber, watch out!"
Eula had relaxed her guard, thinking the cave was safe. There was no time to push Amber aside. But then, several glowing butterflies rose from Hu Tao's body. In an instant, she had pulled Amber away, appearing by the cave wall.
"Amber, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thanks to Hu Tao."
Eula rushed over to check. Seeing Amber was unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief. But anger was building inside her. Someone had tried to ambush Amber. They clearly didn't know the temper of Eula Lawrence.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Hahahaha! Can you hear it? That's the roar of the Abyss!"
"I don't know how you got here, but this will be your grave."
A Hydro Abyss Herald floated out from the depths of the cave. Dense Hydro energy formed a shield around its body.
"End of the Abyss!"
Realizing it was outnumbered, the Herald didn't waste words. It formed water blades and charged at them. Hu Tao and the others raised their weapons, ready to teach this Herald a lesson.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared behind the Herald. A thick laser beam struck it square in the back.
With a scream, the Hydro Abyss Herald crumbled to ash, disappearing before their eyes. Hu Tao and the others exchanged bewildered glances. What just happened?