"if The Trailblazer Can't Bite Anymore, Then What's The Point Of Sneaking Aboard Her Ship?"

"if the trailblazer can't bite anymore, then what's the point of sneaking aboard her ship?"

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an edit I just made because if I want a visual made, I'm gonna make it myself.

@narvvhal: Hmm, I would. But the old man has me working on some project that I know nothing about

"don't you ever take breaks? i figure after the recent events in fontaine, and your arrest making headlines, you'd want to. you know." kami gestures vaguely. "lay low?"

for a SPLIT second, kami wilts. he can clearly see the moment cyno's consciousness retreats, and hermanubis takes complete control over the body. that split second is all kami really has to reflect on how his words might come across, because hermanubis is now launching toward him with every intention of destroying him.

this ISN'T the scenario kami had envisioned. he hadn't actually meant to upset cyno to this degree, to the point where kami's witnessing an all out possession take place. (where's an exorcist when you need one?) he had hoped for more conversation and understanding, but evidentally, hermanubis and his stupid lust for judgement is going to dictate the terms now.

alright.

kami shoots straight up into the air, HOPEFULLY just out of reach. he's not dumb enough to think that he can't be reached by the current puppeteer. while kami hasn't actually seen cyno's skills in action before, he isn't the general mahamatra for no reason. the man has to be scarily good on the field and in battle. right now? kaminari is TERRIFIED. he's not breathing anymore, no longer wheezing out a painful breath. but he's not trembling anymore either, now focused on tapping into his anemo.

the call of the untapped electro within is also calling to him, practically begging for kami to tap into it once more. it'd be so tempting, so POWERFUL, and he'd easily render cyno unconscious with it. even as irritating as the general is, kami is not about to resort to old tricks to win an unwinnable fight.

"cyno, wake up," kami snaps, throwing a single attack out in his direction. "you're not this stupid, snap out of it!" it's probably no use ― there is no cyno currently, and this spirit is actually going to hurt kami if this keeps up for long. talking isn't going to work, only action will.

readying another attack, kami flies closer, hovering just above hermanubis now. he's building up wind speeds around him, before kicking downward, sending a very strong, almost solid gust of wind straight for hermanubis. kami knows he's strong, he knows what he's ALMOST capable of (even if he's still learning about what he can actually do with anemo), and he knows he can still take hermanubis in a fight.

he just doesn't actually want to, for fear of hurting the host in turn. cyno really doesn't deserve any of this. he didn't deserve kami and nahida withholding the truth from him, and he certainly doesn't deserve hermanubis taking over his mind and body.

already, kami is readying another attack: his favorite method of weapon, a swirling, almost black hole-like vortext in his hand. he's not remaining in place though, kami is flying backwards, launching himself toward one of the bookshelves in hopes that hermanubis won't actually damage them. who is he kidding? a vengeful spirit, hellbent on ripping him apart?

the house of daena will be a complete and total loss.

Was this the actual truth? Did he hear that right? Kaminari's words were reaching his ears, and yet Cyno felt he could not hear them directly. There was something in between, a vibration that drilled straight through his skull, and each message came as an echo, overlapping to other things... voices? Or thoughts?

The corruption of the Akademiya, the Fatui, the many ordeals he'd been through and nearly lost all he had for...

For him? Kaminari?

A God... Created by an Archon, and by an Archon resurrected. Protected, even, through secrecy and lies.

"... You shall not tamper with life and death." He heard himself say, without even thinking those words specifically. Or maybe he had... or maybe the spirit of the priest had.

A construct made whole to live amongst humans.

"You shall not interfere with human evolution."

A being built to be God.

"You shall not divulge secrets..."

But why? Why would Nahida betray him so? Was this the reason behind the closeness with which she kept the Wanderer by her side? The way she'd told him nothing? Casting judgment of her own and giving sentence, without him at her side?

What does it mean to be a General Mahamatra, if the God he swore to serve works directly against the Law he was given to enforce?

Feeling his soul sinking into the darkest pit of despair, Cyno no longer heard; no longer spoke. For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more than to run away... from himself, and who he was.

And in that small step back he took in his heart, the crack in his headdress grew wider, spreading like a spider web, cutting through one of the glowing eyes of the jackal... and it was like a beast had just broken free of its leash.

With its claws extended, the Pactsworn Pathclearer was fully unleashed, and charged straight at Kaminari. Swinging, punching, chasing him with no regards for their surroundings or witnesses.

Seeking only to destroy and purge the abomination that stood before him.

chongyun frowns at the laughter as he bends down to refill his waterskin. while he knows he SHOULDN'T take offense to it, as it's likely not personal, chongyun is doing exactly that: taking cyno's laughter as mockery. at least, until cyno explains himself. it's still not any better than the initial assumption. it's still enough for chongyun's slight good mood to fade.

"i'm not so sure what's funny about walking into traps." chongyun scowls at cyno, impatiently dragging his claymore across the ground. it's just a small quip that's muttered under his breath, a bit of snark he wants to get out of his system. chongyun wants to move, to get going. even though the pair will be walking further into the heat, deeper into the rainforest and finally, to the desert, chongyun doesn't like standing still for long. he wants to get to his destination, because at least the old temples in the desert will be inside for the most part. inside equals cooler.

"i don't have any better directions for you; i gave you all the information i have at my disposal." he wouldn't have minding spending a few days digging around sand until he found the one place he needed to be, but it'd be faster with cyno's help. chongyun just isn't entirely sure what more cyno wants to hear from him. it's the word 'vague', that has chongyun a little defensive. while chongyun trusts that cyno knows all of sumeru backwards and forwards, and can offer advice and help, chongyun doesn't trust him. chongyun also isn't stupid and naive to the point he believes cyno is offering his help out of the kindness of his heart ― there is mutual dislike here.

cyno seems like the type of person to operate entirely on facts and logic, while chongyun operates on faith and spirituality. the two personalities could be complementary in normal circumstances. but in this case, chongyun can't help but feel like cyno keeps trying to interrogate him for some information that is going above his head. something he maybe missed earlier in the conversation. or maybe chongyun is still too out of it to get a proper judgement of cyno's character. his words of waiting for a storm to pass sound a little more ominous than they should, but chongyun's pushing it out of his mind for now. he's tired of talking for the moment.

"and...save the jokes for now. i'd rather get a head start on this trip." he can appreciate the joke thrown his way. chongyun even smiles briefly. when they rest later, chongyun will CONSIDER letting cyno be as funny as he wants, as long as chongyun hasn't fallen sick first.

with a hand gripping his vision to keep cool, he starts walking now, not waiting for cyno. though chongyun suspects that the general won't be too far behind him, either. if anything, cyno will rush to stay ahead of chongyun in order to be a proper guide.

@oficeandwind

[Just because you're used to walking into traps, doesn't make the fact that you keep on doing it any less stupid. Normal people learn from their mistakes... Or I sure wish they did, anyway.]

Tighnari's words rang in his ears as though the Watcher was right next to him to speak them. At that, Cyno couldn't help but erupt into a chuckle that he cut short before the bowing Liyuan.

"... Sorry. I promise I wasn't laughing at you." He said with a wave of his hand. "What you said earlier made me think of something funny someone told me before."

He did not elaborate on the matter further, not wanting to risk offense. Instead he returned the gesture and moved on, taking a few steps away from the creek to give the other room to refill his waterskin before they took their leave. His arms crossed over his chest.

"Though I'm afraid your directions are still pretty vague. What ruins get half-buried in the Great Red Sand change with each blow of the wind. It is very possible we might have to wait for a storm to pass before we find any... and maybe even spend some days digging our way in. The spirits of the desert aren't known for their... ghost-pitality."