Chapter Text
The ruin guards had been strangely active in Mondstadt, so much so that the knights found themselves closing the gates, setting a curfew and not allowing anyone without a vision or fighting skills out, in order to protect the people. Diluc, of course knew what the reason for their activity was, being the equally strange reacurance and sightings of the Fatui in the area. It seemed as though the band of hypocrites and murders had activated every single ruin guard in all of Mondstadt. The Guild had sent out commissions to the higher leveled adventurers to take care of them, but they seemed endless and more dangerous than ever. One of the four winds, Dvalin, could be seen flying around blasting and battling these machines once in a while, and the traveler seemed to always be out, trying to find some end to them. The city soon became used to the never ending thunder of explosions from outside their walls, and the countless people and adventures that would come back battered and bruised, bleeding from their encounters with them. Some even reported seeing the Dark Knight Hero taking down a Guard time to time.
It was about a month into this onslaught that Diluc decided he had finally had a enough, he knew the Fatui were gathering more and more in Dragon Spine- no doubt they found icey mountain more homey to them. They were the cause of the restless killing machines, and one way or another, he would figure out how to account for the inefficiency of those knights.
He had only heard in rumors that there were harbingers on that base, not just one, but four. He figured they had come to lead a strike against Mondstadt and bring them to their knees and force them back to a time where Mondstadt had no choice but to lean on the Fatui for help.
He was determined to never let that time come to pass again.
Not if he had a say in it.
And if he could take out even one of the Harbingers, he could cripple the organization in a way no one had done before.
That night, as he prepared to go out and scout (he told himself he would only take a look and see what he would get himself into...nothing more nothing less) The booming thunder of the ruin guards surrounded him and it was raining of course, it always seemed to do that lately. He groaned as he thought about the cold rain and the freezing atmosphere of the mountain he would have to go through. Kaeya would never let him hear the end of it if he happened to get sick just because of his nightly outing that he already didn’t approve of.
He had to scold himself as he jumped from a particularly loud boom that sounded more of thunder than a ruin guard or the dragon, but that couldn’t be too far fetched. He shook his head and himself as he slung his coat on and put up his hood, getting a different pair of gloves and boots on when he heard a sudden knock on the door and raised a brow.
If the knights had limited traveling and wouldn’t let anyone out, then who could that possibly at this ungodly hour?.. he thought for a moment as he slowly grabbed a dagger from a drawer and approached the door slowly. It could always be an injured soul who thought they could take on the machines, it also could be the traveler and their floating friend.. they did always like to drop in at the most unusual times...
He found himself throwing off the cloak as he reached the door finally and opened it only to find neither at his door.
He stopped and glared at the bloodied mess at his door step. A ginger, around his height most likely but he couldn’t be certain as the man was practically slumped against the door frame.
He found that everywhere he looked, the man seemed to have some kind of injury , but his eyes found their way to a blue vision on the mans hip. Blue. Hydro. It was faintly glowing as if activated and Diluc found himself gripping the the dagger a little tighter as he figured out where he knew the shape of the holder the vision was set in. Snezhnaya...fatui..this man was Fatui... his enemy.
He was shook from his trance as the man finally spoke, coughing out the weak sounding words.
He was shivering in the rain, blood seeped through his clothes and puddled at his feet, he was scared diluc realized with a small breath. There was a dazed far off look in his eyes as if drugged, beaten. He looked as though he had been assaulted in more ways than one and stood swaying, ready to crumble at the smallest breeze. He finally looked up with dulled blue eyes and spoke softly.
“P-please..I-I did-didn’t know where e-else to go...”
Diluc stood in shock, it would be so easy to take him out, he couldn’t even put up much of a fight. He shook his head as the gears started to turn in his head as he put two and two together, the outfit, the mask, the vision on his hip, the pin at his shoulder, he was a Harbinger, one of the ones he was to scout and kill this week. He had to know who Diluc was, about the history of the Fatui and the uncrowned prince of Mondstadt and yet...it was a trick. This had to be a trick, his brain screamed at him this was fake, all just a way to get Diluc to let His guard down so they could easily take him out and start an attack on the city. The might of the Harbingers, there was no way that almost any one in Mondstadt could hurt one like this.. Any yet the way he heaved and shook in front of him couldn’t be fake, the amount of blood oozing from those wounds couldn’t be fake...those bruises and bite marks couldn’t be either. And now, the way he was unconsciously falling into his arms definitely couldn’t be fake.
He let out a huff as air was forced from his lunges as he caught the man, dagger falling to the ground with a clatter and dragged him into a spare bedroom, first checking his eyes and making sure that the man truly was unconscious and not just waiting to strike before walking to a cupboard and grabbing all the towels and bandages his could. After setting them down, he went over to grab some of the alcohol in the back room to disinfect, and water to clean the wounds.
When he came back into the room he let out a small huff and shook his head grimly as he walked over to the mans side and started to assess the wounds and figure out which needed his immediate attention. It would take a miracle from the archons themselves for him to pull through, he was still loosing a lot of blood, even as Diluc stitched and bandaged as quickly as he could, there was just too much. Not to mention his mental state.. how would that be if he ever woke up. Would he even remember it at all? He shook the thoughts from his head as he focused on the tasks at hand, staring down at his patient.
Why was he helping this man? The man he no doubt would have been trying to kill at the end of this week..the one that would no doubt without hesitation cut him down given a second. So why now did he fight himself, holding back his panic as he mended him and hoped for the mans well being. He was Fatui. The worst of the worst... so why did he care?..
He grumbled to himself softly, he could practically hear his father scolding him for thinking such things about a person he took into his own home. For a while he only worked on mending the man, he may have to seek out Barbara in the morning to help. They could question him if he finally woke up.
He stopped with a frown, he wouldn’t risk her life to bring her here, he wasn’t worth it...and he certainly couldn’t take him to her, he would die before they even made it out the door. He huffed softly as he pulled away, he had done what he could for now, leave the rest to fate.
His eyes slowly wandered to the vision still on his hip and let out a small growl as he ripped it off and gripped it with a strength that burned as the edges embedded themselves in his palm.
The vision was still glowing though...still being activated...Diluc glanced between the man and his vision in confusion, what was he still doing in this unconscious state? He shook his head, just another thing to add and figure out on his ever growing list.. he walked out, placing both the vision and delusion in a locked box and placing it cellar where the harbinger couldn’t use either. He walked back up to find that the rain had stopped. He couldn’t help but smile as a comfortable silence fell without the rains pounding against the roof and made his way to the door of his new guest.
He certainly couldn’t let him free and loose. But tieing him down may also hinder his healing...
He sighed softly as he settled for tieing a rope over his chest down to the bed and his legs, more likely than not, this fatui wouldn’t have the strength or will power to get out of that..and if he did, the door was locked. Diluc slowly walked away, the patient most likely wouldn’t even wake for quite awhile, so he wouldn’t have to worry and would be free to carry on his plans for the night. He grabbed his cloak once more and finished putting the rest of the outfit on before giving one last look at the unconscious man and heading out.