Chapter 312: Dogs Can Fly Too

Will be heavily fixed, its a bit of a mess...

***

In the southeast corner of Mondstadt's surrounds lay a cape that bordered with Galesong Hill.

A legend had it two lovers made an oath to each other there and left behind a deeply touching story. To this day the area was known to be popular amongst young lovebirds.

Other than being a great vantage point for watching sunrises and sunsets, the drop in terrain made it easy to see Windrise, the location where the memorial for the Hero Vennessa stood proud and tall, which sat facing the sea

It was also the location where Yomite and Barbara met Venti last time.

"We've arrived." Lisa announced after some time.

They were currently resting in a clearing on top of the cliff. It was a beautiful view, and they could see the sea.

From above, the sea looked like a vast blue space stretching from horizon to horizon.

It was quiet and peaceful—but also somewhat lonely.

"Amazing...it's so beautiful here," Hu Tao said in awe of the scenery, even as she was still on Yomite's back.

"Did you forget? We were here before when we fought Iris." Yomite pointed out, albeit incorrectly...

This place wasn't anywhere close to the location where they fought Stormterror, but even the best of the best could fail sometimes...

"Ah...yes...you're right..." The ignorant Hu Tao nodded. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

She gave his head a quick peck, then hopped off his back.

Upon landing, she rubbed her eyes with both hands, feeling the strong breeze blowing across her face and stretched her arms in the air.

"Ah, what was this called again? The Starsnatcher's cliff?" She asked as the wind whipped her brown hair around, and her red eyes sparkled with excitement.

"No, this isn't Starsnatch Cliff, but the Cape oat. Starsnatch Cliff is in a completely different location." Lisa explained.

'Wait...this cliff isn't the one where we fought Iris? It looks the same...oh well, I was never good at geography anyway.'

Yomite decided to put his brain aside for the moment and enjoy the view with the girls.

From their current position, they could roughly see the an outline of an island stretching out into the distance.

"Prepare your Wind Gliders, we're about to descend towards that island in the distance." Lisa informed them.

When they got closer, they would be able to clearly see the shape of the island. From this height, it was hard to tell what it was shaped like, but it looked like a small hill covered in green grass and some sort of greyish rock in the middle.

"Me first! Me first!" Hu Tao shouted excitedly.

She was eager to fly through the sky and soar over the sea, and Yomite didn't want to deprive her of such a wonderful experience.

And so, as her dear lover who loved to comply with any wish Hu Tao had, he nodded and kicked her back, sending her flying down the cliff just as he promised he would do.

"Whaaaa!?" Hu Tao shrieked, throwing her arms wide open as she flew towards the sea.

"You better use that Wind Glider before you fall." He shouted after her, "Otherwise, you'll become a tasty snack for the fish below."

"Did you just kick your wife!? Are you kidding me!?" Hu Tao yelled as she fell down the cliff, twirling in the air.

Even though she was falling at top speed, she couldn't help but look back at Yomite with tears in her eyes.

"I will get back at you for thiiiiiiiiis! I will make the greatest prank ever! I sweaaaaar!" She threatened, but he ignored her.

Hu Tao didn't have enough time to do anything else besides scream, because before she knew it, she passed through the thick mist surrounding the island.

She eventually reached out and grabbed onto the wispy tendrils of fog to slow her descent, and then pulled out the gliding device from her back.

"Hahaha! This feels so amazing!" Hu Tao cheered, floating towards the island.

Yomite watched her go, grinning broadly.

"Yum-Yum...did you just..." Barbara trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence.

"Yeah, I kicked her, since I told her I would do so if she continued being annoying with all of her 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet?' I swear, my head started hurting after she asked me that the third time... I knew she would be fine anyway, it's her, after all." Yomite answered simply.

Hu Tao was being a brat way too many times today, and she only deserved this small punishment.

"...Please kick me as well..." Barbara whispered quietly, looking up at him with a pleading gaze.

"Huh...? You...want me to...kick you too...?" Yomite tilted his head to one side in confusion.

"Yes, please..." Barbara begged, lowering her head.

He had no idea why she would ask him to do that and figured it was probably a joke.

She was a yandere, right? Why would she want him to kick her? Wouldn't a kiss be a better alternative or something?

"...I've always dreamt of this...now is my chance." Barbara murmured to herself with excitement, her chest rising and falling rapidly, heat radiating from her body.

Yomite looked back at Barbara, whose cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling.

It appeared she was strangely aroused by the thought of being kicked, and Yomite couldn't understand why...

'It's getting weird...

"..."

He didn't know what to say, not only a Yandere, but was she also a masochist?

"..."

In the end, he decided to ignore the request and instead offered a more practical suggestion, "Why don't we...just fly down together? Then we can both fly safely...you can hold onto me if you want to."

A compromise!

A really good one too!

However...

Barbara looked over her shoulder, quite disappointed, "You won't...kick...? Ah, fine..." She turned around and started walking towards the edge of the cliff.

"I was looking forward to it too..."

'...'

Yomite followed her, and the two descended the cliff side by side towards the island.

'There is no way I can kick her, unlike Hu Tao, she is just way too soft to touch, I might actually break something...'

The others followed suit, and soon all of them were gliding through the air.

"...Sha!"

"Hmm?"

"...Bisha!"

'What was that?'

Yomite looked back towards the cliff but saw nothing. He could have sworn he heard his name.

'Oh well, who cares.'

Eventually, they were able to make out the shape of the island ahead. They landed on the grassy field near the center.

"It's truly captivating." Lumine remarked.

The island wasn't large, and the ground was mostly made up of grass and sand. The highest point of the land were two small hills, and they were covered in a layer of greenish grass.

There was a grayish stone gate in the middle of the island, which resembled a rough spheric door frame. A hollow ornamental sphere carved out of cobblestone with a symbol at the top sat at its center. The pattern was similar to the one he saw on some domains he conquered with his team in the past.

An old staircase led up to it, carved out of the same greyish rock as the rest of gate

It was a very simple, yet ancient design and didn't seem particularly impressive or special at first glance, yet the cold cobblestone and the worn-down walls showed signs of age. Its beauty and ambiguity immediately caught their attention.

Lisa approached the gate slowly and cautiously, and once she was close enough, she put her hand on it.

Immediately, a pair of blue, glowing runes appeared around it, encircling the middle section.

"Is this it?" Yomite wondered.

"Correct. This is the entrance into the Spiral Abyss," Lisa answered. "If we enter this gate, we should be able to find our way inside."

As Lisa spoke, the rune on the gate began to glow brighter, until finally, it was fully lit.

A beautiful sound emerged from the portal itself, creating a rumbling noise that sounded like a rough wind passing through.

All of them stepped forward and placed their hands on the gate. Once all of their palms touched the surface, the gate opened, revealing a long, dark blue corridor extending into the distance.