Now that I am fresh I think about what else I might do, then I remember that there might be a perfect opponent for Cifera in Mondstadt.
Considering this I decide to start heading in the direction of Wolvendom. It is barely 10am at the moment and it took me about 1 hour to get the commission location, 5 or so minutes to complete it, 25 minutes to loot and after that I just relaxed in the cool stream nearby.
The walk takes about 2 hours to reach the dawn winery and passing through the vast fields I can't help but be amazed at how organize everything is here, even with the constant threats of treasure hoarders, bandits and hilichurls.
Well walk is a poor assessment since for a normal person it would have been an all out sprint at like 30km/h. I achieved this simply by pushing of the ground and making my 'steps' more like leaps.
I slowed down at the winery of course, unwilling to pay for the possible damages. All the while 'Witness to the Black Shores' has been recording.
I decide to pause and watch the footage while walking through the winery's fields, while watching it I seem able to edit parts away and blot out other parts/make them look drawn rather than actual gore.
I doubt many would watch a video that is full on gore, blood and guts.
By the time I leave I manage to shorten the recording to about 20 minutes mainly by manipulating speed, cutting scenes etc.
I also added the songs I was listening to while running and fighting making sure that the rhythm matched.
Now I am faced with a cliff and no real idea of how to climb up other than trying to catch the roots of a tree or something on top with a 'hook' (anchor) tied to a rope.
I have the strength to throw it so it works better than just a light grappling hook that might not be able to pull the tension of the rope with it all the way.
It takes me roughly 10 attempts to get a hook which can handle my weight, 5 more times I need to hook onto thing and an hour in total to climb up. Finally, mildly winded, I breathe in the rushing breeze at the top of the cliff and gaze down the forest where an ancient stone arena resided.
Before [1]I head down, I decide to take a moment and let the world breathe.
The ocean breeze carries the warmth of distant waters, mingling with the earthier scent of grapes and soil—the essence of the winery distilled into air. Birds wheel overhead in lazy spirals, their calls echoing off the cliffs. The sky above is impossibly blue, cloudless, stretching endlessly into forever.
Below me, the Dawn Winery's fields stretch for kilometers—organized rows of grapevines bleeding into one another like brushstrokes on a canvas. They fade gradually where the terrain climbs toward Dragonspine's snow-capped peaks, as if the land itself is turning pale with cold. To the west, I can just make out the Tree Hotel in the far distance—a toy-sized silhouette floating among the canopy, impossibly far and impossibly close at once.
The waterfall that cascades down from the cliff—the one where I cleaned up just hours ago—still churns below, its mist catching the light like suspended diamonds.
The lake southwest of the manor is crystal-clear from this height, its surface so pristine it mirrors the sky perfectly, making it impossible to tell where water ends and air begins.
The forest below sways gently in the wind, a living thing breathing. Dandelion seeds drift lazily through the air currents, catching the light—tiny stars falling upward instead of down, defying gravity as if the world hasn't quite decided which way is up.
Truly, pleasant and magnificent, can't even begin to capture the beauty of the breathtaking scenery.
I am happy I can witness it, sad it I don't first see it with mom, a friend, or maybe another.
I am, though, allowed the joy to have Cifera on my shoulders, also watching the scenery.
I finally, at peace, turn around and head down to the canopy covered stone arena.
Walking through the underbrush I spot several wolves, to my surprise they seem uninterested in attacking and instead seem to be scared and back off.
The scent of blood doesn't wash away easily does it?
We exit the underbrush into the ancient stone arena, a fading blade visible before it's center.
I then turn to Cifera and speak "This will be your fight, I won't interfere unless I think you are losing, mind you, if you are losing then I will only be able to help you escape"
Cifera, understanding me, jumps off my shoulder and enlarges herself until her head is about shoulder height.
I chuckle and follow up with "You'll have to be bigger than that to stand a chance, but good luck to you anyways, it is best you see your opponent to understand"
As I say this I walk up to the ghost sword, drawing it.
As soon as the blade leaves the ground, it disperses into mist. Cold rolls outward, clinging to the stone, crawling along cracks and broken pillars as the temperature plummets. Frost creeps over the arena floor, and a pressure settles in the air that makes breathing feel heavier.
A voice echoes through the ruins.
"Arrogant human. You think a mere feline can challenge me?"
I smile, then turn my back and start walking away.
The response is immediate.
The air detonates behind me as Andrius lunges, his massive form tearing through the mist in a blur of wind and ice. The ground fractures beneath his paws as he closes the distance in an instant—
—and Cifera intercepts him.
She explodes off the ground, enlarging mid-leap, her body expanding with a sound like stone grinding against itself. She slams into Andrius's side, knocking him off balance, the impact sending shards of stone skittering across the arena. Her jaws snap shut around his front leg, teeth biting deep as spectral flesh tears and freezes at once.
Andrius snarls, twisting violently. His jaws snap down toward her neck, ice crystallizing along his fangs.
Cifera releases and twists away just in time, claws gouging long trenches through the arena floor as she lands. Stone screams under the force, fragments launching into the air as she skids to a stop.
Andrius doesn't hesitate.
Wind condenses around him, arrows of compressed air firing in rapid succession. Spears of ice erupt from the ground in her path. His claws rake forward, each swing carrying enough force to shatter stone.
Cifera moves constantly.
She shrinks just enough for attacks to pass over her, then expands again to counterstrike, her claws flashing as she carves through Andrius's flank. Blood sprays across the ruins, freezing mid-air before shattering into glittering fragments as it hits the ground.
She circles, darts, leaps—each movement tearing up more of the arena. Pillars crack and collapse. The stone floor caves in under repeated impacts, leaving jagged craters filled with frost and shattered debris.
Andrius adapts.
A sweeping gust slams into her mid-air, sending her crashing through a half-standing column. Stone explodes outward as she hits the ground hard enough to leave a spiderweb of fractures beneath her.
She's back on her feet instantly.
They clash again.
Claws meet fangs. Wind howls. Ice detonates. The arena becomes a storm of debris and frost, visibility reduced to flashes of motion and the sound of stone breaking.
Cifera lands a clean strike.
Her claws rake across Andrius's face, tearing deep. One eye freezes, then shatters completely, fragments scattering across the arena floor.
Andrius roars.
The fight turns brutal.
He catches her mid-lunge, his jaws snapping shut around her shoulder as they crash together, rolling across the arena. Stone disintegrates beneath them as they slam into walls, pillars, anything in their path. The ground collapses in sections, dust and frost filling the air in choking clouds.
They tear into each other at close range now—no space, no finesse. Blood splatters across the ruins, dark and gold mixing with silver-blue as claws and fangs find flesh again and again.
Then something snaps.
The pressure spikes.
Movement becomes… wrong.
Cifera surges forward faster than before, faster than she should be able to, the air screaming as she crosses the distance in an instant. The impact sends both of them slamming into the far wall of the arena, stone exploding outward in a shockwave that ripples through the ruins.
The dust settles slowly.
Andrius's form flickers, dissolving, his remaining eye fixed on her.
Looking the smoke I target Andrieus's other eye in hope of blinding this damned mut. This stupid dog has been insulting me and my master the entire fight and I just won't have it anymore.
I break off the special binds that Albedo kid put on me, now, no longer restricted in speed I barrel into Andrieus form at high speed(mach1) sending both of us into the wall and kicking up an even bigger dust cloud.
I am left huffing and puffing over Andrieus's dissolving form then I notice he speaks "You're a Nekoshu?" after which he dissolves completely.
Startled I look at myself only to find that my human form has returned.... without clothes..... NOPE
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!!!!!!!!
NAH-UH!!!
GO BACK! GO BACK! GO BACK CIPHER!
BE A CAT AGAIN!
It takes a moment but just as the dust settles I am able to return to my feline form although now I seem to be oozing that sickening golden ichor, instead of the previous red.
Then he fades completely.
Silence falls.
Finally with the battle over I can now see Cifera had won, I sigh in relief as a weight that I hadn't noticed prior lifts. I now smile glad that she won. I am quick to arrive by her side despite the size of the arena.
Looking over her I notice that her blood has become golden, reminiscent of old greek stories about golden blood being the blood of gods.
This doesn't matter now as I see her covered in many a wounds. I quickly retrieve medical gauze, soak a part of it in iodine, which is the first wrap I do.
She hisses at the pain but stands still, seemingly agreeing with my actions through silence. I quickly finish bandaging her up and honestly, she looks like a stiff mummy. I take a few photos which gets me an annoyed look after which I pick her up, cradling her small form.
It is now just about 4:00pm so I decide to head back to Mondstadt.
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A/N: Fun ch, sorry it is late, even more than I had original set as a extra time frame.
I wonder do yall think Sane should have seen the transformation, maybe a silhouette or nah?
Anyway, please give a rating to my fic and have a nice day/night!
[1] i wanted to extra embellish this bit so-