Jaradiru stopped at the edge of a forest, “This is as far as I go, these forests are running wild with deer…and they don’t like to share their land.” He explained, handing a traveler a map. “No one saw them exit on the other side, so they're somewhere in there. Be careful, alright? No one let themselves get cornered!” He instructed, looking over everyone. “Thank you for the warning, but I’m sure-”
Wriothesly had begun before Jaradiru cut him off, “No buts! Vision holders or not, these creatures aren’t run by the abyss. They act on their own accord, and they hate humans. Someone who ran in here, I’ll just call him hat guy, cot chased into a pit by one of those things.” Nahida spoke up, “Hat guy? Was he wearing blue and white clothing, hair similar to Ei’s here?” “I think so,” Jaradiru answered. “WAIT, is the wanderer missing too?” Piemon shreeked, worried. “Oh, no.” Nahida giggled, “He told me he was going to be on a trip, so he probably wouldn’t answer any letters. He did say if I had any, he’d pick them up in Monstadt.” “Oh, whew, that's a relief.” Piemon sighed. “It’s still not good that he got chased into a pit though,” Aether said, “Well, he did get out, but he was muttering some strange stuff and had a forbidden book in his hand….so he's probably a lost cause.” Jaradiru pipped, “Oh, well I’ll have to go check on him. Do you know where he went?” Nahida asked. “Yep, towards that giant, icy mountain over there.” “Dragonspine,” Neuvillette pondered, “why would someone from Sumeru wish to go there…?” “I dunno, but I should get going, I’ll be late for my shift!” Jaradiru said before quickly running off. “I’ll go find Wanderer, will you all be able to manage without me?” Nahida asked. “Yes, I’m sure we should be able to handle whatever we may encounter. Are you sure you will be alright?” Neuvillette worried, “Yes, I’ll ask someone from the knights to guide me through the mountain safely.” Nahida assured, “I’d recommend Amber, she tends to know her way around, plus her pyro vision would be of much use.” Diluc spoke up, uncrossing his arms. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you Diluc!” Nahida pipped before leaving. “We should make our way in, try to find some clues before nightfall.” Wriothesly recommended, stepping foot into the woods and moving a branch out of the way. Aether nodded, walking into the forest, Piemon following close behind. The forest, apparently called Sakhi Forest, was quiet. Deathly quiet. “Are we sure we can trust that boy?” Ei asked, causing Yae to look up from her tracking. “Ei, focus on searching for people,” She hissed, then went back to brushing leaves out of the way. “Footprints!” Neuvillette came over, eyeing the shoeprints and brushing more leaves out of the way. “Two pairs, one man about 5’11, boots for all terrain….the other 5’3, simple dress shoes.” He diagnosed, “Which of the missing fit this?” “5’11 sounds like Ajax,” Pantalone stated. The banker was awfully slow, barely keeping up with the group, “He often gets the same exact kind of boots for himself. The smaller one…..not Dottore.” The banker shook his head with a sigh, “I would assume Venti.” Diluc stated, “Kaeya wears boots, fancy ones, and Razor wears more worn down shoes.” Neuvillette nodded, “So that's two out of nine.”
“Wait, are we not going to ask how the banker and Diluc know this?” Piemon asked, worried. “I keep track of all fatui spending, which includes items bought.” Pantalone huffed, offended. “Well, Kaeya’s my brother, I helped raise Razor a little bit, and I’ve had to return the bard's shoes multiple times.” Diluc listed, annoyed. “Well, to get back on track,” Wriothesly said, Miko and Neuvillette giggling slightly, “we seem to be going in the same direction they were. We should keep moving.” He helped Neuvillette stand up, Ei doing the same for Miko, and the group began to get going.
