Job Offer or Promise?

Allen's plan worked, distracting the three remaining Hoarders while insulting them to take out their aggro, opening an opportunity for Keqing to take care of them. However, what he didn't expect was the leader's speed being high enough to reach her before she recovered her posture.

Keqing was strong, far stronger than him or what you could expect from a 10 years old girl, however, she continued being a little girl, being unable to resist a direct hit. If the attack where to direct hit, at best she would be gravely injured and at worst die, either way, she would be out of combat.

That's why he stepped forward, protecting Keqing. Without weapons and tired after using his two bursts, Allen knew that he had no way to win against the leader, Keqing losing meaning his lost, so he acted in the best possible way.

He dragged Keqing and prepared her for a counterattack while he used his own body to stop the hit, condensing his remaining elemental power over his right arm, trying to use it as a shield. The price to pay would be a broken arm at best but it was the best option.

Allen clenched his teeth prepared for being hit, his eyes focused on the warhammer, trying to divert the most strength from it.

"CLANK!" A metallic sound resounded and Allen was able to see sparks over the warhammer, like something metallic hit it at great speed, making it impossible for Allen to see it.

"Pam!" Somehow the warhammer's trajectory was changed, reflecting it and causing it to fail its objective, hitting the ground.

"Keqing!" Allen shouted, Keqing recovering from her stupor of having been saved by Allen who risked his life for her. Her gaze was directed towards the leader, finding that thanks to Allen was in perfect position for an attack.

"Yaaaa!" Keqing thrust her knife, directly piercing the leader's shoulder and electrocuting it.

"AAAAAG!" The leader shouted in pain, dropping his hammer and falling to his knees. However, showing that he was stronger than the others, he didn't lose consciousness, keeping an angry look at the two children.

"You lost. Stay quiet until people come to detain you" Keqing said commanding with authority, really showing the might of a Qixing.

"You don't know anything, kids!" The leader groaned clenching his teeth in fury "This haven't finished yet! Come out!"

"Cr!" "Clank!" "Kg!" A new group of Treasure Hoarders appeared, with over 20 new members, with 10 of them wielding charged crossbows pointing at Allen and Keqing.

"It's your lost, kids!" The leader laughed it off.

Seeing the new group, Keqing made a scary face, while alternatively looking at the new group and Allen. If she puts her all in, she would be able to escape and return to Liyue Habor safely, but she would need to abandon Allen, letting him to his own luck that seeing the anger of his enemies and their broken pride, it would most probably end with his death.

However, if she were to stay, they would lose, but maybe surrendering, they spare them as in the end they were for her and the money that they could gain with a ransom.

Keqing really didn't know what to do.

"Hahaha!" The leader laughed it off seeing the child's indecision.

"Paf!" Allen pushed Keqing to his back again "Go!" Allen said decidedly. Allen was sure that she would be able to escape.

"B-but you!" Keqing shouted with tears.

"GO!" Allen shouted, without even looking at her "I'll take care of here." He stepped forward over the laughing leader "I wouldn't laugh so much because..." clenching his own Vision, Allen formed a small knife made of ice. It wasn't strong as a normal knife, but it would be enough to cut over the low guarded neck area "You will fall with me."

Allen lifted the knife, preparing to slash. Keqing turned around, clenching her vision with red eyes and tears as she prepared to run away, not wanting to waste Allen's opportunity. And the Hoarders put their fingers over the trigger, preparing to shoot the arrows.

"STOP!" A powerful shout resounded all over the battlefield, followed by a blue bolt falling from the sky towards the Hoarders.

"Bang!" The bolt exploded into multiples ice fragments, each fragment expertly hitting the Hoarders' hands, incapacitating them and forcing them to drop their weapons.

Everyone turned in the direction of the shot, seeing a young woman looking down at all from over the near peak with a bow in her hands.

She had pale blue hair, fading into a darker shade at the ends. A beautiful face with purple multicolored heterochromatic eyes that faded into pink and then gold. And while she seemed to be a young human woman, a pair of black-red horns similar to a goat, revealed that she was not one.

Seeing her, Allen instantly knew who she was, the exact same character of the game, her body not changing at all.

"Sister Ganyu!" Keqing shouted, her tears changing from fear and terror to joy ones.

Yes. She was Ganyu, the half-Qilin Adeptus and the secretary of the Liyue Qixing.

Ganyu jumped down, perfectly landing over the ground, extending her leg and recovering her posture, instantly pointing again at the Hoarders and charging a new attack, the tip of the arrow glowing blue, being prepared to a charged attack.

"Surrender, now!" Ganyu commanded, her gaze not leaving the Hoarders, even when what she wanted the most was to make sure that Keqing was fine.

"BOOM!" A smoke bomb exploded, covering the Hoarders and blocking Ganyu's sight.

"RETREAT!" The Hoarders, acted incredible precise, more smoke bombs were thrown and they started running under their stealth. This showed that while they weren't much of a fighter, they were expert escapists. As they said, escape today to continue robbing tomorrow.

"Not so quickly!" From up the hill where the Hoarders were preparing to escape, a new figure appeared. She was a tall young woman with dark blue hair and asymmetrical bangs that were lighter at the tips and light emerald-green eyes. She wore a dark bodysuit with the shoulders opened and wore two bracelets, and a pair of thigh-high boots that left a part of her thigh exposed, where and Hydro Vision was attached.

"Why are you in so much hurry?" The woman said calmly as she slowly walked over to them like she wasn't able to read the mood.

"Flash!" To everyone's shock, the woman completely disappeared.

"Splash!" Not even a second later, she reappeared past all the group, next to Keqin and Allen, with her arms pointing upwards.

"Aren't they cuter like that?" The woman said flirty. The smoke finally disappeared, revealing all the Hoarders laying on the ground while all their bodies were tied by a blue thin rope made of water.

"Thanks, Yelan" Ganyu thanked while lowering her bow, running towards Keqing and carefully observing all her body, making sure that she was fine.

"Do you know how worried we were all?!" Ganyu scolded Keqing causing to Keqing to start crying again in shame for having worried her. "S-SORRY!"

"Don't do it again" Ganyu hugged Keqing tightly embracing her and cleaning her tears.

"Ganyu, bring them to the Harbor. I will take care of the aftermath" Yelan said to Ganyu who nodded, putting her hand over Keqing and Allen's back and dragging them towards the city, not letting anyway to escape, not that they would.

With Ganyu and the children away, the playful look disappeared from Yelan, showing an icy cold look as her eyes went towards the ground near where the leader lay down, where something shined. Approaching it, she crouched her body taking the object from the ground, finding a metallic knife with a very characteristic symbol, the winter flower.

"The Fatui" She said seriously before turning to the Hoarders with a playful grin "We have a lot to talk."

...

Ganyu, Keqing and Allen stood over Baiju Guesthouse where Allen stayed, the sky already having turned pitch black as the night fell.

"Sister Ganyu, can I pass some more time with Allen?" Keqing asked.

"Sorry, but it's late and tomorrow would be a busy day" Ganyu said seriously, not letting a no for an answer.

Keqing made a down face and turned to Allen, jumping at him "Thanks for all, Allen" She gave him a tight hug "This has been the best day of my life and thanks for saving back them."

"It has also been a great day for me." Allen smiled "The best in this world." It was the truth, taking out putting his life at risk and all of that, it was the first time that he had free time and been able to enjoy himself, not thinking much about his hardships while they walked around the festival.

Separating from the hug, Keqing blushed red and avoided looking at Allen while scratched the ground with her right foot "Allen, you are very intelligent and confident and even saved my life, so..." Keqing lifted her face, looking directly at Allen "Would you like to work with me?"

"Are you offering me a job?" Allen asked incredibly.

"M" Keqing nodded "As the Yuheng, I will have a lot of work in the future, I'll like to have your help for that and we can be together."

Listening the offer, Allen smiled "I would really like that" Keqing's face bloomed, making a radiant smile "However, I can't"

Keqing's smile fell "Why?" she asked worriedly.

"I already have a job that I must do. Something that I can't leave until I accomplish my objective" Allen stated very decidedly, thinking about her sister Ellen and saving her. Yes, he would prefer thousands of times more work for or with Keqing than Pantalone and his broken aides, but he couldn't abandon Ellen.

"I see..." Keqing lowered her head sadly "It seems that it would be a goodbye."

"Say better until next time" Allen took out a hairpin from his pockets that was pink in color with a beautiful butterfly decorating at the top "Clank!" As the old woman had taugh him, he separated both pieces, putting one half over Keqing's hair "It's a promise."

Seeing the half part over Allen's hand and carefully touching the over her hair, Keqing smiled brightly "M! It's a promise!"

All of it was seen by Ganyu that wore a big smile, seeing the cute act between the children "Let's go" Ganyu said taking Keqing away while Keqing waved her hand saying goodbye to Allen until he entered the Guesthouse.

"You must prepare for tomorrow. You must be at your best to receive him tomorrow." Ganyu said seriously.

"Your devotion to him, is too much, sister" Keqing sighed.

"Don't talk like that" Ganyu scolded her "And please don't be disrespectful tomorrow."

"Yes, yes" Keqing answered without much credibility, causing Ganyu to sigh "This girl..."

...

Just as Allen entered Baiju Guesthouse, he was dragged over Aleksei's room where Aleksei was waiting for him in his usual relaxed posture over the sofa with a drink.

"So? How had the free time gone? Did you enjoy it?" Aleksei asked playfully.

"There's any need to tell you?" Allen answered pissed.

"No" Aleksei answered "I supposed no as I have everything here" He said waving some papers, a clear report of his activities of today. "Anyway, good job today. Your work here at Liyue had finished."

"Had finished? Weren't we staying here some more weeks?" Allen asked.

"We are, but not you" Aleksei answered "I will let you assist over the Rite of Descension for you to compare gods, then you would leave with the first ship carrying some cargo. Hahaha!" Aleksei laughed "It had been a very productive day. See what I've taken."

Aleksei took out a white-furred coat that seemed of extremely high quality "This is from a very rare beast of Fontaine with an exquisite handwork and I was even able to take it from free. Hahaha. It would be a great gift for her Majesty."

"Good for you" Allen said robotically "Can I go now?"

"Of course, today will be a long day" Allen prepared to leave the room and opened the door "Oh? One last thing, I'll be wary before entering the ship, there is a very aggressive dog around."

Allen made a strange face, not really understanding it. Anyway, he left the room returning to his own.

"A good day" Aleksei said while drinking his cup.

...

Over a dark room with seemingly no openings for light to enter, the only source of light was a little candle in the middle of the room, revealing the leader of the Treasure Hoarders that attacked Keqing and Allen sat and tied over a chair, his body full wet, with cuts and blood all over his body.

"Wallenstein, no?" From the darkness, Yelan appeared wearing a cold look in her eyes "Are you ready to tell me everything?"

"I-i already told everything that I know" Wallenstein trembled in fear "It was a masked person wearing a crimson coat. He informed us of the Yuheng being unguarded, I don't know who he is or anything more. Please, spare me."

"SP!" Yelan snapped her finger, water splashing over Wallenstein "I'll see if tomorrow, you are more talkative."

"NO!!!" Wallenstein cried "I told everything!"

Yelan turned around, disappearing from the room. As she left the room, one of her workers were already waiting for her.

"What should we do with him, miss Yelan?"

"Take care of him and clean everything. He is useless" Yelan said coldly as she cleaned the stains of blood from her body.

Yelan started walking over a corridor "They weren't part of the Fatui, but it's clear that they were moved by them, even stopping Keqing's guards and keeping her alone. But why?" She made a thoughtful look "Have they tried to make me busy to gain time or..." she thought about the boy next to Keqing and the state of the Hoarders' bodies that fought against him.

"Miss Yelan, we had discovered some of the Fatui's movements" A new worked appeared, offering Yelan some informs.

Reading over them, Yelan clicked her tongue "We had been played around. They had taken that opportunity to make a move over the market, forcing their way and taking possession of most of it."

"In the end, it was the first assumption" Yelan sighed, but quickly turned serious "But I shouldn't discard the other one."