DUTY | 𝗔 Chili 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰 | GENSHIN IMPACT

17.

"I warned you~"

"Oh, and don't even try to escape using your hydro swords... these ropes, they're laced head to toe with electro. One drop of water and you'll be electrocuted to a crisp."

Signora lazily swung a knife around her fingers, looking down at Tartaglia's stiff face.

"Do you remember.." she began, walking towards Tartaglia. "what it was like when you fell into the abyss?"

Tartaglia grit his teeth, straining his mind to avoid thinking about the torturous time he spent mindlessly training in nowhere.

"Was it painful?"

She strolled behind his chair.

"Agonising?"

~Shhffft~

Signora dragged the knife up Tartaglia's arm, a long, shallow cut forming as she went. Tartaglia clenched his jaw, ignoring the stinging feeling, he had endured much worse.

However

why did he feel that something was going to go wrong?

terribly wrong?

"You had one job, to retrieve that gnosis, with Rex Lapis dead or alive." Signora began. "How hard is it? To not fall in love with the first random god you see? Hmm?"

She pressed harder, gaining only a controlled wince.

Blood seeped out of Tartaglia's arm.

"You're weak." Signora seethed, moving her face closer to his, her hand trailing up his leg to his chest. 

"I'm only meant to teach you a little lesson, to get you back on track..."

"But I'm sure the Tsaritsa wouldn't mind if I.. killed the most useless harbinger... the operation can work with just one.." She whispered in his ear, his eyes growing wide.

"Hah."

Signora moved away, looking at Tartaglia in confusion.

"You wouldn't dare kill me."

"You don't know that." She bitterly responded, keeping a calm tone.

"You're just Tsaritsa's lapdog, you wouldn't dare lay a finger on me without her command."

"Hah! As always, your mind is too deluded by your battle-centred fantasies. How do you explain these cuts on your arm, then?" She spat, digging the knife deeper into Tartaglia's arm.

He groaned in pain, biting his lip to stop himself from further indulging Signora in her amusement so hard that it began to bleed. 

"I can kill you, right here, right now and I will--" She breathed, throwing her free hand at Tartaglia's neck--

CHKACK!

Signora was launched back, slamming back-first into dozens of wooden crates.

"What the fu.."

"Don't touch him."

"AHAHAHA!" Signora yelled, "You're late to your boyfriend's funeral party, Rex Lapis! What's wrong? Was the venue too hard to find? The GEO archon couldn't find a wee little ruin in his OWN country?"

"It seems that Liyue has changed rapidly since the Adepti have aided in my duty." Zhongli stepped forward. 

Although Zhongli posture and expression remained calm, his amber eyes showed no sign of the usual pensiveness, instead overtaken by a burning, blazing flame of fury and rage.

"Zhongli.." Childe said, his eyebrows creasing.

"If it is my gnosis that you seek, you may have it, however, do NOT lay a hand on Tartaglia, you filthy, disgusting scum." 

Zhongli summoned his spear, powerfully waving it in the air, swiftly cutting open the ropes binding Tartaglia's wrists in one slash from metres away.

"Hmph, seems that little Childe over here isn't the only one who's weakened." Signora spat, regaining her balance, straightening out her clothes.

Signora summoned her catalyst, launching an icicle towards Zhongli, who incinerated it with ease from a single slash of his spear. 

"I may be weakened, however a mere human cannot stand up to a god."

Signora scoffed.

KLUNK! SHWINK! CLINK! SLHUNK!

A hoard of icicles launched towards Zhongli immediately.

SLasHSH.

An icicle made contact with Zhongli's bare cheek, a drop of blood escaping the newly formed cut.

"You underestimate me. I was trained by the Tsaritsa herself. I refuse to disgrace her name." Signora smirked.

"How DARE you touch him, you bitch!?" Tartaglia yelled, standing up, his legs shaking unsteadily.

Blood dripped down from his arm onto the floor.

"You're hurt."

"It doesn't matter."

Zhongli's eyes widened. The skin around the place where Signora had cut Tartaglia had now turned a pale shade of purple, his eyes hazy.

Grabbing his wrist, Zhongli pulled Tartaglia closer to him.

"Dear Geo Archon, you know what that is, right?" Signora's smirk grew wider. 

"You... you fucking..." Zhongli was at a loss of words, his eyes wide, and his body frozen in place. 

"What the hell are you talking about?! Zhongli!?" Tartaglia yelled, his voice full of frustration.

"Hmph,  my job here is done." Signora took a few steps back.

"Wait! You can't leave!!" Tartaglia escaped Zhongli's grasp, dashing towards Signora.

"Argh!" Tartaglia groaned, his legs collapsing under him, as he crumbled down to the ground. "M-my legs.. you ass, what the fuck did you do to me? Zhongli?? What's going on?!"

"Ahahaha~ I've already won~"

Signora disappeared into thin air, leaving only a cloud of mist around the empty area where she stood moments before.

---

hi everyone, after 20 days of careful planning, I have finally brought to you... the second last chapter of DUTY. The next chapter will be the final chapter. Thanks for being patient with me and my inconsistent uploading schedule, love u all. <3