Cold Blooded

Fatui Skirmishers

Skirmishers were known for being close knit groups that weathered the odds to pave the road for the Tsaritsa's plans. They lived together, worked together, and traveled together. They were like small families. Always there for each other, through thick and thin.

Gisei had never felt that way. He had been thrown from group to group and never stayed with one group for long. He had been with his new squad for little more than a week and he already hated each of them. There were only four of them, and while the other three seemed to be made for each other, Gisei would have preferred any of his previous squads.

Ummer was a Geochanter and though he seemed like the gentleman type when you first met him, he was a slob and an idiot. He spent half his time obsessing over all those terrible battles that he hadn't even fought in and the other half complaining about everything. Gisei despised the way he fought in battle. He didn't have a care in the world as he cut people down with the wave of his staff.

Durak was their vanguard with his elctrohammer. He was taller than Gisei and threw his strength around, because he knew that he was the strongest. He was almost as stupid as Ummer, but not quite. He laughed as he smashed people with his hammer and tore apart homes. He made Gisei want to vomit.

Sopli was a pyroslinger, just like Gisei, but he was a terrible shot. While Gisei could take someone out with a single bullet, Sopli enjoyed watching his bullets fly far and seeing his prey bleed out slowly. He was thin, greasy, and utterly vile. Gisei actually heard the disgusting man chuckle as he shot down a mother right before her child.

Gisei knew he shouldn't judge. The him from years ago would have been terrified of the man he now was. He killed just like they did, but at least he didn't do it with joy. He used to take the time to bury the bodies after each job, but as time continued it became harder and harder. He had slowly come to realize that if he buried every body there wouldn't be any ground left to walk on.

"Heyyy, Seisei..." Ummer drawled as he sound his arm around Gisei's neck. His breath was strong with drink. Gisei tried to shove him off, but Ummer wouldn't let him. "Hey, buddy, why you tryin' to leave? We got plenty to share!"

"Get off me, Ummer," Gise growled. "And don't call me that." He tried to shove him off again, but Ummer just held on tighter.

"Oh c'mon, Seisei. The mark will be by soon. Fighting is no fun sober." Ummer pulled Gisei closer to the rest of the group. Solpi and Durak raised their canteens with drunken salutes.

"Gesei, come join us!" Solpi beckoned Gisei to the log beside him. He was already swaying from the Fire-Water in his hand. Gisei, deciding he had no other option, sat down.

"There we go!" Durak crowed. "Y'know... You're a... a bit of a mystery, Gisei..." Durak laughed as if he had said something funny and the others joined in, but Gisei saw nothing amusing.

"You get dropped with us out of nowhere and then you're so... boring. You hardly talk and you never drink." Durak shook his head like this was a great disappointment.

"Yeah... You're right." Ummer muttered. He offered his canteen to Gisei. "Why don't you have a drink?"

"No, I'm good," Gisei pushed the canteen away. He would never get drunk before a job. If he had to kill people, he would do it right. He would act like these boars.

"Aw, c'mon," Solpi shoved Gisei a little too hard. "It'll be fun."

"I said n-"

Before Gisei knew what was happening, Durak had grabbed him from behind and put him in a headlock. The other man was stronger, but Gisei clawed and kicked at him anyway. Solpi jumped up and held Gisei's arms down with a chuckle.

"C'mon, SeiSei..." Ummer lazily walked over to him and lifted the canteen. "You never get drunk with us, but this will be fun!" Ummer forced Gisei's jaw open and dumped the contents of the canteen down Gisei's throat.

Gisei began to cough and choke as he tried to spit it back out, but it didn't work. It burned as it went down and made Gisei's coughing worse. Durak and Solpi released him and Gisei fell into the snow, still coughing.

"C'mon, comrade," Solpi laughed as Gisei struggled on the ground. "That wasn't soooo bad, was it?"

"Yeah..." Durak drawled. "Now you can stop being such a stick in the mud and have fun with us."

Gisei struggled to his feet and spit into the snow. He had more or less just downed an entire canteen of Fire-Water and just a swig of that stuff could get anyone drunk. The world seemed to be shifting beneath him as Gisei stumbled over to a tree.

The snow was so bright in the moonlight it hurt to look at and the tree bark was so rough. The ground was getting closer and closer. No, wait, he was falling. The sun was cold, but it felt nice when everything inside him seemed to be on fire. Snow was cold... snow was good.

A rough laugh escaped from Gisei's lips as he stared at the snowy pass before him. He really was drunk, wasn't he? Gisei could have sworn he saw Saya walking with a fatui harbinger and a little boy through the snow, but that couldn't be right. After all, the only people that should be coming through this pass would be the marks for his next job. That couldn't be Saya and why would the fatui want him to take down one of their own harbingers?

Gisei laughed again as the snow cooled his face. He watched as Saya and her group set up camp in a small cave on the sides of the mountain. The world swirled and swirled and swirled into darkness and Gisei let out one last empty laugh.

Saya couldn't be the one coming through this mountain pass. The ones that were meant to come through here, Gisei would have to kill.

~author's note~

Never been drunk before and it's my first time writing someone drunk, how'd I do?