Cold Blooded

A Good Fight

Tartgalia attacked without distinction, whoever was closest was next. He spun through the air with his swords in hand and cut through the ranks that Pulcinella had brought with him. He stained the snow red with blood and just kept going, but it wasn't enough. He needed more.

His delusion seemed to buzz at his side and he reached out for its power. Spear in hand he kept going, faster and faster. He cut down men before they even realized he was near and made his way through the crowd as easily as cutting through butter. He kept going and going and going. He needed more. More blood. More death. More fear. More chaos. It was the only thing to soothe the chaos inside of him.

The abyss called to him and he couldn't resist its pull. He had been trained and formed to make chaos. That was what Master had always wanted. He knew that now. That was why she had given him this power. The foul legacy transformation strained his body and made every inch of him feel as if it were burning on fire. He had never felt better.

One after the other, they all fell at his hands. They tried to fight against him, but it was all futile. They couldn't best him. No one could. He was chaos and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Then they were gone, there was no one left fighting but him. The ground was littered with corpses and bodies. All cold and torn apart. He had done that to them. He had ripped them apart and now there were only four people left alive in the snow.

Across the bridge, Saya held Chongyun in her arms. The little boy tried to pull away from her. He was trying to get to him, but Saya wouldn't let go. She looked almost frozen there, standing in the snow. She shook her head slowly as he looked at her and she hesitantly took a step back. Her grip on Chingyun's small body tightened.

He would attack them. No, no he wouldn't. He needed to protect them. Yes, fight to protect. That was what he was meant to do. He wasn't meant to fight just to kill. He needed to fight to protect. He... Yes, that's what he had to do.

So, instead, he turned his attention to the only one left to fight. Pulcinella. The man stood there with a smile on his face. His men had just been slaughtered before his eyes, yet it seemed that nothing was the matter. He seemed completely at ease. When he noticed that Tartaglia's gaze had fallen on him, his smile only widened.

"Come on now, my boy," He called across the snow. "Come and kill me. I know you don't have it in you."

Tartaglia didn't move. He could feel the power of the abyss rolling through every bit of him, yet he couldn't move. This man had been like a father when his own had turned him over to the fatui. He had helped to take care of his family as time went on. He had helped him and given him a way to rise through the ranks. He had been there for him.

But then again, he had hurt so many people. He had betrayed Tartaglia's trust by threatening his family. He had taken Chongyun back to that place with a smile. He had killed for his position and he would do it again. He was like a father to Tartaglia, but he was also a monster.

Tartaglia's grip tightened on the spear in his hand, the energy burning through him. Pulcinella was right before him, no back-up, no weapon, no defense. He could kill the old man right now. So, why hadn't he already?

"You think that you can take on anyone, that you can fight your way to the top. Fight your way out of danger. Fight..." Pulcinella swooped his arm towards the yawning abyss. "Your fears?"

"You are so full of your own ego and arrogance, that you never see the solutions right before you. You are an imbecile, and I believe that you know it. Beneath all your jokes and smiles, you know that you will never be enough. Not strong enough, not smart enough, never will you be enough."

"You thirst for chaos and the thrill of the battle, but it's all just a distraction for you. You keep trying to fight your way out of your fears. Yet, here you are again. A monster of the abyss, called back home. That's all you are. A monster, and a useless one at that."

"You will never be able to protect anyone. Not your friends here, not the family that you have hidden away on a boat to Liyue. You won't be able to protect them because all you can do is kill. Actually, I think I'll do you a favor. How about I just kill them all for y-"

The old man's voice was cut off right along with his head. Tartaglia watched as his corpse crumpled into the snow with those that had already fallen. He had killed the Rooster. The fifth of the fatui harbingers was killed by his hand. Pulcinella could have taken him down easily, but the oldman was so blinded by his arrogance, so sure that he knew exactly how the game would play, that he lost.

As Tartaglia stared into the cold, empty eyes of that manipulative man, he finally let go of the abyss' power inside him. He released his spear and his delusion dimmed. He fell to his knees as his armor disappeared and looked up at the sky.

Clouds drifted lazily by, unbothered by the bloodshed beneath them. Ajax leaned back into the snow and felt it melt into his clothes, mixed with the stick blood. His breath kept catching in his throat, but he soon managed to take a deep breath. He carefully got to his feet. His body sagged and his legs shook from the effort of maintaining the foul legacy for so long.

He slowly raised his head and looked out across the rickety bridge. Standing on the other side was Saya, Chongyun still in her arms.

With a sense of raw determination, Ajax took his first step towards the bridge. Step by step, he reached the old wooden slats and the rough rope railings. Taking a deep breath, he took the next step. Then the next. And then another.

Bit by bit, he crossed over the abyss. With each step, a bit of the fear and weariness drained out of him. Step by step, he felt the thirst for blood and battle leave him. That had never even been what he wanted. All he had been doing was trying to fill a hole that would never be satisfied with violence. Step by step, he found a bit of peace that began to fill that hole. He felt a calm satisfaction that he couldn't ever remember feeling. Step by step, he stopped fighting against the fear, stopped fighting against his past. He accepted it and it made him stronger. Step by step, he crossed the abyss.

He fell into the snow on the other side with labored breaths. His legs were like jelly beneath him and the world was spinning, but he was smiling. It wasn't the mask that he had worn for years. This was a real smile. This was what came with joy and peace. He had done it. He had made it across.

~author's note~

Sorry that it is so late. Just started school again, so I'm a bit behind in life. Thank you for reading.