Chapter Text
“Eliminate them.”
“All of them, my lady?”
“That would be perfect, though I want you to focus on Barbatos and the nobles.”
“Of course, my lady.”
And so he was here, walking on the path to Mondstadt. It was late at night. Even though the vampires would be out during this time, he chose to go now. It would be easier to sneak in. Maybe he could even convince them he was one of them..no, with their senses of smell that wouldn’t work.
He walked up, stopping when he noticed the house..well, mansion really. He’d have to sneak past them. It seemed more like a winery as he got close, grapevines surrounding the place. He was probably safe here then, no vampire would run a winery. What would be the point? They couldn’t drink the wine.
He continued walking on the normal path, no longer worried. He had heard good things of the mondstadters.
There was a lamp on in the grapevines, and he could see the shadow of a person tending to them.
“Hello!” He called out to the person. “Am I on the right path to Mondstadt?”
They looked over at him, lamp lighting up their face. They had red eyes and long red hair, and were wearing some fancy clothes. Weird for someone working on fields, but whatever. Tartaglia wasn’t here to judge.
“It’s quite a walk away still, but if you turn right at the curve up there you should at least make it to Springvale by morning. What are you doing out this late anyway?”
“I’m a traveler, I’ve been traveling all day and night.”
“What’s with the weapons?”
“To protect myself, it’s dangerous out here with vampires running about.”
They were quiet for a moment, watching him.
“You’d better abandon that thought if you’re gonna stay in Mondstadt.”
“Why is that?”
“We’re a peaceful nation, just because the person you hurt might be a vampire doesn’t mean you’re let off from it.”
“Well that’s silly.”
“And how is that?”
“Everyone knows how dangerous vampires are. It’s just protecting yourself.”
“Hm. Stay in Mondstadt for a week, then I’d like to see you again. I want to see if you’ll hold that thought.”
Tartaglia laughed. This was stupid, nothing was going to change.
“Sure, I’ll come back in a week. But you’re gonna be disappointed.”
“We’ll see. Now head along, only a few hours to morning.”
“Of course, thank you.”
And he continued walking, leaving the winery behind.
The city was just starting to wake up when he got there. Or, for the vampires, it was going to sleep. At least that what Tartaglia thought. He saw people coming out with umbrellas, using them to keep in the shade while they walked around.
‘How disgusting’, he thought. ‘They’ve already infiltrated the city. Does no one here notice they’re different?’
He walked in after greeting the guards. One of them smiled and he saw their teeth.
‘They’re even in the guard? This is horrible. It’s a good thing my lady sent me here, this can’t be allowed to get any worse.’
He found a spot to sit in the middle of the city and waited for the day to fully start.
Vampires and humans alike walked around the city. Some walked together, chatting and laughing together. It made him want to vomit. How could they be so close to those кровосисний імітатор? (Blood-sucking copycats)
A bard walked over to him after a bit, smiling brightly at him.
‘Another vampire. I’d better try to be kind, I might need to get close to it to kill it.’
“So, what’re you doing in Mondstadt?” They asked, sitting down beside him.
“I’m traveling, I wanted to see the sights.”
“I see. You should get rid of those weapons while you’re in the city.”
“And why is that?”
They laughed. “Have you not noticed you’re being watched? We don’t fight here, so there’s no reason to have so many weapons. Carrying all these around, for whatever reason, makes you suspicious.”
He frowned and looked around. After a bit he noticed some guards side eyeing him. The bard was right.
“And where would you suggest I put them?”
“The blacksmith would watch over them for you, probably even polish them for a low price.”
“I don’t trust anyone else with my weapons.” -especially in a city like this.
“Well find a spot to hide them then, outside the city of course. No one will steal them, though if they get found I suppose they might get reported to the knights.”
That wasn’t bad advice, really. The only problem would be getting them into the city again, as the guards were posted all day and night.
“I suppose I’ll try that.”
“I’d recommend on the cliff behind the city. No one goes there, so they’ll be safe while you take your trip. Not to hard to get to, at least for a trained soldier like yourself.”
When Tartaglia realized what they had said, they were already gone.
This was bad. That bard knew him. If they told others then he’d be a prime suspect. Others might know already.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Panicking will just make it worse. For now, he’ll just hide the weapons and wait. The mission isn’t over yet.
He hid his weapons just outside the city, beside the walls. The bard was right, it was a good hiding spot.
Afterwards he returned to the city, staking out the situation.
It seemed like none of the citizens were concerned about the vampires. A lot of them seemed to be very close, even working with them in shops. Tartaglia wanted to yell at them, demand they explain how they can tolerate these monsters. He held himself back.
He learned this was a tightly knit community, vampires and humans alike. He’d have to appeal to both sides then, or else rumors would spread and ruin his mission. The idea disgusted him, treating vampires like humans, but he’d have to do it.
When night came he walked around, trying to find a vampire alone. After hours he found one. A girl with pigtails in her hair and church clothes. Tartaglia wouldn’t have seen she was a vampire if it weren’t for her smile. She was humming, the same little tune over and over again. Like she was practicing it.
He hid his face, particularly his hair. These would be a dead giveaway who he was if people saw him, as he was the only sneznhayan in the city. At least, that he’d seen yet. He’d kept some smaller weapons with him, only hiding the big ones. These would be more than enough to kill her.
He got out of his vantage point and snuck behind her. She didn’t seem very smart or strong for a vampire, most of them would’ve heard him by now. She was still humming though.
As he got closer she giggled and started to turn behind her. “Rosa, you know you don’t have to sneak anymore-“
He stuffed a gag into her mouth and stabbed her in her heart. He could hear her scream into it, but she didn’t die.
He had missed.
‘Fuck.’
He quickly pulled the blade out and went to stab her again, but had to stop and get down as he heard something behind him. A knife had been thrown just where his head had been seconds ago.
He quickly looked behind him, seeing a..nun? It was hard to tell from her outfit, but she was /pissed/. She was looking at him with nothing but the deepest hatred. Tartaglia knew the look because he had given it to others before.
This was bad. He had no choice but to run. Fighting in the city would cause a commotion, other vampires would hear them. He couldn’t risk getting caught.
She yelled threats at him as he ran away and threw another knife, but she didn’t follow him. When he looked behind him he saw her carrying the vampire, rushing to get her help.
Frankly, this day was over. He had to get away from here.
He would try to make more progress tomorrow.