Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter
Prologue:
Silent Departure
The sky was darkening, rumbles roared, and the air humidity progressively increased as the wind blew hard. The road from Dawn Winery to Mondstadt is by any means not that far, but making a trip when it storms is never a wise decision.
"These boxes are the last, Connor. Please check them." A man huffed after he put down a wooden box. A youngster followed him from behind, bringing a tiny wooden box and placing it near him.
"No problem." Connor said as he took out a notebook.
After a while, he continues, "Alright. Everything I ordered is here, so here is the fee. Thank you for making your way here. I could've sent Ernest to pick them up, but he's sick today."
"It's alright. We just planned to go out since it's my son's birthday." The man said as he patted the boy's head.
"Oh, really? Happy birthday to you, kiddo! I wish you to grow up to be someone your parent can be proud of.
"Thank you, Mr. Connor."
"The storm would come anytime soon. How about you take shelter here? It's dangerous making your way back when there's a storm. At least wait until the storm passes." Connor offered the man.
"I appreciate your offer, but there's something that my wife and I had to do back in the city. Send my regards to Master Crepus." He said that as he turned his back from Connor with his son and walked away.
"Very well. Please be careful on your way back!"
The man and the boy returned to their wagon, and a woman figure greeted them.
"You sure took your time, huh?" She sounded displeased.
"Haha, my bad, my bad." He chuckled, "Let's go back, shall we? I don't want my pretty wife and son to catch a cold."
"Hmph! I'm sure the storm will happen on the way even if we go now." She retorted as she walked away.
"We got my proud of and strong wagon. There's nothing to worry about the storm! Even if there's danger on our way back, we can just run. Hahaha!" The man proudly said.
The woman can only sigh, seeing the man's antics.
They hopped on the wagon and started to head back to the city. Since the short route is temporarily blocked, they have no choice but to take the long course.
…
The rain started pouring when the family was on their way back to the city.
"It's bad weather, isn't it?" The boy broke the silence.
"Yeah, if it somehow gets worse, we should stop somewhere. It's not a good idea if we keep moving forward in this weather."
"I thought you had an urgent matter in the church? Did Seamus-" The woman immediately glared at him, "Did the Seneschal need something from you?"
"I just didn't want you to stay too long doing your job when today is literally our son's birthday."
"I'm sorry, okay? Duty calls. I need to deliver goods to the client since the one who was supposed to do it is absent."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The woman brushed his excuse, "Did you hear that, Morgan? Your father is so engrossed in his work and totally forgot to celebrate the special day." She faked tears while rubbing her son's hair.
After a while, they arrived at Drunkard Gorge. A popular route for merchant caravans, and you can find some people set up their stalls there to earn a few mora.
"The weather makes the air here feel chill. Although, something doesn't feel right…" He mumbled.
"Dad, isn't that a person?" The boy spoke as he pointed in a specific direction.
"Hmm?"
From their distance, a man dressed in a black coat crouching near a stall doing something. As they can't see their figure clearly, the man decides to stop the wagon and drop off from the wagon.
"I'm going to ask him. Stay here, and don't go anywhere!"
Approaching the figure slowly, the man called him from a distance. "Hey, you!"
Because of the rain, the figure didn't notice the man and was visibly startled by that. He slowly turned his face to the source, revealing himself as a young man.
"H- Hello, do you need something?" The young man nervously answered.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the storm? You are not with the others?" The man asked him, closing his distance by a bit.
The young man didn't answer as he looked behind the man's figure, seeing a wagon with a woman and a boy in there. He sighed in relief, and his nervousness wasn't visible anymore. He looked back to the man with a smile on his face and answered,
"I was just retrieving something here before going back home. As for your second question, no, I'm alone since there isn't much stuff I want to bring back. How about you?" The young man asked back.
"As you can see, I was about to head to the city with my family." He pointed his wagon behind him. "Are you from Mondstadt? Where do you live? Do you perhaps need a ride back to your home?"
The young man simply shakes his head and says, "Thank you for the offer, but I live nearby. It won't take long for me to get back."
"You should head back as soon as possible. The storm will probably get worse before you arrive in the city. Anyway, I finish here, so see you around." The young man added before walking away.
"Wait!" The man stopped him.
"Is there something the matter, sir?" His voice sounded cold, which sent a chill down the man's spine as he gulped his spit.
"You aren't the one who has the right to this stall. It was one of my friends."
The young man didn't answer as he narrowed his eyes.
"You better get out of here soon." The young man's sentence sounded more like a warning than a threat.
"What?"
The man pondered for some time before coming to a decision. He gasped and widened his eyes, realizing someone- no, some people showed up from the young man's back direction.
The man instinctively takes a step back, trying to run away before he gets any closer. But as he was about to turn his back, the young man dashed toward him and hit him with his left palm, then pinned him down with a sword materialized out of thin air in his right hand.
"Guh!" The man grunted.
Two men approach from the opposite direction, holding the woman and his son. Noticing the danger to his family, the man started to panic as fear and regret filled in, but it was too late.
"Maria! Morgan!" The man shouted their names, "Damn you, let go of me!"
The storm gets even worse than before. Thunderstorms can be heard from above, accompanied by a strong breeze, and the rain is becoming heavier. Anxiety consumes a man's psyche in this weather.
Will he and his family die here? Is this the end? He can't help but think so. A patrol from the knight will not pass here, knowing the current weather. The chance of a knight or somebody passing this gorge is near zero. These are the thoughts circulating in the man's head.
The young man smirked, "Now, I have a couple of questions for you, and I want you to answer them honestly."
"But before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Kyle, I'm a treasure hoarder, and these people are my underlings. What about you, strange yet respectable stranger?" The young man added.
"... Seth." The man said nothing more than that.
Kyle walked away from him a few steps. Then he turns back to spread his arms and says, "Question time!"
"First question, why are you here? Answer this question as simply as possible, or I will cut your wife's neck." Kyle points his sword toward Maria.
The hostage could only whimper.
"Wait! Please. Don't hurt her." He pleaded as he took a step closer without alerting them.
"People from Dawn Winery ordered some ingredients for their wine. We were delivering goods the owner ordered from the city, my wife and son tagging along." He answered.
"Now, for the second question. Do you happen to be close to the knight or the adventurer?"
"What?" The question confused Seth.
"The Knight of Favonius and the Adventurers Guild, there's no way you don't know about them."
"No, I don't. I'm a mere merchant. If somehow I have any relations with the knights or adventurers, there's nothing more than a formal relationship."
Kyle stayed quiet and stared at him. That made the family nervous, not sure what was in the head of the criminal's mind.
Kyle then closed his eyes and sighed, "Let both of them go."
Maria and Morgan gasped and ran toward Seth as soon as they released them. He hugged them and asked if they were hurt, and they finally sighed in relief none of them were in harm.
"Get out of here, now. Before I change my mind." The swordsman said.
The family furiously nodded and quickly headed toward their wagon, hoping everything would be alright.
As the three hopped on the wagon, Seth signaled his horse to move. They passed all the Treasure Hoarders and their leader there without making eye contact with any of them, afraid they could accidentally provoke them.
When the family disappeared from his sight, Kyle asked,
"Are we ready to leave now?"
"Ah yes, boss. We have done putting all the stuff we stole into the hideout after we get out of here, so we can safely retrieve them anytime." One of his lackeys responded.
"Good, we are leaving now. We've spent too much time here than I planned." He ordered.
His underlings are preparing to leave, but Kyle asks them again.
Everyone stopped their steps, looking at each other and asking if anyone saw where Kyle's brother was. Kyle looked around, but nothing indicated that his brother was around.
"C- could it be…?!"
...
Amidst the darkness, fire engulfed the middle of the road, looking like a giant bonfire, illuminating the surrounding area. The flames burned deep red and amber, even as rain poured down.
"Burn everything!"
A man was standing near it. He watched as the blaze rampaged, burning it with all its might. The sword in his left hand drips liquid. His eyes reflect the conflagration, and a grin shows on his face.
Three people are lying and unmoving, with red liquid flowing out of their bodies.
A/N: A classic tragic back story, am I right?
Thank you for reading, and carry on!