Betrayal (2)

Geralt looks at the girl with disdain, unwilling to accept that she could even be considered a foe. "To think she has such gall to challenge me, an A Class denizen of Hell to battle…foolish. What should I do about her my Lady? I don't know why the dagger didn't kill her, but if it would be your desire, I'll make sure she stays dead this time. There won't be any other flukes my Lady."

"It seems we have an official challenge on our hands now Geralt, so simply taking her away at this point isn't going to fly. This girl appears to have unintentionally been granted the title of a Death Knight, and she's now challenging you to a duel on behalf of her Queen. As my servant, you have no choice but to accept since the throne is my goal. Now prove yourself worthy to me."

He grins. "Very well my Lady." He lies Trinity down across the sofa. "I'll make quick work of her." He instantly transforms, revealing a canine form. "I'll send you back crying little girl."

"Bro, I think you'd better stop calling me a little girl." Her voice grows even deeper. "Physically my body died at 16, but I've been alive for over 100 years. I'm no 'little girl', I promise you."

"Big talk for a LITTLE GIRL. I've been alive for over 200 hundred years. You're no match for me." He pulls out his dagger again and points it. "Let me show you just how powerful I am kid!"

Sinae tightens her grip on the pistol, feeling the cold metal against her palm. Her eyes, still crackling with energy, remain locked on Geralt's transformed figure. His snarling reveals sharp, glistening fangs, and his eyes glow with a malevolent light. Geralt lunges forward, swift and feral, aiming to close the distance between them quickly. However Sinae is impressively quicker.

She fires the pistol, the gunshot echoing through the room. The crackling bullet hits Geralt's shoulder, causing him to stumble mid-stride. He lets out a guttural growl, the wound already beginning to heal as he circles her, wary now of her reflexes. "Nice shot," he sneers, licking his lips as his shoulder regenerates. "But it's going to take more than that to bring me down."

Sinae's eyes narrow further. "I was hoping you'd say that." In a blur of motion, Geralt charges again, but this time Sinae doesn't retreat. She sidesteps just as he closes in, using his momentum against him, and drives her elbow into his ribcage. The force sends him crashing into the nearby wall, cracking the plaster. Geralt roars, shaking off the debris, and swings his dagger toward her.

Sinae twists, narrowly avoiding the blade, and counters with a swift kick to his knee, dropping him to one leg. Without wasting a second, she aims her pistol again and fires. The bullet strikes him in the leg, and Geralt howls in pain. "You'll need to be faster than that," she taunts, her voice calm despite the chaos. "My family didn't call me speedy sweetie for nothing you know."

Infuriated, Geralt slashes wildly with his dagger, the blade slicing through the air as it misses Sinae by inches. She ducks under his arm, her movements fluid and precise, and delivers a sharp uppercut to his jaw, snapping his head back. As he recoils, Sinae's eyes flare with power, the sparks around them growing into small arcs of electricity that crackle in the air violently.

Geralt snarls, his eyes filled with rage. "You think you can win, girl? I'll tear you apart!"

"Big talk for someone who's on the defensive," Sinae retorts, her voice steady and mocking.

Growling deeply, Geralt's form bulks up further, his muscles rippling with unnatural strength as he prepares for another charge. He moves like lightning, aiming a brutal slash with his dagger at her throat. Sinae dodges, but not fast enough; the blade grazes her shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood. She winces, the pain sharp and immediate, but she doesn't falter. She holds her own.

The room crackles with tension, the energy almost palpable. Symone watches silently, her eyes calculating as she observes the battle unfolding. Trinity lies unconscious, the only sound her soft breathing. However, Symone's attention is immediately pulled towards a suddenly present guest.

Sinae takes a deep breath, centering herself. The sparks around her eyes grow more intense, and suddenly, with a burst of energy, she unleashes a surge of electricity directly into Geralt. The shockwave hits him like a freight train, sending him flying across the room. He crashes into a table, splintering it into pieces as he collapses to the floor, twitching from the residual charge.

Geralt struggles to his feet, panting heavily. His fur is singed, and his dagger lies forgotten on the ground. He glares at Sinae, fury blazing in his eyes, but there's a hint of something else now…a wariness, maybe even fear. "Had enough?" Sinae asks, her voice low and dangerous. She keeps the pistol trained on him, but the sparks in her eyes show she's ready for more if tested again.

Geralt's lips curl back into a snarl, but he hesitates, his instincts warring with his pride. He looks over at Symone, waiting for a command. Symone's expression remains unreadable as she studies Sinae, her gaze piercing. Finally she speaks, her tone icy and authoritative. "Geralt, stand down."

Geralt stiffens, disbelief flashing across his features. "I can continue the fight, please my Lady!"

Symone rises gracefully from her seat, her movements slow and deliberate. She walks over to Geralt and places a hand on his shoulder, a silent command for him to stay calm. "Live to see another day and fight again my pet." Reluctantly, Geralt steps back, his eyes never leaving Sinae.

The air is still charged with tension, but the immediate threat has passed. Sinae lowers her pistol, but her stance remains ready, just in case. "Leave now and give me back Trinity or you're dead."

Symone turns her attention to Sinae, her eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and cold calculation. "You've proven yourself to be more formidable than I anticipated," She says, her voice smooth.

"Naturally, she's my pet's servant after all." A third voice enters the room, and soon the mystery guest reveals herself, displaying a seductively beautiful figure of Rouge. "Understand me now Symone?" Amlith steps into the center of the room with crossed arms. "She is so exceptional."

"Indeed she is. I already knew it, but she's exceeded my calculations. You can't control her."

"Nonsense, I already do. I only let her think she's in control. Your softness makes you weak."

Symone averts her eyes, and then suddenly smirks as though she knows a secret. "We shall see." She turns away and snaps her fingers, silently commanding an untransformed Geralt to follow. She says nothing more to Amlith, nor does she look back before the master and servant leave.

Amlith pays her words no mind and instead turns to Sinae, who has now returned to her normal state and staggers, suddenly feeling rather weak. "What just happened now? Am I superhuman?"

"Ha, not even close." Amlith jeers. "You were simply gifted advanced powers as a result of your Master's naivety to her own abilities." She approaches Sinae with a judgmental look. "You can hardly be called a knight with such a small and delicate frame. Trinity will tire of you quickly."

"Huh?" Sinae frowns, quickly understanding she's being insulting. "What's that mean lady?"

Amlith frowns. "It means I'll send you to the nether realm if you call me 'lady' again." She raises her hand towards her. "Actually, I think I'll dispose of you now. Trinity is above you."

"Don't you dare touch her Amlith!" The Hellion Princess whips her head around in surprise.

"Trinity, you've finally woken up? Just in time then, I was about to dispose of the trash for you."

"I said…." Trinity shakily gets to her feet, trying to fully brush off her fatigue. "DON'T TOUCH HER AMLITH!" Trinity stands firm with defiance, scowling at her wicked and vindictive lover.

Amlith finally shows a hint of frustration. "I'm sorry, but are you raising your voice at me right now? Surely my ears must be deceiving me, for you have the NERVE to speak to me that way."

"I have the nerve?" Trinity looks down and clenches her fists in anger, each shaking slightly. "How dare YOU have the nerve!" Trinity glares at Amlith bitterly. "I'm just your pet, am I? You only let me THINK I'm in control, right? All this time, you've just been baiting me along with your sweet words, irresistible touch, hollow affection and superficial love. Isn't it true Amlith?!"

Trinity gets to her feet, only to be swept off them in a matter of seconds as she's slammed hard against the wall, knocking the wind out of her and causing it to fracture. Amlith now presents in her demon form, her fingernails sharp as they grip around Trinity's throat while her wings stand pointed outwards, a reflection of her fury. She leans down with her sharp fangs bared by her ear.

"You get a tiny taste of freedom, and you immediately think you can talk to me any way that you want? I don't think so my dear." Her grip tightens around her neck. "We entered into this mutual agreement and the time was set for six months. We may not have had a formal contract in place, but I took you at your word and you took my generosity. You have everything you could want or need, what reason do you have to give me such betrayal in return? You are truly ungrateful, girl."

"I accepted this agreement in good faith that you were genuine in your intentions! I truly thought you accepted my wishes for independence and were willing to give me the chance to explore it properly. I believed you wanted to give me a fair chance to experience this domain and its people properly, so I could decide for myself what I wanted for them and this city. That was all a lie?"

"It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't out of kindness either. All good pets deserve to be spoiled. It's the best way to ensure their loyalty, and it worked like a charm, as always. I knew from the start that you were hoping to find a way to get the better of me and take advantage of my vulnerabilities somehow, but I'm sorry to have to give you the bad news; I don't have any. There's no weakness in my heart that you can exploit. You foolishly believed you could sway me in such a way that I would hold genuine affection for you no matter my intentions, but you were wrong. I truly care for you Trinity, and you have moved my heart, it's not a lie. However, it's not enough to weaken me and bring me down. You're wise my dear but you're still naïve. I can fix you. Just let me in."

She positions her mouth over Trinity's and moves in for a kiss. For a moment, Trinity is captured in her feelings, quickly falling into the same old routine. This isn't the first fight they've had like this, and she knows if they continue on as they have been, it won't be the last. The temptation is too strong, however, and Trinity's old habits start to creep back in. But then she hears a voice.

"One day, you will have to make a choice Trinity…This will always lead you in the right direction if you follow it, and at the end of the journey, I will be waiting…here….For you both."

Trinity places her hand over Amlith's mouth and firmly pushes her away. "No, I won't let you." She pushes back against her even harder, forcing her to release and she finally escapes her vice.

"Trinity!" Sinae rushes over to her and embraces her protectively, but from behind in her fear.

Trinity embraces the girl. "Don't worry Sinae, I won't let her hurt you. She'll never hurt any of us again." She fondly squeezes Shi's amulet against herself. "Shi's always been warning me about your lies and deceit, but I always made light of her concerns, thinking it was jealousy. Now I see, she's had you pegged for a long time, and I was the one in the dark. Never again."

Trinity slowly walks over to the balcony, paying no mind to the shards of broken glass littering the floor. She carefully climbs up, steadies herself, and holds out a hand to Sinae. "Trust me?" Sinae briefly thinks she must be crazy, yet she finds herself accepting her hand and climbing up without a second thought. Something within her just knows; Trinity isn't going to let her down.

"Don't be a fool!" Amlith angrily shouts at her with a hint of condescension. "You won't die, but that'll still hurt quite a bit, especially for your pet. Besides, what would you do without me? You need me Trinity! Those decrepit souls will eat you alive out there! You're nothing without me!"

Trinity turns her head slightly, a small, pained smile playing on her lips. "Maybe you're right, Amlith," she says softly, her voice carrying a new, unshakable strength. "But I'd rather be nothing than ever be yours again." She firmly embraces Sinae and quickly falls off the balcony. They spiral presumably towards their doom, but just feet from the ground, they are caught in the embrace of a pair of strong and muscular arms. "You're insane," a familiar husky voice says.

Trinity laughs through her tears. "Yeah…I'm totally psycho. I'm a Sinner after all." With a steady voice of newfound confidence, she says, "Now…let's go reclaim our city, shall we?"

~Act 1 End