Crisis of Faith
Arm raised; dodge to the left.
Going to try to catch me on the backswing, step back.
One more swing, across the body, step under the blow.
NOW!
The warrior cried out as Domina's claws slashed his exposed stomach. However this was a veteran opponent and he did not falter for long, stepping back to put a little distance between them and bringing his shield into a defensive position. He nodded slightly, a mark of respect for Domina's skill, before tapping his shield twice with his blade to goad her into attacking.
Domina smiled, though it was not visible behind her finely wrought mask. Without hesitation, she rolled forward as if to strike at the warrior's legs, but quickly shifted direction and brought one claw up in a sweeping motion to try and once again strike at his now wounded stomach. The warrior was prepared this time, sidestepping to the right and causing Domina to overshoot her mark, before bringing his sword down to decapitate her.
Reacting with the speed she was famous for, Domina caught the blade in her other claw, before twisting her wrist to lock it in. With practiced grace, she cartwheeled around the warrior's arm, wrenching the sword from his grip and disarming him. Tossing the sword away from the pair of them, she now had the upper hand.
Pressing her advantage, Domina moved forward and began to strike, probing for a weakness in the warrior's defences. Each of her strikes was met with his shield, and the two duelled for a good couple of minutes. Finally Domina forced an opening and went for the disabling strike, but a sturdy hand caught her arm before she could do so. The warrior hefted her off her feet and threw her to the ground before she could react. He then swung his boot into her side, winding her. Domina managed to recover enough to roll away before the sharp edge of the warrior's shield came crashing down where her neck was a moment before.
Rolling to her feet and still feeling the sting in her side from the warriors boot, Domina re-evaluated her strategy. This warrior was faster than he had let on, and she sure as hell wouldn't underestimate him again. So this time she was a bit more cautious, making feints to test his reactions. Without a weapon he was at the very least forced to be more defensive, trying to strike without the benefit of steel was a very risky strategy.
Yet once again the warrior surprised her, swinging outward with the edge of his shield. Domina was lucky to catch the telltale twitch in his shoulder before he launched the attack, and leaned back just enough to have the edge sail harmlessly past her. Quickly countering, she made a sharp jab with her claw into the warrior's forearm, causing him to reflexively jerk back and bring a hint of warrior's rage to the surface. He swung with the shield again, and this time Domina could anticipate it. She jumped and launched herself off of the shield, sailing over his head, twisting in mid-air and decapitating the warrior in a single clean stroke. She landed neatly behind his corpse and raised her right hand in triumph, and in response the crowd in the arena roared.
They always love a flashy ending.
"Brilliant as always Domina." Cliff, her manager chuckled. "Make it look like you're on the ropes, then pull off the classy victory."
"I was on the ropes." Domina replied without emotion. "He was exceptionally skilled."
"Was, my dear. But you were better." Cliff grinned, handing over the bag of silver. "Anyway, here's your take."
Domina nodded silently and attached the bag to a loop on her belt. Cliff left her room without another word, he knew she liked her privacy, and she would never relax with him there. He had never even seen her face under that mask, and she had made it very clear that neither he nor anyone else ever would.
Once the door had shut Domina undid the ribbon holding her blond hair in place and let it flow out. She released the latches on the vambraces that her battle claws were bolted to and placed them on the simple wooden table in front of her. She was about to remove her mask when a tapping sound made her spin around.
Sitting in the only chair in the room was a man clothed entirely in black, a mask over the lower part of his face. Along his belt were all manner of weapons, most notably a trio of throwing knives and a pair of Katar. It would take too long to equip herself with her claws; she would have to deal with this intruder unarmed. "Get. Out. Now." She growled.
The man was obviously not rattled; he leaned back in the chair and put his hands behind his head. "Oh come on, surely you could be nicer to an old friend?" He said simply.
"I don't know you." Domina stated. "Get out."
The man stood up and Domina prepared herself. But he didn't advance on her.
"You don't need to play games. I know who you are… Amber."
Sighing, Amber Rain removed the mask that had kept her identity hidden for the longest time. "Damnit Lance, why couldn't you just leave me alone?" She groaned.
"I need your help. The war needs someone of your skills and renown."
"My skills and renown got a city razed to the ground, every single man under my command butchered, and my lover killed." She said as she leaned against the table. "No way am I going back out there to send more people to their deaths."
"You kill people for a living."
"That's different. That's one person, who is paid to fight me. Who will kill me if I don't kill them first. It's not an army that I order to fight. Order to die."
Lance walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, before crouching slightly to look her right in the eyes. "What happened was not your fault. I saw the reports from Majiya's second attack on the City of Spears. You were outnumbered 10 to 1. No general could have saved that city. Not even Gunther."
Amber pushed his hand away. "But then what did I do? Followed Serena and Gwen and got the rest of my men killed."
"And saved our reality in the process." Lance replied. "Those men gladly followed you; they knew what was at stake. That it had to be done. You were unflinching in your resolve, and they would have followed you through the gates of Hell. I need that again. I need Amber Rain."
She looked at him, looked into those tired eyes. Lance had put everything aside, everything, to fight this war since the battle of Ravendark. She could see the sacrifice written all over his face, and the regret. She knew he had lost much, yet he kept pushing forward. Because he had to. Because he was needed. Now it was her turn to heed the call, and looking at him, she knew she could not walk away. Not again.
"Let's go."