The Withering (Wriothesley - Genshin Impact Fanfiction)

Danse Du Cygne Noir

[Author's Note: Listen to the "All Devouring Narwhal" Boss Theme for immersive experience XD I hope y'all can somehow tolerate this chapter.]

***

Katya posed in her minimal, racy gym clothes, earning her a series of cheerful whistles from the crowd. A hand on her waist, and the other to her full lips, blowing kisses to the air before she sauntered around the ring with her hips swaying.

She knew she was sexy, and her toned, hourglass physique was one of the things that made the crowd in the Fortress of Meropide wanted to feast their hungry eyes at her, aside from her famous combat prowess on the ring. She might not be up to par with the Duke himself, the unbeatable Champion of the Pankration Ring, but she did make good coupons from lewd, suggestive moves alone.

But she wasn't what caught the eye of the Duke.

Freya.

She and his Head Nurse might try as they might to hide things from him, but he had ears all over the Fortress of Meropide. He knew that the meek redhead had struck a bargain with the informant whale in this underwater prison, but he didn't expect their business to be conducted in this manner, at the ring. The Duke didn't know what he should be expecting from this combat.

Seeing Freya standing there in a pair of black tights and an old white t-shirt on her small form, alone and frozen on that ring made him feel like snatching her away from this place and feed her double portions of luxurious welfare meal. He did quietly supply her with some luxurious welfare meal in the past few days out of pity for her effort at gaining more coupons to buy the information that he had gathered beforehand, but those too, she sold for coupons, and where does that get her?

Right here, on the ring with Katya the Blue Lightning.

Wriothesley scoffed under his breath. He still cringed at the corny stage name the convict came up for herself.

The gong sound reverberated through the metallic walls of the room, and the rowdy crowd cheered. Katya posed her fighting stance, smirked and winked at Freya.

The redheaded woman's expression was detached, her green eyes held a wistful look in it, and her opponent with dark blue hair scoffed.

Katya snickered. "You caught me in a good mood. You go first. Come at me, weirdo. You can do it."

When the meek looking girl didn't move for a while, Katya rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

The dark blue haired fighter dashed at Freya, her fist raised, and the crowd cheered.

Katya could've sworn that the weirdo was in her grip. But she vaporated into the air, causing the fighter to almost lose her footing. Katya looked around in confusion at the black vapor around her, before the sound of collective gasps of the crowd registered to her ears. She turned sharply to find Freya across the ring, slow walking, as if she was lost in her thoughts while taking a morning walk at the Court of Fontaine.

"She has a Vision?"

"This is a foul combat!"

"You think Katya never engaged in a foul combat herself?"

"What does this mean?"

"I searched her myself. She carried nothing of the sort."

"What Vision does she have? Pyro? Hydro?"

"Do those elements normally look like that?"

Katya blocked out the voices of the crowd, her chest burned with anger, her ego wounded at the redheaded woman. "Sly bitch," she spat, then she charged at her again.