Titanfall War of the Gate

Chapter 22 Crystaline Witch

Florian, Henry's Penthouse, August 5th, 8:00 PM:

At this moment, Henry was at his penthouse, exhausted from the events of the day. Arpeggio was using her magic to heal Henry, who had been completely drained of his life force and was feeling the aftereffects of his encounter with Cystalite.

"Goddamnit," Henry cursed as he lay on the couch while Arpeggio tended to him.

"Tell me about Cystalite, Henry. I've read about her. She's the boss of the Crystalline Mining Corporation, right?"

"That's right. She's considered the most beautiful woman in the frontier, and she often uses seduction in her dealings," Henry explained.

In detail, Henry described Cystalite's distinctive features, such as her bright pink hair, striking pink eyes, and provocative clothing. As he recounted what had transpired, Arpeggio's anger grew.

"So, in other words, she raped you?" Arpeggio asked.

"Well, you could say that, but there was little I could do. It was...refreshing, and I saved the company by satisfying her. Totally worth it. But now she's my mistress because I fulfilled her desires," Henry admitted.

"I was starting to respect her when I read about her ability to create any crystal at will. But this is too much. That woman will pay for what she did," Arpeggio said to herself.

Arpeggio couldn't help but feel infuriated by the fact that Cystalite had initiated an encounter with Henry before she could, despite her own feelings for him. She had seen Cystalite on the internet and understood why she was irresistible to men. Nonetheless, as an experimental human herself, Arpeggio spoke to Henry about the idea of challenging Cystalite.

"You can't... Arpeggio, you have to live with what happened. I can't change it. She's a maneater, and I saved the company. Is this because you're jealous?" Henry asked.

"No, no, no, I'm not jealous," Arpeggio denied.

"If you want to feel better about what happened to me... I have a private beach. Just don't fight her," Henry suggested.

"She raped you!"

"Look, she gets away with it because she's a woman. It's part of her job anyway. She operates like that, and besides, she's unkillable."

"What are your feelings for her?"

"Neutral feelings at best. I must admit she's quite attractive," Henry said, blushing, which further annoyed Arpeggio.

Despite her annoyance, Henry took her to the private beach, which offered a beautiful sunset and a small hut for them to rest in. Arpeggio remained reasonably irritated.

"I'm just going to sit over there and give you some alone time," Henry said as he walked away. Arpeggio turned around and was startled to find Cystalite sitting beside her.

"What the... You..."

"Hello there."

"How did you get there?!"

"I learned about you because I put a tracker on Henry, and I can sense that you're mad," Cystalite smugly replied.

"Of course I am. You... interfered with my feelings for him."

"Ah, yes, well, I can't help myself. He was so passionate, and I loved it so much. Better than the 127,897,190 men I've been with," she admitted, making Arpeggio skeptical.

"What do you want from me?"

"In simple terms, an alliance. I heard you're a mineralogist from the Special Region, Anne, or should I say Arpeggio? Mineralogists are in high demand in my company, and I'll pay you and provide you with love advice. In return, we'll share Henry."