Chapter Text
This is taking too long.
Those thoughts echoed in Y’shtola’s mind as she continued to press on with her spellcasting, growing increasingly frustrated as the spells seemed to not slow the former champion of Eorzea’s footwork in the slightest. Between her, Thancred, and Alisaie, they should have been enough to contend with them, even in their prime, but something was definitely off about how many hits they were continuing to take. Not that it didn’t show they felt the pain from every blow, but the unnatural way they continued on without cease. It defied basic logic of a normal mortal’s capabilities, and that was making her increasingly nervous. Her eyes centered on the bind that was on their soul, figuring it had to have something to do with whatever command that had been issued by Alisaie’s traitor of a brother, but a simple instruction shouldn’t be enough to push past mortal limits like this.
Though, knowing how Gareleans were with their experiments, it was highly likely they enhanced their former comrade in some form, leaving them as nothing more than a tool to place on the battlefield to turn to the tide whenever they pleased. It made her sick, the way the spell wrapped around their core seemed to constrict anytime they appeared to offer even the slightest bit of resistance to delivering a retaliatory strike. Like a snake slowly suffocating its prey to its final breath before devouring it whole. There was no doubt the Warrior of Light was a victim in this, even Thancred had to have figured that out by now with how much they were holding back, only exerting enough force to keep them at bay from where Alphinaud had retreated to. Alisaie was correct about her prior assessment about conflict begetting conflict in this regard, but they had little other choice. Whatever Alphinaud was doing in there needed to be stopped, he needed to be brought to heel and forced to face the consequences of his actions. They couldn’t just let him go after he had sabotaged their entire organization’s path forward by his selfish actions. Whether he thought he was acting in the best interest of the star or not, this madness needed to be brought to a close.
Another loud echo of Thancred’s clash with the Warrior of Light’s lance echoed off the snowy landscape, joining the shrill of her own assault along with Alisaie’s attempt to aid in the conflict. They couldn’t back down now, this was certain, but she had hardly expected to hear yet another addition to the conflict’s crescendo of violence. The unmistakable bang of a gunshot, accompanied by the smell distinctive of such a weapon. Singular in its execution, but all too familiar to her from her repeated excursions upon the battlefield. Though when she went to scan for the origin of this new found assault she found her body reluctant to budge, as if it had been gripped tight by some invincible force. Then the pain followed. With a hoarse cough, she felt her knees give out from underneath, her focus now upon herself in the midst of the heated conflict.
Wha…what happe…?
Blood erupted from her mouth with a series of forceful expulsions as her diaphragm spasmed from the sudden sharp stinging in her chest as she looked down to find an open wound upon her left upper quadrant of her abdomen. Gripping it with one hand, she gritted her blood stained teeth as she collapsed into the snow, staff falling to the wayside as her eyes focused on the aether of the one who pulled the trigger in the distance. Words failed her as she started to black out from the pain, barely hearing the panicked cries of Alisaie rushing over to her aid. Thancred’s voice was in the mix along with the continued clashing of metal, signalling his preoccupation with the Warrior of Light, who seemed to be now pushing back. The last thoughts in her mind before she blacked out was frustration for being too late to stop whatever the male elezen had set into motion.
—------
Gunfire. Sudden and sharp. Y’shtola on the ground, blood seeping from a fresh wound and dripping from her mouth. Alisaie’s eyes widened with horror as she watched Y’shtola collapse in the snow, a red stain emanating from her person as the young elezen quickly bolted over, attempting her best to heal her companion. True, healing wasn’t her specialty, it was begrudgingly her brother’s, but she had to at least try.
“Y’SHTOLA! Y’shtola, can you hear me?! Please! Say something!”
It only took an instant for what little edge they had in this fight to suddenly take a turn for the worse. Alisaie continued to cry out to Y’shtola, attempting to heal the injury, to stop the bleeding, her own blood pumping in her ears as she could barely make out Thancred’s voice calling out to her. Everything was spinning, but one thing made it through the overwhelming adrenaline.
“ALISAIE! GET DOWN!”
The sound of a ricochet off the cold steel of Thancred’s blade reverberated off the blinding snowscape as he intercepted the second shot fired. It was difficult to concentrate on healing with so much going on, but one thing was certain, that shot came from somewhere. Her eyes darted about as her attention focused on the door her brother had entered prior to the start of this bloody battle, now ajar ever so slightly.
No…he wouldn’t…he couldn’t-!
Alphinaud had fired a gunshot not once, but twice now at them. Her brother, her own flesh and blood, had attempted to shoot her in the midst of her aiding Y’shtola. He hurt Y’shtola, he shot her. The grave reality of the situation was cutting at her heart like a knife, shredding apart the remainder of hope she had held for her brother’s return from the path he now walked. Everything in her was screaming, denying the truth, just like when they first came face to face back in Garlemald. She had hoped it had been an act, that maybe she could’ve saved him, that all of it was not of his own making, but that fragile hope she had piece together in their pursuit, her prayers barely holding it together, shattered into unrecoverable shards.
Alphinaud had shot Y’shtola, and then tried to shoot her. You didn’t pull the trigger of such a weapon unless you intended to kill. Her brother tried to kill them both, and now was holding a gun pointed in their direction, likely aiming to shoot once more. Thancred was covering them in a defensive position, the Warrior of Light now having retreated back a few steps, thrown off by the situation at hand, but there was no telling how long they could hold now that Y’shtola was down. Thancred having to devote himself to defense entirely meant he wouldn’t have time to pursue, leaving only one option in Alisaie’s mind as she gripped her rapier tightly. The wound had thankfully stopped bleeding, but Y’shtola needed aid from expert chirurgeons if she had any hope of recovering.
The next steps Alisaie took, driven purely on instinct and adrenaline, sent her flying right past the Warrior of light towards the door where her brother now hid behind. Behind her Thancred’s voice calling out as she kicked up the snow with every step, determination pushing her onward.
—---
Thancred had barely any time to react, Alisaie’s speed far outpacing his own as he cursed under his breath. The Warrior of Light, if you could even call them that, was snapping out of their shocked state, and they were clearly not keen on Alisaie making it past them. Their attention seemed to zero in on the young elezen’s back, like they were about the strike.
“Like hell I’ll let you-!”
Charging forth, the male hyur intercepted the spear of the would-be assailant, stopping them dead in their tracks. They were pushing harder, almost in a panic, desperate to chase after Alisaie. Was Alphinaud really that important to them? Or perhaps this was just the effect of whatever command they had been given? In any case, he wasn’t about to let them gain an ilm in Alisaie’s direction. If he had the chance, he would have stopped the young elezen from acting so rash in the first place, but all Thancred could do in this moment was keep their back covered while praying Y’shtola could make it through with what little healing Alisaie had been able to provide.
The Warrior of Light started to become more irate, panting heavily in their shaken desperation to get past him, but every attempt was met with Thancred’s impenetrable defense capabilities. A series of curses left him as the former champion continued to thrash wildly at him, growing more desperate to pursue Alisaie by the second.
Whatever you’re planning, Alisaie, you better make it quick!
Blow after blow met with resistance, he watched as the humanity in his former friend’s face drained, reduced to nothing more than a puppet pulled on strings in their desperate bid to follow their master’s command. The spell his friend was under was a nasty one, Thancred had to admit that, and there was likely no cure with how potent it appeared to be, meaning death would be a mercy. It was no different than the poor unfortunate souls who had been enthralled. The other scions likely would try to save them, he knew they would disagree with his conclusion, but he was out of options. With resolve, he pushed back against his former friend, determined to keep everyone safe and bring closure to their suffering. Reason could not reach those who were enthralled, it was a reality everyone knew all too well.
—---
They passed me.
Reality sunk in quickly for the Warrior of Light, they’re entire body shaking as they felt the noose of Alphinaud’s magic tighten, practically strangling them. Sure, the Warrior of Light was worried sick for Y’shtola and the bullet wound she now suffered from, but all they could focus on now was that growing shrill sound in their ears, the order was clear. Do not let them past, kill them if you must. They failed. They failed to obey.
No. No this isn’t, no! I didn’t mean it! I-!
It tightened further, threatening to choke the life out of them as they bolted into action, only to be met by the immovable resistance of one Thancred Waters. Every attempt to get past the gunbreaker met with failure, the noose tightening further as they felt like their body had been lit on fire, all reason leaving them as they flailed their weapon with reckless abandon at their former comrade. If they had enough sense in that moment, perhaps they could have seen the pity in the male hyur’s eyes, but all they could hear was the continued command growing louder in his mind, and the pain that followed for not being able to execute it.
Alisaie had to be stopped, by any means necessary, they had to stop them. Their mind went blank, the magic choking every bit of their soul out of them as they acted out purely on instinct, their mind numb to a point of blinding white. They barely registered the new pain their body felt when the blade ran them through, blood seeping out of their mouth as they felt the magic in them snap like a twig underfoot, and the relief that followed like a sweet and bitter honey. Slumping to the ground, they coughed up blood, looking up at Thancred, a weak smile gracing their features as they uttered their final words.
“Th…a…n…k…yo…u…”
Finally, after all this time, they were free. After everything they had done, all the lives they had taken at their friend’s command, they were finally given the respite they so desperately craved. Every battle they had endured, silently they had been praying someone would finally cut the strings, and now, they could finally rest. The expression of the male hyur’s mixed emotions was the last thing they saw as death took them, finally being released from the duty they had long since shouldered. Peace. At long last.
—----------
I…I shot her…
Alphinaud’s breath hitched in his throat when he saw Y’shtola go down. It was sudden, anticlimactic even, but the reality of it just didn’t seem to click the way he thought it would. It was such a simple act, taking the life of another. A simple pull of a trigger and you remove an obstacle from your way, a chess piece permanently dismissed from the gameboard. However, as logical as it all was, as easy as it was, Alphinaud couldn’t help but feel like something inside him had died at that moment. The last bit of light in him darkened as he watched his former friend cough up blood on the cold snow before Alisaie rushed to her aid. No, if she healed her they’d be back to square one, he couldn’t allow that. Once again he cocked his gun and aimed, finding his hands trembling far more than before. That was his sister. Was he really going to shoot his sister? Before he could think, his unsteady fingers slipped and pulled the trigger, causing his breath to hitch in his throat as his eyes went wide.
Thancred blocked the shot, earning a shaky sigh of relief, but that relief was all too fleeting when he saw his sister immediately start darting in his direction. Alphinaud fumbled with the weapon in his hands, the fickle instrument locking up and refusing to fire. He didn’t have much to speak of in terms of ammo, every shot counted in this deadly roulette, but having it lock up on him while Alisaie swiftly closed in was less than ideal. In a flash, she was there, ilms away from his face, her rapier launching quick with a decisive move, embedding itself into his left shoulder and sending him flying backwards with her in tow as he fell backwards down the stairs and onto the cold steel flooring. The impact of the landing caused his vision to blur as his body wracked with pain and ripped a guttural scream out of his throat. His hand gripped the fault weapon in his right hands he lifted it up, gritting his teeth through the pain as he pointed directly at the forehead of his dear sister.
Vision clearing slightly through the haze of stars from the impact, his eyes beheld a furious expression upon her visage. She was pissed, and rightfully so. Alphinaud had shot and potentially fatally wounded a former ally. He had sicked the Warrior of Light on them like a rabid guard dog. All of this no doubt had sent his twin’s blood to boil. However, for as livid as she looked, there was more to her expression than just rage, there was pain, disappointment, pity, and an overwhelming sadness for having to do what she must in this moment. The elezen gazed at her, his finger on the trigger, the weapon incapable of firing, but in this moment it was the only move he had left to play. That’s when the snap reverberated in his soul, his magic instantly feeling the cut of the strings that tied him to his one and only true friend. Alphinaud’s pained expression from the rapier digging into his left shoulder seemed to numb as his eyes went wide.
“They're dead…”
It was over. Outnumbered and outmatched, there was no getting out of this. Slowly he lowered his right hand that held his sister at gun point, falling out of his grip as he trembled underneath her, tears starting to sting the corners of his eyes as he felt the weight of it all truly sink in.
He had lost.