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Perhaps it was the lack of aether, the help given by the beast tribes, or the simple fact that Fandaniel hadn't had time to put his full plan in motion, but the fights against the three lunar primals had been strangely easy, considering everything. Niv had been worried about the others as they broke off into groups, afraid that they might get tempered, but indeed not even Alphinaud or Estinien were in danger at any time while fighting Lunar Ifrit, and thus she eased her mind, believing the same was happening to the others at their own fights. After all, she couldn't spare to get distracted when the whole world was at stake.
Once they finished Ifrit off, they began to head back to help the others that had been injured or tempered, but before Niv could take the first step outside of the small arena Fandaniel had created for their fight, she saw a shadow in the sky and lifted her head up, seeing the Ascian in that small, frail looking body, smiling down at her, his eyes calmer than usual. She narrowed her eyes, lance in hand and ready for a fight, but he just chuckled and slowly descended, away from her attacks, just far enough to avoid any confrontation.
"I knew you would defeat my first toys, but I did not imagine you would do it so quickly... regardless, I still have a trick up my sleeve, not that you, Warrior of Light, wouldn't have guessed it already" he said, chuckling to himself before moving his arm, waving her away. Niv felt a strong wind pushing her back and she jumped, back into the arena, staring at Fandaniel with her spear ready, waiting for a fight against him. Instead, he laughed, and the aether barrier raised again, making it impossible for her to escape, or any of her friends to get inside. "Please... have fun with my last attraction of the day. I have way too many issues to take care of back in Garlemald. See you later, Warrior of Light" he waved, before disappearing the cloud of smoke that she had seen so many times before.
Niv turned around, facing the middle of the area, ready for a new fight. As she expected, the aether around her began to take shape, growing larger and larger and taking a form she had seen two times prior, a form she hadn't fought that long ago. Her grip on the lance became firmer and she stared as Lunar Shinryu showed itself in front of her, shaking its body and letting out a screech that could be heard all over Carteneau. She did not even wince, getting in her stance, focusing on the power of the Azure Dragoon inside her and feeling the strength taking over her body.
A final battle then, to finish this stupid fight with a perfect score.
Alphinaud and Estinien had been so focused on returning to the rest of the group that they did not see that Niv had stayed behind. They began aiding the people around the battlefield, making their rounds, and only when Alisaie and G'raha approached them that they realized that something was wrong.
"Where is Niv?" Alisaie was the first to ask, turning her head around and searching for her in the crowd. The other three began looking, and soon the other three Scions had joined the search, all of them freezing when hearing a loud screech that made the seven of them freeze and flinch. They turned their faces towards the arena Alphinaud and Estinien had just left, their eyes widening at the sight of a Lunar Shinryu getting ready for battle.
They turned to face each other once more, the seven of them with the same intention in mind, before they took off towards the arena, leaving the wounded at the cares of the grand companies and city states. Their friend was their priority.
It was clear as they came closer, however, that they were way too late. The barrier of aether was settled, putting a halt at their assault despite all their intention to help. The seven of them moved closer to the barrier, staring at the battle unfolding, all of them in unease. Niv's movements were natural, her lance pierced through the dragon as if it was meant for it, and she dodged the attacks with an easiness that would make anyone jealous. However, unlike other times where she had the help from her friends, be them scions or no, she was fighting alone, and not only alone, but also having to protect the confluences from getting damaged. That alone was distraction enough, making the dragoon have to position herself in awkward places in the arena, especially since she could not heal of fix the damage caused by Shinryu whenever an attack did hit on the structure.
And, of course, having a small arena with a huge dragon did not help, even with her abilities and blessings. Every attack she dodged, every hit that caught her, the Scions felt as if they had to do something, but no matter how much they tried, none of their cures or assists reached her.
"Damn this barrier!" Alisaie cried out after trying, for the sixth time, to give Niv some help. She slammed her hand against it, but it did not flinch, and she growled, slashing the barrier a few times with a sword for nothing. "Can't we break this?! Do something?!"
"I'm afraid not. We cannot break this barrier, it is made of pure aether, something Fandaniel placed so we could not aid her, most likely" Y'shtola said, touching the wall gently and frowning.
"So we just sit and wait?!" Alisaie exclaimed, looking at the others, but they all seemed lost. Estinien frowned, getting impulse and trying to jump over the barrier, but even above where it showed, he still felt the pressure and fell back down next to the others.
"It goes beyond our reach."
"She has handled worst battles, I am sure she will do just fine" Thancred said, trying to give Alisaie some comfort, but even his voice didn't show the same strength as usual. They were still studying this Lunar primals, and the fact was, they had no idea what they were capable of.
"I'm sure-NIV!" Alphinaud yelled, pressing his hand against the barrier, watching as his friend was slammed against the barrier by a particularly strong hit from the dragon's paw that sent her flying off. Alisaie rushed to his side, and the Scions all watched in apprehension as the Warrior of Light pushed herself up, staring at the lance that had flown out of her reach. She wiped the blood from her forehead and rolled away from another attack, the ground next to her breaking at the slam of the monster's paw. She jumped, reaching her lance and getting back on her feet, focused on the dragon and its next attack. It prepared a breath of fire and she shifted away, using the moment to approach it and land another blow that made it screech once more, every attack making Shinryu more ferocious.
At that moment, it seemed to change targets, and instead of focusing on the hero, it turned towards the confluence and charged an attack towards it. Niv seemed to notice, jumping towards the head of the monster and grabbing it by its hair-like strands and slamming her lance into its head. The attack distracted the monster from its target, as she had hoped, but it let out a screech so loud even she flinched, losing focus for a split second, enough for the dragon to shake her off, sending her flying once again, this time with the lance on its head. She hit the aether barrier and fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented, lifting her head and pushing herself up as the primal moved towards her. It was heavily damaged, probably one more it and it would be defeated, but her lance was on its head and she needed to find some way of distracting it again.
She got up, shaking away the pain and focusing, drifting from side to side at every new attack, dodging the most intense ones and running around the creature, trying to find an opening. Finally, she saw it charging another flame attack and stopped, staying in the same spot until the last second before running away from the attack, knowing that for those seconds it was vulnerable. She jumped then, grabbing onto the monster and climbing its sides, listening to it screech and holding onto it whenever it moved and shook, finally reaching her lance and pulling it out of its head.
She jumped again before the dragon could shake her off, and focused her strength on the blood of the dragon, watching as the circle formed a perfect target over the primal's head. She lined up her lance, and dove, going through the primal's head and all the way down to the ground, breathing hard as it froze and then disappeared in a bunch of aetheric smoke.
Finally, finally, the aetherical barrier dissipated, and the Scions rushed inside the area, heading towards a very wounded and tired Warrior of Light. Alisaie was the first to reach her, kneeling down and reaching for her arm, worriedly staring at Niv as she panted, breathing hard, supporting all her weight on her lance despite being kneeled down on the ground.
"Niv? Niv, are you alright?" she asked, holding the dragoon's arm firmly, and the Warrior gave her a nod, closing her eyes and breathing even deeper, before she started coughing, a few drops of blood falling from her lips.
"She needs a surgeon, now" Y'shtola said upon seeing it, and the three healers in the group got themselves ready, using all their knowledge to heal her the best they could. Y'shtola and Thancred left to look for an actual surgeon, while Estinien remained close by in case someone else came to fight. Alisaie tried to help, but she was tired from helping so many tempered, so she simply sat next to Niv and held her arm, giving her support.
"You'll be fine... you did great" Alisaie mumbled, brushing her hair, and Niv turned her head to face her, giving her a small smile and a nod.
"Thank you Ali" she mumbled, before her eyes closed and she sighed shakily, clearly in pain. Alisaie felt her heart squeeze with worry, but Niv seemed to be getting better, while Urianger, Alphinaud and G'raha used all their mana to help her recover and keep her stable.
Eventually, Thancred and Y'shtola returned with two surgeons and all the city state leaders, none of them staying behind when they heard of the Warrior of Light's state. The two surgeons and Kan-E-Senna took over the cares for the hero, giving the three healers a break, and eventually they took Niv towards the barracks where she would be able to rest and recover.
After she was settled in a small room surrounded by curtains and walls, the Scions slowly took off through the battlefield to help more people, leaving the warrior's care to the surgeons. Alisaie seemed unwilling to go, something the others understood, but G'raha came close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making the elezen girl focus on him.
"She is being well taken care of. People need your help to end the tempering..." he said, squeezing her shoulder, and Alisaie sighed, knowing he was right and nodding.
"Let's go" she mumbled, giving Niv a last glance before leaving with G'raha to help more people around the battlefield.
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It surely took them a while, but eventually, all possible people were cured, and those that weren't were either dead or dying, being mourned by their close friends. The beat tribe leaders came to thank the Scions once more, and so did Aymeric, since he had been the one to call for their aid in the first place. The Scions accepted the thanks gladly, but their worries laid in the barracks, so the leaders of the city states and beast tribes left them be, and the group headed together back towards the barracks that now were calmer, less busy.
The surgeons requested that they waited a little longer, and that they decided who would come inside, preferring that the warrior of light remained with fewer visits for the time being. Thancred, Urianger, Y'shtola and Estinien passed the opportunity for the other three, who seemed eager to see their friend, but at last, G'raha gave in and told the twins to go check on Niv alone, something they thanked whole heartedly. Once the surgeon called, the two of them rushed to their friend's side, and Niv smiled at them, laying on the bed and resting.
"You gave us quite a scare, friend" Alphinaud said, sitting on a chair next to her, while Alisaie found a space on the bed and sat, reaching for her hand.
"What happened?" she asked, worried.
"Fandaniel. He came to speak to me after Alphinaud and Estinien left, I believe he wanted to test me somehow" Niv said, shaking her head. "It does not matter. I am perfectly fine, ready for another battle."
"Absolutely not, not for a long while!" Alisaie disagreed, frowning at her. "At least until you are fully recovered. I know this time it wasn't your fault but still, you must be more careful. We couldn't help you outside that damned barrier Fandaniel placed."
"I was aware. Thank you for helping me, or at least trying" she smiled, giving Alisaie's hand a small squeeze, chuckling at the light blush that showed up on her cheeks. "And how are the others? The tempered, the leaders?"
"All fine and in good health, for the most part" Alphinaud said, smiling at her. "We couldn't save all of them, sadly, but the beast tribe leaders were pleased with our efforts, and ser Aymeric was thankful for the aid."
"I'm glad it all ended well" Niv nodded, and her eyes turned back towards Alisaie, who seemed more relaxed although still concerned. "I am fine, Ali."
"Oh, I'm aware. I would never forgive you if you weren't" she said, teasing her, and Niv chuckled quietly, relaxing further against the pillow and gently intertwining their fingers together.
"I think I will give you two love birds some privacy" Alphinaud said, making both of them blush at his smirk. "I will be outside, but don't take too long, the others really want to check on you."
"Thank you" Niv smiled, giving him a wave as he left, closing the curtains behind himself. She then turned towards Alisaie, who was still blushing, but seemed calmer than before. "Were you too worried?"
"Well yes, and no, because I know you can handle yourself" she responded, shrugging a little and coming closer, brushing the hero's hair back and gently brushing her cheek with her thumb. "But I guess I get as worried as you do when I'm in battle."
"Fair..." Niv nodded, slowly pushing herself up to a half sitting position, and reaching up to hold Alisaie's hand, giving it a soft kiss. "But I will never allow myself an ugly injury, you know that. I have to save the world, you know?"
"Of course, my Warrior of Light" Alisaie teased, smirking, and leaned closer, placing her forehead against the dragoon's and sighing. "I do get worried, though, so be careful. Yes? The next battles... they are going to be difficult. We are going to be looking after each other all the time, no matter what."
"I know" Niv agreed, brushing her nose against Alisaie's and smiling. "But I'm confident we will win this war, like we won so many others before. Together."
"Together" Alisaie agreed, leaning in and gently stealing a kiss from the warrior, one that was quickly responded, both of them relaxing into it, the kiss gentle and sweet, a press of lips, a warmth that served to calm their insides, for their conscious and unconscious minds to know that they were fine, that they were together, alive.
They pulled away with a sigh, and stared at each other, brown eyes fixated on grey, both with silly little smiles on their faces.
"I will never get used to this, I think" Niv mumbled, unable to stop smiling, and Alisaie raised an eyebrow, giving her a smirk.
"Oh, I will make you get used to it if you want."
"Are you two going to allow us in or not?" they heard, turning their faces to see Y'shtola smirking by the curtain, curious eyes behind her. The two girls went red and moved apart before the rest of the Scions came inside, separating them for some time while they made sure their friend was safe and sound.
It didn't matter, though, because their eyes remained focused on each other, and they just had to wait a little longer to be alone again.
To be safe in each other's arms again.