18 - Scholar's Spite
Twilight let out a cry of alarm as the feral monster scrambled toward her. She took a step back, her horn sparking to life as she frantically hunted for a spell to protect herself. In a flash of shimmering blue, she pulled on her link to her carbuncle, and the radiant aegis formed around her a split second before her adversary reached her.
Its claws dug into the barrier with the ear-splitting sound of scraping glass, and Twilight’s relief at stopping the assault shattered at the same time as her only defence. She just had time to open her mouth before the beast crashed into her. The air was driven from Twilight’s lungs as she fell back with a cry. And then came the claws and the teeth, and Twilight was screaming.
“Try not to kill it, my pet,” Y’sanna’s mocking voice called from nearby, barely audible over Twilight’s howls and the crimson carbuncle’s ravenous snarls. “We want it alive.”
The feral carbuncle growled its understanding. But if it showed any restraint in its barbaric assault, Twilight couldn’t see it. Claw and tooth tore through her skin, and the way the monster thrashed and wriggled against her reminded her of cats locked in combat. It was too fast to keep track of, and it was almost impossible to react beyond throwing up her hooves to protect her throat.
“GET OFF ME!” she finally managed to bellow, her horn sparking to life and unleashing an unfocused pulse of aether. The red carbuncle hissed as it was kicked up and off of her, landing in a wide stance several feet away. Twilight quickly rolled back to her hooves, gasping for breath. Fresh blood ran in streams down her legs and face from the various wounds the beast had inflicted.
The crimson carbuncle hunched threateningly before her, its face smeared with gore and its eyes ablaze with hunger. She could hear its ragged breathing from here. A sickening sound that sent every prey-animal instinct she had into overdrive. Those weren’t pants of exertion. Those were the excited breaths of murderous delight.
Twilight risked taking her eyes off the opposing carbuncle for a moment to focus on her own. With a quick tug on their link, she issued a simple command. “Defend me.”
With a quivering chirp, her carbuncle leapt in front of her, stance wide and defensive. The ruby fur on its forehead began to glow brightly, and it issued a warning growl to its opponent.
Hoping it would buy her some time, Twilight quickly backed away, flipping through her spellbook in search of a healing spell. She knew they existed, she had cast one back during the fight with Ifrit. But she hadn’t studied it in detail, yet!
“Come on, come on!” she thought as she frantically scoured the pages. She could hear the crimson carbuncle snarling, preparing to lunge again. “Where is it?! Where is it-”
Twilight’s thoughts were suddenly halted as her book was sent flying out of her hooves by a burst of grey aether. She lifted a hoof to shield her face, staggering back several paces. She went to try and catch the book in her magic, but she didn’t get the chance. Another burst of aether slammed into the side of her barrel, picking her up off her hooves and sending her hurtling into a nearby boulder. She heard something crack, and unimaginable agony blossomed across her ribs, drowning out her thoughts.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Y’sanna taunted from only a few paces away. Twilight whimpered, slowly looking up to see the imperial woman standing over her, one palm outstretched toward her. Glowing runes and geometric patterns swirled in the air around her open palm, and Twilight recognized it as a ruin spell several orders of magnitude more powerful than her own. Y’sanna’s smug smirk deepened, and her eyes lidded with sadistic lust. “Bad girl. No fighting back.”
Twilight’s mind screamed with panic. She tried to stand, only for Y’sanna’s boot to smash into her face and send her slamming back into the boulder a second time. She felt fresh blood running down her lip from her nose, and more trickled down into her sinuses. She coughed and hacked at the ground. Groggily, she looked up past Y’sanna, desperately trying to find her carbuncle.
The blue being had given a valiant effort, but without the element of surprise it had enjoyed last time, it stood no chance against its more advanced adversary. Twilight’s heart clenched in despair as the crimson beast pounced on her own, pinning it to the ground. Its maw peeled wide, showing off its sharpened fangs.
Twilight reached out. “NO!” she shouted, her horn flaring with a sudden stream of magic. She focused on the red animal, trying to pry it away. But once again, Y’sanna’s boot fell upon her head, this time driving it into the damp ground below. Muddy water flooded Twilight’s mouth and nostrils, sending her into a spluttering, coughing fit. Her eyes stung, and she could barely see.
But she could see what happened next well enough. She watched helplessly as Y’sanna’s carbuncle sank its fangs into the throat of her own. Its victim let out a high-pitched squeal that lasted for a split second, before suddenly stopping. In the next instant, Twilight’s only assistance vanished, dispersing in a swirl of sparkles and blue light.
Y’sanna threw her head back to let out a bone-chilling cackle. She looked back down at Twilight, the sun behind her head in the sky, framing it in shadow. But even in that darkness, the horrible joy in Y’sanna’s eyes was clearly visible, and her sharp teeth sparkled like the reaper’s scythe.
“Is that truly your best?” she mocked, grinding her boot into Twilight’s head. “And here I thought you were supposed to be on par with a Primal!”
The tone in Y’sanna’s voice twigged something in Twilight’s mind, and a flood of indignation washed over her. She squirmed, her horn once again flaring with light. This time, however, her focus was not derived from her despair or dread, or the desperation to save or protect. No, this time, it was drawn from pure, boiling rage. The offence of having her friend hurt and her abilities as a mage so viciously slandered. A sudden rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins, and with a guttural scream, Twilight forced herself back to her hooves. Y’sanna gasped in surprise, thrown off balance by the sudden movement.
Twilight turned to her with a furious fire blazing in her eyes, her teeth clenched. A dome of purple magic formed around her and rapidly expanded out, catching Y’sanna and forcing her into the air. The imperial soldier was swift to recover, and the geometric patterns snapped back around her hand even as she was hurled back.
Twilight met the ruin spell with one of her own, the two spheres of grey magic slamming into one another between the miqo’te traitor and alicorn princess. A gust of wind was kicked up by the blast, sending Twilight’s mane and tail billowing behind her, and tall ripples of water sloshing past her hooves. She growled, taking a step forward to press her advantage, no matter how slim it may have been.
The crimson carbuncle had other ideas.
Twilight’s breath left her as quickly as she had gained it as the beast slammed into her injured side, its teeth digging deep into her exposed shoulder. She screamed, staggering to one side. She tried to fight, tried to resist, but she reached her limit. All the slash marks, her broken rib, her screaming headache, and the re-opened bullet wound in her chest finally proved too much.
Twilight toppled to one side, splashing into the shallow water. Her chest rose and fell with shallow, agonized gasps. Her eyes, lidded and unfocused, drifted lazily about, trying to find some means of defending herself. Internally, she knew she had to keep fighting, but she just couldn’t summon the strength.
Nearby, Y’sanna picked herself up out of the water, having crashed to the ground following the collision of the two spells. She huffed in irritation, looking down at her sopping-wet clothes. “Bah. You got me all wet. Stupid horse,” she snarled.
“P-pony,” Twilight corrected breathlessly.
The carbuncle biting her clenched its jaw, silencing any further remarks.
Y’sanna stalked toward her, her eyes narrowing. “Oh, because that’s so much more dignified?” she questioned. She came to a stop beside Twilight and knelt in front of her, flashing her another grin. “No matter. Give up yet?”
Twilight opened her mouth to say ‘no’ but hesitated. If she kept fighting like this, she would only get herself killed. And if she died here, she couldn’t get her element back from Scarmiglione. She’d be leaving the Scions. She’d be leaving Y’shtola. And worst of all, she wouldn’t be able to go home to her friends…
Twilight closed her mouth, and with a lump in her throat, went to offer a defeated nod.
A powerful gust of wind cut her off, washing over Y’sanna from behind. The miqo’te cried out in surprise as she was suddenly lifted off her feet and sent flying through the air to crash into the water somewhere behind Twilight.
Surprised, Twilight looked to where the gust had come from. In a flicker, her despair vanished, and in its place was a swelling tide of hope.
Y’shtola’s wand glowed brightly with green aether, and the stones around her lifted into the air, coalescing into sharpened spears. Her eyes narrowed and locked onto the crimson carbuncle. In turn, the monster released its hold on Twilight’s shoulder and instead affixed its fangs to Twilight’s throat.
Twilight inhaled sharply as she felt the pinpricks digging into her flesh. Enough to hurt and promise a swift end if she struggled, but not enough to break the skin. Panic consumed her, but she dare not move. Instead, she looked pleadingly to Y’shtola, hoping that the fear in her eyes would get the message across.
“Help me.”
Y’shtola’s eyes met her own. Her pupils steeled and dilated into thin slits, resolved, the picture of calm as opposed to Twilight’s deep-seated terror. And yet the coldness within those orbs belied the intense concern, and rage, radiating from the woman.
“Hmph,” came her unimpressed huff as she glanced at the crimson carbuncle before her gaze moved past it and onto the creature’s master. “Savage, but unstable. Unrefined. I am surprised it has yet to fizzle out. But then again, you were always known throughout the Studium for your ill-advised shortcuts to power, Y’sanna.”
Twilight, in spite of the pain, couldn’t help but blink in surprise at the revelation that Y’shtola knew this woman. But her shock was nothing compared to the target of the scathing remarks. Y’sanna’s teeth clenched so hard she might’ve cracked a tooth, her free hand balling into a fist. Her eyes burned with impotent rage in stark contrast to the near boredom she’d displayed for the alicorn.
“I am surprised you remember me. The almighty Y’shtola, prized pupil and pet of Master Matoya!” She spat, every word dripping with brazen contempt.
“I confess that until recently, I almost didn’t,” Y’shtola admitted, not even blinking as she stared down the imperial. “However, there can be no mistaking your brutal arrogance, and your actions here are reminder enough. Ever a lone student believing herself superior to her peers, bending the rules as she saw fit in knowing spite of the precedents that demand them. A student who believes that might ultimately makes right in the application of one’s aether.”
“Says the spoiled brat!” the other miqo’te spat back. “Treated like a little princess prodigy, strutting around Sharlayan place like you were a Twelve-given gift to Hydaelyn!”
Y’shtola gave a small chuckle of bemusement. “Princess? If you had actually paid mind to the other students as opposed to shunning their very approach, you would be well aware that Matoya treats nobody with such respect. Myself least of all. She made me work for all I earned. And so I did. Making demands would achieve nothing. Is that not why you abandoned your studies?”
“I saw the truth!” Y’sanna bellowed. She lifted her hand, unleashing a dark miasma of energy that bulged and festered as it streaked towards Y’shtola. The conjurer huffed and gave a flick of her wand that sent one of her stone spears into the attack before it could strike true.
Y’sanna snarled, but she nevertheless continued. “I knew Garlemald was the future of this star! Their might is such that none can stand in their way! All who have tried have failed! Doma! Bozja! Ala Mhigo! Soon enough, Eorzea will be next! I knew this truth and I brought it to my teachers, in both word and thesis! I forced the issue to the forum itself, and for all my warnings, I was ignored and cast aside!”
Y’shtola’s expression darkened. “While I have my own issues with Sharlyan’s foreign policies, remaining apart from the Empire is not one of them.”
“Then you are as blind as the rest of them!” Y’sanna spat. “Look around you, Y’shtola! People fight and they die! They die and die meaningless deaths, and the Empire wins anyway. It’s hopeless. Pointless. Joining hands with Emporer Solus is the only path to peace, the only way the peoples of Eorzea may witness the morrow. And if I must drag them to that truth kicking and screaming, then so be it!”
“How noble of you to seek the salvation of a land far from home,” Y’shtola noted, yet biting sarcasm dripped from every word. “I am certain the power they gave you when you abandoned Sharlayan was but a tertiary benefit that had no influence on your decision.”
Y’sanna’s eye twitched, and aether surged up around her. “Seven hells would you shut up!?” she practically roared, thrusting her hand forward.
The crimson carbuncle suddenly unlatched itself from Twilight’s throat and lunged, gnashing its fangs for Y’shtola’s instead.
She just smiled. “Ah, predictable.”
A confluence even greater than before spilt out of Y’shtola. Thrusting her wand forwards as if it were a knife, the carbuncle became entangled within a swirling current of wind and sent hurtling down hard between two nearby boulders. It hissed, thrashed, and snarled in her grasp, but its fearsomeness was betrayed by the pitiful yelp it let out on impact, not unlike Twilight’s own from a minute prior.
Y’sanna flipped a page in her book, beginning to cast something. She didn’t get the chance, however, as the aether holding her carbuncle surged forth to strike the imperial commander in the chest. With the breath knocked from her lungs, she found herself folding over backwards, head first into the water.
Not skipping a beat, the aether around Y’shtola’s wand shifted from pale green to earthen yellow as her eyes flashed back to the carbuncle. The feral creature already rolling back onto its paws and recovering from its predicament.
Y’shtola twitched her hand down. The carbuncle looked up in brief alarm before Y’shtola’s remaining stone spears punctured clean through it with monstrous force. A sickening crunch was heard, followed by a flash of aether as the spectral being was banished from existence.
Twilight just stared at the woman. The sheer brutality of what she’d just witnessed contrasted starkly with the calm way Y’shtola had carried it out. Clinical, precise, and dare she say refined. If she were the archon’s enemy she’d certainly have every reason to be terrified, and yet all the alicorn felt was overwhelming relief as the miqo’te briskly approached.
“Y’shtola, I-”
“We will speak later,” she spoke in a way that promised a grounding. “For now, assist me.”
Her wand lit up again, this time two motes of light sparking into existence, orbiting the sorceress for a moment before drifting into Twilight. The alicorn felt a renewed vigour in her muscles, her wounds steadily beginning to seal up before her eyes. It wasn’t as much as she would like, her body rejecting the aether as it did, but still, it was enough. She managed to get back to her hooves, her body stinging with pain, and her open bullet wound still bleeding.
Satisfied, Y’shtola refocused on their enemy. “I shall keep her occupied. Be cautious of your movement, lest your wounds open further.”
“Right. Got it. Just… try to keep her away,” Twilight grimaced, ashamed of the audible quiver in her voice.
“That was never even in question,” Y’shtola responded, holding out her wand and glaring at her opponent. “Rise, Y’sanna! I know you’re not finished, yet.”
The woman in question had just concluded fishing herself out of the water once more, yet it had done little to quell the blaze in her eyes and the fury radiating out of her. Her glare burned with such ferocity it would make Halone herself blanch. She stood up tall, idly shaking droplets of water from the pages of her spellbook.
“Heh… ha… You must think yourself so clever, harpy. You always were a manipulative bitch,” she snarled before her eyes levelled on Twilight. “I’d watch your back, pony.”
“You needn’t bother manipulating one so self-defeating,” Y’shtola bit back. “So run along, little kitten. If you are as valuable as you claim, then perhaps your imperial masters will forgive your failure. However, knowing their doctrine as I do, I wouldn’t hold on too tightly to that hope.”
Y’sanna’s pupils narrowed into razor-thin slits. “And what would you know?!” she roared, and her spell tome, in spite of the moisture seeping into the pages, flared once again with arcane light. The infuriated imperial took three quick steps, the waters around her rising like a rallying army. She thrust her hand forward, and the rising waters surged forward like a tidal wave.
Y’shtola grunted, throwing her arms out wide to conjure a protective blue dome around herself and Twilight. The waters smashed into the barrier with incredible force, sending spiderweb cracks forming all along the front. Twilight gasped in alarm, quickly moving behind Y’shtola to offer what support she could while her eyes darted frantically about for her spellbook.
All the while, Y’sanna’s tirade continued. “You’ve not met Lord Gaius!” she went on, another tidal wave smashing against Y’shtola’s barrier. “I have! And he’s a man of honour! He has standards! He has vision!”
Another tidal wave. Y’shtola growled through grit teeth and aimed one hand forward, preparing to fire off a counter. Before she had a chance to do so, however, a trio of purple orbs flew through the maelstrom to slam into her barrier. Her eyes widened in shock, and Twilight heard her let out a gasp before the barrier shattered around them.
The deluge of water swept both pony and miqo’te off their feet. Twilight cried out as she was sent sliding through muck and mud, stones buried inches under the water scraping at her freshly closed wounds, forcing some of them back open. Her bruised side screamed in protest when Y’shtola’s significantly larger body mass slammed into her, pinning her to the ground.
The purple orbs came after them, undeterred, and folded into Y’shtola’s skin. Twilight felt the conjurer spasming on top of her, and when she looked, she could see swirls of black and purple aether swirling around her friend, sucking the energy out of her. The blood drained from her face. She had yet to cast this spell, but she recognized it all the same. Addle. A short-lived curse that stifled the aether of the target, severely weakening their spells.
Y’sanna chased after them as the waves parted, more aether swirling around her book, and a combat knife drawn in her free hand. With a snarl, Y’shtola threw up a hand, blue light swirling around it as she went to catch it as she had with many such blades before.
But her magic, smothered as it was, was not strong enough. Twilight’s eyes flew wide as she saw the imperial knife slice into Y’shtola’s palm, sending a wave of crimson to splash into the water below.
Y’sanna’s boot found Y’shtola’s face before she had a chance to cry out. “Under Lord Gaius’ rule,” she went on, her voice bordering on fanatical. “People are treated according to their worth, not their blood! He sees the value in all men, even those not born of pure garlean blood! And I stand as proof of this!”
The boot came again, preventing Y’shtola from conjuring an effective counterattack. Twilight flinched when she saw the blood dribbling from her friend’s nose. She had to do something! It was only going to be so long before Y’sanna put that knife to use for something other than Y’shtola’s hand. She once more turned her eyes to frantically scour for her spellbook.
Her eyes latched onto it not far away, leaning up against a rock and partially buried in water. The cover was charred and blackened from the spell that had hit it, but it was still in one piece.
With a groan, Twilight squirmed out from under Y’shtola and sprinted for the book. To her combined relief and panic, the imperial mage was too focused on beating down Y’shtola to focus on her. Y’sanna’s screaming voice went on. “And thanks to that clarity, there is no one better suited to taking these bickering ‘city states’ and unifying them with a common purpose! And one way or another, I’ll be there to steer his hand true!”
Twilight almost ripped her spellbook in half with how hard she pulled it from the water. She turned the book open, searching frantically for a spell. With a grimace, she realized the ink in most of the pages was blurring. Useless. She would need to get it replaced.
Y’sanna grabbed onto the collar of Y’shtola’s shirt and hauled her up, the edge of her knife held to Y’shtola’s throat. “And luckily for me, you don’t get to see it!” she shrieked like a banshee.
Another rush of adrenaline. There was no time to think, plan, or prepare. All Twilight could do was act. She began channelling her magic, the aether swirling around her as focused on the traitor who would dare threaten her friend. The essence of a ruin spell gathered on the tip of her horn, but it was different. Coloured by Twilight’s anger, frustration, and desperation. Her desire to stop Y’sanna, to inflict harm in the name of protecting her friend.
Time suddenly seemed to halt. Twilight flinched as, for a brief moment, the memory of another imperial officer flickered through her mind, his face mangled under his faceplate. She heard his screaming voice echoing in her mind, and the terror that she had beheld in his eye as the light and life left it.
Could she do that again…?
The image of the dead officer faded away, replaced with the knife about to slit Y’shtola’s throat. And in that instant, Twilight decided that saving her friend was more important.
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” She bellowed, the magic around her flaring and turning a brilliant shade of ruby red. She felt a familiar presence at her side, and warmth flowed down her horn and into her chest, swelling like a rising inferno.
Y’sanna turned to Twilight, her eyes flying wide as she realized her mistake in letting the alicorn run. She dropped Y’shtola and rose to charge Twilight, only for Twilight’s newly manifested ruby carbuncle to put itself between them. With a high-pitched roar, it threw its head back, and a wave of scorching flames blasted out from it and Twilight’s joined aether. Water boiled in its wake, kicking up scorching clouds of raging steam.
Y’sanna was barely able to conjure an aegis of her own to catch it, and it shattered only a moment later. The scorching waves of heat blasted into the screaming woman, sending her flying back and into a nearby waterlogged tree. Which promptly combusted.
Y’sanna plummeted back into the water, gasping for breath. Smoke and steam rose from her body in angrily licking plumes, the flames only failing to consume her thanks to the water soaking her clothes. She reached a hand up to her chest as she struggled to breathe before looking back up at Twilight.
Twilight lowered her book, her eyes narrowing. “Give up, yet?” she echoed Y’sanna’s earlier question with cold contempt.
To her surprise, Y’sanna smiled. “H-Ha! There it is,” she remarked with a coy smirk. “That’s the power Nero wants to see…”
Before any other words could be exchanged, Y’sanna rose back to her full height, pulled something from her belt, and threw it against the ground. All at once, Twilight’s world became blinding white and deafening noise. She cried out, flailing back to the ground as her hooves reached to protect her eyes. The squeal of the unknown device continued for several seconds before slowly fading away. When it did, and Twilight could see again, Y’sanna was gone.
“Coward!” Y’shtola called after the departed imperial, hauling herself back to her feet. Twilight turned her attention to her, sighing with relief.
A second later, Twilight collapsed into the water as the adrenaline began to wear off. Her carbuncle’s new fiery colours bled out of it, reverting it to its usual sapphire shades. It purred softly at her and pressed its muzzle into her cheek before slowly vanishing in a peaceful swirl of mist.
That was it. Twilight was tapped. She could do no more today.
A moment later, Y’shtola was at her side, her hands glowing with healing magic. Twilight felt the pain in her body easing, but only slightly. She heard Y’shtola cursing above her. “Damn it all! Heal her, damn you!”
“Y’shtola, it’s okay,” Twilight mumbled weakly. At least, after pulling her face out of the water. “I’m alright.”
“Twilight Sparkle, if you are going to lie to me, at least make an effort to be convincing,” Y’shtola bit back.
Twilight opened her mouth to retort but instead groaned in pain.
Y’shtola’s expression flattened. “See?”
“Shut up,” Twilight groaned.
“None of the cheek, or I shall take you across my knee!” Y’shtola quipped.
Twilight actually managed a giggle at that. “Ha… Such a mom.”
“Again with this?!” Y’shtola grunted though Twilight could not miss the small smirk in her voice. A second later, the conjurer withdrew her hands, and Twilight felt her pain ease enough that she could at least sit up. She met Y’shtola’s gaze with a grateful smile.
It was a look Y’shtola did not return. “What were you thinking?!” she almost shouted, making Twilight flinch back in shame. “I told you in exceedingly clear terms that you were not to leave the camp! Oh, just look at you! Had I not come along when I did, you’d be in imperial custody, or worse, dead!”
Twilight looked down, her ears folding back. If Y’shtola was a mom, then it was now time for the scolding.
Y’shtola went on. “Do you believe I give such orders lightly?! That they are suggestions to be ignored at your whim?! They are called doctor’s ORDERS for a reason, Twilight!”
A few seconds passed, and Twilight gave Y’shtola a firm look. “It was the Ascian,” she said simply. “The one who stole my Element. Scarmiglione. He was here. He was coming after you. I had to try and stop him.”
Y’shtola blinked. “Scarmiglione?”
Twilight nodded. “Y’sanna said his name.”
Y’shtola was quiet for a moment, her expression remaining firm. A second later, however, she began to relax, and the hard edge in her voice softened. “I see… At least something good came of this debacle. All the same, it was foolish of you to chase after him in your state. I can handle myself, Twilight. Against a black-masked Ascian, I would have been in no danger great enough to demand you place yourself in harm's way.”
Twilight looked down and heaved a heavy sigh. “Right. Of course. I’m sorry,” she said, idly scuffing her hoof through the water.
Y’shtola sighed a moment later and placed a hand on Twilight’s back. “You are forgiven,” she said softly. “And thank you for saving me.”
Twilight nodded softly, a tiny smile coming to her face. A moment later, she looked back up to Y’shtola, her brow furrowing as a question came to her. “So… You know Y’sanna?” she asked curiously.
Y’shtola’s eyes narrowed. “...It is a long story,” she said plainly. “And we’ve not the time to discuss it now. Can you stand?”
Twilight was a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get the story right now, but she knew Y’shtola was right. They were in kobold territory, and in her state, she did not want to be caught on the wrong end of one of their weapons. She grit her teeth as she rose, her every muscle begging for rest. Still, she found her balance and offered Y’shtola a nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good,” Y’shtola smiled. “Return to the town and await me there. I was about to follow our friend into Titan’s domain when I overheard your battle, and I cannot abandon him there.”
Twilight nodded, turning to return the way she had come. A moment later, a thought occurred to her, and she looked back at Y’shtola. “Wait, you set out with a host of soldiers from Limsa. Where are they?”
Y’shtola crossed her arms, glancing back toward the domain of the kobolds. “Occupying the kobolds' outer defences and keeping them away from the aetheryte, mainly. They are deeper in than you and I.”
“I see…” Twilight turned her eyes back for the road ahead. “Alright. Be careful, Y’shtola.”
“You as well.”
With those words exchanged, Twilight began to haul herself back for Bronze Lake. As she walked, she turned her attention back to her spellbook. After a few minutes, she was feeling lucky, and with a small grunt of effort, went to call her carbuncle again.
There was a sting of pain in her horn, but the loyal creature bounded happily out of the aether, taking up a dutiful position by her side. Twilight smiled at it, giving the loyal creature an affectionate pet. “Hey. Think you can manage to walk with me back to town? I don’t want to be on my own out here…”
The carbuncle dutifully nodded and assumed a position next to its summoner as they took their leave from the trenches. It pressed its weight to Twilight, supporting her injured side as they walked without being prompted. Twilight cast the carbuncle a curious glance, and a smile graced her lips.
“Ya know… I should really give you a name, shouldn’t I?”
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"Carbunklicious," naturally.
Like the cover art design
Harmonic Eclipse
Well, Y'sanna's a thug and a psycho. Glad Y'shtola came to the rescue.
...what was Y'sanna's objective here? Just to make a point? She orders her Carbuncle not to kill Twilight, but damns her best to do so anyway. Her....attitude (and borderline obssession) with Gaius reminds me a lot of Livia....
Still think Y'shtola should give Twilight a linkpearl. I'll accept that she probably doesn't randomly carry spares, but when she gets a chance. It couldn't hurt to actually give Twilight a way to contact her and the other Scions if need be.
11491739
Plan was to beat her into submission
11491739
Given what we know of Gaius and how he treated the solders underneath him it is very likely that she was not subjected to the normal Empire racism. Her goal here is obvious as it had no real depth to it, get Twilight and give her to Nero. Her comment at the end was her saving herself with the explanation that she was just verifying the power for them so that they know she is a worthwhile target.
11492151
I feel like Y'sanna was just playing with Twilight, though. Twi has a lot of potential, but Y'sanna is much more trained. If her goal in this fight really was to just capture Twilight, she could have done so easily. But for as cool-headed as Gaius himself is, he has a lot of hot-tempered subordinates.
I agree with you on Y'sanna's treatment, though it doesn't really change anything I said. If you recall Rhitahtyn, he's similarly loyal to Gaius for receiving fair treatment but was never so...extreme about it.
11492157
Playing with or just arrogant? there are many examples in the game where we see the solders of the Empire think too highly of their abilities and think that no one non-empire could be powerful enough to challenge them.
11492182
Why not both? I don't think those are mutually exclusive.
11492185
yea i could see that
11492185
I'd go so far as to say that you need to be arrogant to play with your food. You don't do this thing if you believe you are at any significant personal risk.
I just got the linkpearl emote
11492182
Both. Empire's doctrine declares others as savages, so there is a superiority complex.