I don’t know you.

Ailith watched helplessly as Talus turned against his friends under the influence of Graz’zt, his eyes unfocused but his aim true. Xiv weathered the blows as best they could, but even from a distance Ailith could see them struggling.

I don’t know you.

Above the battlefield, Ace was flitting back and forth, casting healing spells as best she could. Her little voice was going hoarse as she yelled incantations and shouted prayers in an attempt to keep her party breathing, if not standing.

I don’t know you.

Ailith’s head swam for a second as the connection between her and Feyra was severed once more. The bond put in place during their wedding made them stronger, yes, but only if they stayed together. Trouble was, Ailith needed to be in the action while Feyra was better from a distance. It couldn’t be helped, but the emptiness in Ailith’s chest was disconcerting nonetheless. At the very least, she was trying to keep Feyra in her peripheral vision, but Rina was demanding her full attention. Ailith knew that Feyra was somewhere over her shoulder, firing arrows into Graz’zt — she could hear his angry bellowing echoing out around them — and that would have to do for now.

I don’t know you.

Graz’zt was trying keep Ailith at his side, but she wasn’t having it. He could compel her to walk to him all he wanted, at first opportunity she was running right back to Rina. Ailith’s ring had blasted a counterspell at Rina when she’d tried to disintegrate Xiv, but that was a one off, a desperate shot in the dark. Ailith needed to get Rina off the field if they had a hope in all the hells of beating her, Graz’zt, and Prescott. Ailith ran up the wall, her muscles shaking with exertion, ducking as Rina raised her finger and started speaking in her garbled, dead language once more. Ailith followed the direction of Rina’s hand and watched in horror as Feyra collapsed behind one of the walls, out of view.

I don’t know you.

Ailith screamed in rage as she turned back to Rina and drove her cane into the twisted grin growing on the lich’s face. Rina didn’t even flinch as her jaw cracked and broke, but her eyes started to glow a faint purple. Ailith shoved her back as she started cackling, the sound only growing louder as Ailith pushed her over the edge of the tower. Rina didn’t even give Ailith the satisfaction of watching her fall. Her cackling faded away as she twisted in the air and her form turned into purple smoke that rushed through the windless sky towards the rift.

You will.

Ailith wasted no time in turning and leaping off the wall, running full tilt to where Feyra fell. She was fast, but Graz’zt was faster. He climbed to where Feyra lay and hoisted her limp body in his arms. No no no. Ailith felt the breath leave her lungs as Graz’zt raised Feyra above his head, towards the rift. Streaks of purple lightning lit the sky between the rift and Feyra, bathing the redhead in a purple haze. Ailith ran, her chest heaving with exertion. Graz’zt lowered Feyra with a dark laugh, just in time for Ace to send a blast of healing energy towards her. Ailith watched as Feyra’s eyes flew open and she shimmered in place for a moment before disappearing in a haze of mist.

You will.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ailith hauled herself up to where Graz’zt stood, his face twisted in confusion as he looked at his now empty hands. Ailith saw Feyra reappear several feet away out of the corner of her eye. Knowing Feyra was safe for now, Ailith turned to Graz’zt and unleashed everything she had in her arsenal at him. She saw his confusion turn to anger to turn fear when he realized Rina was gone and Talus, under his own control once more, had just dispatched Prescott.

You will.

Ailith wrapped her thorns around Graz’zt’s neck and yanked, watching with grim delight as his eyes bulged and his hands scrabbled at the thorns. His eyes glowed purple, but unlike Rina, he didn’t disappear. Instead, he exploded into a cloud of purple smoke, only to reappear even larger in the same spot. Ailith had to crane her neck up to meet his eyes, her teeth bared in anger. Fucking demons and their fucking tricks. Graz’zt chuckled, his sight honed in on Talus once more. “Take care of them,” he called, his voice reverberating through Ailith’s chest. Talus turned to Xiv, his eyes blank and his sword raised. Godsdamnit, Talus. Ailith didn’t have time to worry about Xiv; she knew Ace was hovering nearby, ready to heal them.

You will.

With Feyra at her back, loosing arrows at an almost inhuman speed, Ailith leapt into action. Her cane was a blur, pulsing with energy as she pummeled every bit of Graz’zt she could reach. She felt her knuckles bruising, her arms burning with exertion, but there was no time for weakness. This was their last chance. Ailith leapt off the wall towards Graz’zt as he cackled, his mouth open to reveal sharp, cracked teeth. Ailith flung her thorns out, grimacing with satisfaction as the wrapped around Graz’zt’s open jaw. Using her body weight, she yanked, pulling the demon down to his knees.

You will.

Ailith tightened the thorns, letting out a bark of laughter as Graz’zt bellowed and clawed at them. His body was bruised and bloody, bits of rib exposed where his chest heaved in panic. Ailith had seen the look in his eyes before. They were the eyes of someone who knew they were beaten.

“Look around you,” Ailith yelled, arms thrown wide. Feyra stood behind her, an arrow nocked and ready. Ace was hovering a level below them, tending to Xiv’s wounds as Talus apologized. “You’re alone. You lost.” Graz’zt snarled, fingers grasping weakly at the vines digging into his tongue and cheeks.

Ailith moved closer, black ichor splashing onto the ground from Graz’zt’s ruined mouth. She put one hand on Graz’zt’s upper jaw, holding his mouth open. “You want to know who I am?” She whispered, the words for him and him alone. “I’m the person who beat you.” Anger flared in the demons eyes as Ailith grinned and yanked down on the vines, ripping Graz’zt’s lower jaw off his face. An animal howl erupted from him, abruptly cut off by Ailith’s fists caving his chest in. Graz’zt dropped, his black lifeforce pooling over the flagstones. His body dissolved before Ailith’s eyes, melting away until there was nothing of the demon left. Ailith swayed on her feet as the adrenaline of the moment faded.

“Ailith!” She turned in time to see a red and green blur barreling into her, arms coming up to wrap themselves around Feyra.

“We did it. He’s gone, it’s okay.” The words were frantic, pressed into the skin of Feyra’s neck. Ailith could feel Feyra’s pulse fluttering against her lips, the sensation bringing tears to her eyes. “We won.”