A new beginning [Closed?]

[Clover]

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The weather was kind that sun, allowing for the trip to Gridania to pass mostly uneventful. Sitting silently on the carriage, Clover’s eyes remained glued to a landscape that had been slowly changing. The dry, orange lands of Thanalan disappeared little by little, welcoming the green and brown. Green and brown and blue, like her childhood memories.

 

“Is this your first trip to Gridania?”

 

The voice of a man who’d been sharing the traveling carriage with her could be finally heard, claiming her attention for the first time. She turned her gaze towards him before replying with a soft shake of her head. Albeit she wasn’t smiling, she didn’t mean to be impolite either.

 

“I see. It’s the best place to spend a few relaxing days in my opinion,” he commented with a very friendly tone. It was alright if the hyur girl was reserved-- he could still smile for the two of them. The rest of the passengers of the small carriage were asleep, so she was the only candidate that could keep him some company, bored as he was. “I wish I was here on holidays, though! But you know, business always take priority. How about you? Why are you here?”

 

“I’m just… coming back home, I guess…” she replied after a very brief pause, keeping her eyes on the stranger now. She prefered it if he told her more about his story instead of asking about hers. The conversation was simply more interesting that way.

 

“Ohh, that’s very nice! You see, sometimes, I certainly miss having a home to re—“

 

His words were abruptly interrupted by a masculine voice demanding for the carriage to come to a halt. It was easy to recognize an elezen Wood Wailer, perfectly armed with his characteristic Polearm. Clover’s traveling companion gave her a nervous smile, before turning his attention to the approaching soldier.

 

 

“A skirmish has broken out up ahead with the Ixal! For your own safety, you must remain here until—“

 

His warning had been clear even before he could finish the sentence. A threatening arrow, impacting directly against the carriage’s wood, alerted everyone.

[K'nahli]

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"I could walk this path a thousand times and still be awestruck by your beauty.." a young Midlander spoke silently to himself as he strolled through the forest, head tilted upwards in unfaltering appreciation for the massive canopies that stretched dozens of yalms across in every direction far above him, blotting the cerulean sky with magnificent shades of emerald and copper. Closing his eyes slowly, he allowed himself a deep and relaxing breath of the fresh, forest air. The lulling aroma of foliage and tantalizing, yet gentle, sound of trickling water from a nearby stream were almost enough to lure one into a trance. Opening his eyes once more, he gave a quiet chuckle of contentment as he continued along the path.

 

 

“This way! A carriage has been caught in the crossfire!“

 

A gruff voice instructed from behind, breaking the once enchanting solace of the hyur's trek. Glancing over his shoulder, he witnessed three Wood Wailers charging past him in formation, weapons drawn in preparation, as they sped towards an attack, no doubt, that was occurring up ahead.

 

"Carriage...?"

 

Andre pondered for a moment if he had heard the wailer correctly. His casual and carefree expression slowly faded and morphed into a subtle, yet distinct grimace as he replayed the words in his head a number of times, the meaning of which slowly began to sink in as he returned to reality. If innocents were in danger then he had an obligation to offer his assistance.

 

Though times were more dangerous now, he was not highly cautious about taking such walks through the twelveswood surrounding Gridania. As a result, he was relatively, lightly-equipped. Regardless, he at least had his gladius with him, holstered by his side. Gripping his weapon firmly, he pressed it in place against his hip as he sprinted off in pursuit of the wailers to aid in their defence of the civilian caravan.

[Clover]

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“Woah!! What’s this?!”

 

The traveling man jumped on his seat, violently startled by the arrow that happened to land really close to him. Clover’s eyes opened wide, alarmed, and took a quick look outside the carriage. It was then that she saw them emerging from behind the brushes, wild and untamed, aiming to destroy their enemies.

 

“Ixal beasts!” She yelled, informing the other travelers of the danger they’d have to face. The rest took cover the best they could, albeit the open carriage made them quite exposed.

 

“Let’s just go!!” The traveling man raised his voice for the coachman to hear him from the front seat, but as much as this one would have liked to go ahead as fast as possible, a group of beast men were blocking the path. “Damn…”

 

He grabbed a dagger he’d hidden in one of his boots, readying himself up for whatever could happen. A small grin crossed his features when he noticed the hyur girl with a small knife on her hand. She looked at him with a deadly serious, slightly nervous expression.

 

“I really hope you know how to use that.”

 

She'd never had the chance to use it before, but that wasn't what he wanted to hear. Her hands weren't shaking, at least.

[K'nahli]

Skipping over fallen branches and nimbly evading through various brambles and thickets, Andre finally caught up to the Wailers who had been leading the way to the scene of the attack. Though no sooner had he done so than they had arrived. He immediately began surveying the scene from atop the hill, analysing the impending threat and attempting to evaluate the best course of action, though only for the moment he could afford to spare. Ixals began bearing down on the carriage from its flanks and the path ahead was blocked by more of the beasts, denying all hopes of escape for the defenceless occupants without intervention. There was no time for talk, both Andre and the small group of reinforcements charged down the hill towards the carriage, assuming positions on opposing sides of the carrier.

 

As luck would have it, they were close enough to reach their destination before the Ixal could, albeit there was no time to strategize, hardly even a moment to breathe, before the first of the Ixal drew within touching distance of the carriage, weapon raised high above it’s head, ready to slash downwards at the defiant hyur who dared stand in its way. Andre inhaled deeply, digging his feet firmly into the gritty path, forming a solid stance as he posed ready to counter the beast that carelessly assumed no value in the midlander as a warrior. The Ixal hissed threateningly in contempt as it unleashed a heaving, downward strike towards its opponent.

 

 

 

 

“…huaaaaaah!!”

 

Andre exhaled heavily as he quickly caught the strike with his gladius and used the beast’s own momentum against it, tossing it’s blade off to the side while simultaneously offering a crippling laceration to the Ixal’s torso. It was enough to knock the beast off balance and cause it to twist on the spot from the force, allowing Andre to finish the creature with a thrusting strike through it’s side. The Ixal let loose an agonizing cry in pain as it collapsed before the hyur, falling lifeless among the rotten leaves that littered the side of the path.

 

The Wailers had prioritised the far side of the carriage,where the greater concentration of Ixal beastmen had appeared as well as the ranged attackers which posed as the most hazardous threat to the occupants of the carriage. Andre was alone on the right flank, with two further Ixal looming. They had slowed their approach after having witnessed the slaying of their kin. They readied their weapons fiercely as they slowly beared down on the lone defender, offering him enraged and menacing glares. These beasts would not make the same mistake as the former.

 

 

Movement from inside the carriage caught Andre's attention, glancing only partially over his shoulder, he addressed the occupants behind him while maintaining his focus on the Ixal with his peripheral vision.

 

 

“Please! Remain where you are and keep your heads down. You are safest inside the carriage”

[Clover]

A few travellers looked out from the carriage with clear worry in their features. Others, a mother and her child, took cover on the carriage's floor, unable to watch the scene or even move. The presence of more Wood Wailers felt like a ray of hope for them all, albeit Clover couldn't help but pay attention to the lone warrior from her side.

 

He'd bravely killed one of the beasts, the first one to approach them, only to be targeted by two more the next moment.

 

The girl squeezed the handle of her knife, aware that nothing much could be done against the Ixal's large spears and swords with such a petite weapon; she might be dead before the tip of the short blade reached any of them. On the other hand, her knowledge in elemental magic was still quite limited, but perhaps there was something she could do to help the warrior. Even if just a distraction...

 

As quickly as she could, Clover reached inside her bag and grabbed an old, small branch. Her arms stuck out the carriage then, branch in hand, and with shut eyes she started concentrating. Right when both beasts seemed ready to attack the white warrior, the ground cracked and moved underneath one of them, giving him a brief struggle not to lose its balance.

 

It might not have been much, but perhaps that'd give the warrior some time to make a move on the other beast.

 

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[K'nahli]

Andre’s brow furrowed as he returned both the beasts’ glares, eyes darting from one to the other, analyzing their every step as they slowly approached him, snarling viciously with each stride. Taking on both simultaneously was no mere task. Their sheer size gave them the advantage of strength, even only one of them would have posed a real danger. Andre had been lucky with the previous attacker, but the remaining two Ixal were not going to underestimate the misleadingly, ill-equipped hyur in the same fashion.

 

The cries of terrified passengers from behind him echoed loudly in his head, serving as a reminder that he must plan his next move carefully. It was not just his own life that could potentially fall forfeit should he fail now. Andre tried to drown out the noise, the panicked passengers, the chirping of the spooked chocobos, the clashing of steel and tearing of sinew from the battle occurring a distance behind him, all of it. It became faded, distant, near-absent. He blinked slowly as all background noise drained further and further until all that was left in the world was himself and his two aggressors.

 

*….………*

 

”..nnghh?!”

 

The nearest Ixal grunted in surprise as the ground began shaking and cracking under his feet, causing him to briefly lose his footing and remove his glare from Andre. The hyur was unsure what had just happened but he wasted no time searching for an answer. He charged forward with speed directly towards the afflicted Ixal. Though it had lost its balance, it would still likely manage to parry any strike Andre were to deliver with its towering lance. Instead, Andre rammed into the Ixal, throwing all of his weight into the blow causing it to tumble over backwards on to the ground. He had no time to inspect the damage but he hoped that he had at least momentarily winded the beast.

 

Andre immediately turned to meet his remaining foe’s glare, but the Ixal was no fool. Predicting Andre’s attempt to take advantage of the situation, he had already begun launching an attack in Andre’s direction. The hyur raised his sword quickly, barely managing a momentary parry followed by a dodge to the side before the full weight of the strike crushed down upon him. Andre winced in pain as his abrupt attempt at blocking put severe strain on his right shoulder. He gripped it lightly with his free left hand, vainly attempting to soothe the pain and numb feeling traveling down his striking arm. The Ixal watched Andre closely, strafing around him momentarily before quickly approaching again for another attack.

-- --

 

The Ixal offered three horizontal strikes in quick succession. Andre responded hastily, taking a step back each time accordingly, throwing his upper body further away from the Ixal’s blade, the sheathe narrowly missing his neck each time. Pausing for a brief moment, the Ixal let loose a vicious snarl as it threw a final, more powerful strike mimicking that of the previous. Andre saw his chance this time. Having regained his footing, he drew his blade upwards to meet the Ixal’s. The clash of steel rang through the air as he managed a successful parry despite his injured shoulder. Wasting no time, the hyur twisted his blade to allow his opponent’s to catch the edge of his steel and slip more easily before manoeuvring himself accordingly and successfully opening the beast’s defence.

 

“…Haahhhhhh!”

 

Andre delivered a powerful kick to the beast’s stomach, causing it to stumble backwards and drop to one knee. Andre rushed forward taking this chance to deliver the fatal blow. He let loose a furious slash with a hate-filled roar as he aimed towards the beast’s abdominum, one that would certainly put an end to the creature’s life.

 

!

 

“…?”

 

It took Andre a moment to realise what had happened. The beast, despite appearing totally disarmed managed to successfully guard the attack at the last moment. Both combatants' blades were locked togather, faces only a breath away from each other as they stared each other in the eyes. The Ixal’s filled with only contempt and hatred. The beast wasted no time hesitating on the moment. Delivering a shattering headbutt to the smaller hyur, the Ixal regained the advantage. Andre recoiled from the brute force of the blow, releasing all strength he had been placing against the Ixal’s sword. The beast threw Andre off of himself with a mighty heave of their still-colliding blades, causing him to fall backwards on to the ground and drop his weapon. Everything was a daze. The skull-shattering headbutt completely destroyed his senses and orientation. He shuffled and fidgeted against the damp, forest floor as he struggled to reclaim his senses. The Ixal climbed back to its feet and began walking tauntingly towards the hyur. It cried mockingly and it drew closer, ready to deliver the killing blow. Reaching the midlander’s feet, it drew it’s blade up, clasping the handle with both hands as he prepared to take on the role of executioner. Andre’s vision slowly returned, the towering, blurry figure came into a little more detail as it heftily raised its blade, dragging it behind it’s grotesque, horned head.

 

“I won’t…. I can’t….” Andre exasperated, though his words failed to reach his lips as he struggled to breathe. His eyes turned to find his gladius that lay just barely out of reach. He struggled for it in vain, as the beast continued mocking him with blood curdling howls.

 

 

The blade came searing down, piercing the air with a distinct sound of impending death. Andre’s eyes widened and flashed in anticipation and instinctive response. Tucking in his limbs he quickly rolled out of the blade’s path, the strikes just narrowly missing him and striking cleanly into the soft soil just below where he had been lying only a fraction of a second ago. In a moment of adrenaline-fueled response, he reached for his Gladius and threw a low slashing attack to the creature ankle, slicing through flesh and tendons alike. The creature howled in pain as it crumbled under it’s own weight. Andre delayed little, taking a couple of brief breaths to regain his strength before offering a fatal slash to the creature’s chest.

 

The blow was deep and forceful. Finally it was dead.

 

 

Andre climbed to his feet. His foe has proved more of a feat than he had hoped but at least he had emerged victorious. He remained on the spot, staring down at the fallen creature as he panted heavily in exhaustion for a moment. His fringe hair clung to the stream of blood that was flowing down the side of his face, from where the Ixal's headbutt had made contact with his forehead. He hardly had any time to recover before he became distracted by the snapping of a branch and shuffling of leaves behind him. Andre turned just in time to see the previous beast he had knocked down a few moments earlier, one he had naively forgotten about in the heat of the battle. The beast threw a winding attack towards the hyur’s chest as it charged towards him. Andre attempted to raise his sword and parry the attack, but this time he was too late. The blade slashed through his clothing and stained the ground with splashes of deep crimson. The force sent him stumbling backwards, forcing him down on to his knee. He clasped his wound with his free hand as he glared up at the approaching beast, still panting with exhaustion. The pain was almost non-existent with the adrenaline rush… but at this point he was fatigued and weak…

 

[Clover]

Clover had seen this before, hadn't she? Though it hadn't been quite like this. Not quite, no.

 

She'd read stories of princes, brave warriors fighting enormous beasts; their lives always on the line, their ending always victorious. She might have witnessed a few unpleasant quarrels between pirates in Limsa Lominsa, violent scenes of nonsensical decadence. And none were like this-- not this raw, animalistic, intense. Painful.

 

Ah, perhaps this was what her parents saw, what they felt in that far side of the world. She even tried to imagine it in her small trance, wide eyed, motionless, still unable to remove her gaze from the grotesque scene. Her mouth was open, yet no voice came out of it; it was just in her mind. "Move...! Move...!" Just in her mind, as in those books she always read.

 

He was down on to his knee then, bleeding, defeated. The Ixal beast had a clear advantage over the hyur, approaching him like an executioner willing to inflict the final blow. The final page of that small story was about to be written in front of Clover's eyes. Would she just watch like a mere spectator in a macabre function? Or would she reach out with her arms one more time, no matter how futile it was?

 

Her eyes closed, her hand moved the branch slightly once more, calling upon the elementals to hear her soundless voice. The ground shook again, more violently this time, until a small yet protective wall made of stone and sand emerged between the beast and its prey, making the former lose its balance.

 

"Stand up!"

 

And this time, her voice did come out of her throat.

[K'nahli]

Andre tried to force himself back to his feet, but his body refused to obey his will. His legs felt unnaturally weak and incapable of supporting his weight. It was a surreal feeling. The pain had numbed to a mild burning sensation traversing across his chest and nothing more. How could this mere graze subdue him?

 

(“Get up... fight”) Andre tried to egg himself on,knowing full well that he stood no chance unless he could climb back to his feet.

 

(“You’ve taken worse beatings than this, don’t fall to such a pathetic wound at such a crucial moment”) his thoughts began to cluster together in a unanimous determination to summon the strength to finish the battle.

 

(“Fight…”)

(“Fight…….”)

 

The Ixal charged forward towards his crippled foe with a menacing screech, weapon poised forward in attempt to run the hyur through. Andre exhaled sharply in angry desperation as certain death drew closer.

 

However, a lifeline… a barrier of earth and stone rose abruptly from the ground, shielding Andre from the impending attack and briefly disabling his foe. Conjury… perhaps a Wailer? It mattered not though for the man was still alone and in danger. He had one final chance to bring himself back into this fight or submit to the beast’s wrath.

 

(“It is now or never…)

 

Andre continued breathing heavily. The air on that warm and sunny day seemed to suddenly grow cold and painful, stinging his lungs with each breath he stole. He reached deep this time, once again trying to summon the energy to get back to his feet. Could he manage just that much, he felt he would have the ability to continue the fight. It was just that one stepping stone that would power his weakened body enough to continue.

 

(“Now… get up….”)

 

The beast reclaimed its footing, setting his eyes once more on the crouched hyur.

 

(“Stand up, Andre….”)

 

The Ixal lowered its weapon, aiming the tip of the lance once more at him as it began to charge.

 

-(“Stand up!”)-

 

 

A feminine voice reached him, serving as a final cry of encouragement that rang throughout his head with the same effect as the wails of the Coliseum crowds as he pushed himself slowly, but steadily away from the ground with a strained heave. He barely managed it, but he was finally on his feet once more, offering the creature one final challenge.

 

The Ixal beast slowed its charge out of caution and instead stopped a short distance from the hyur, replacing its charging attack with a safer, thrusting strike aimed directly for the man’s fragile body. His caution, however, was misguided. Instead, he played directly into Andre’s hand, allowing him to counter the assault more easily.

Still clutching his chest with his left hand, Andre threw the beast’s lance away with a diagonal strike and followed through with the momentum of the swing to deliver a circular slash to the beast’s upper body. He landed the hit, though the wound was not grave. The creature recoiled briefly in pain but was allowed no time to recover. Andre pressed forward striking the beast’s lance repeatedly as it continued parrying his strikes while being forced backwards by Andre’s persistent onslaught.

 

Not letting up, the young hyur delivered numerous more strikes, continuing to weaken and fatigue his Ixal opponent who struggled to keep up with his rapid and forceful attacks. It was not the most tactful of strategies, but raw force was all he could muster in his current condition.

 

 

Finally his efforts saw through. The beast, unable to take another beating, lost its weapon through its now, turned-frail grip. The Ixal’s eyes followed its final line of defence as it slipped free from it’s claws and tumbled into a nearby thicket before returning its hopeless gaze once more to the hyur, just in time, to witness him thrust the final, killing blow through its chest. A pained gargle sounded from the creature’s throat as it’s lungs filled with blood. Andre’s stare remained fixated on the creature’s, a fearsome glint flared within as he watched the Ixal’s beady eyes fade until they fell vacant and lifeless.

After a brief pause, Andre slowly withdrew his blade from the beast’s body, causing it to fall limp at his feet.

 

 

The sounds of battle and merciless rage fell silent once more as the gentle melodies of nature finally returned to greet the young hyur's ears, sending him home to the real world. The rest of the Ixal must have had also been vanquished, for all that remained to be heard were the beautiful sonnets of the vibrant twelveswood. He gave the fallen a final, momentary glance around him before tilting his head upwards, speaking once more to the forest with a tone that seemed to be mixed with both surprise and acceptance.

 

“Can not even death taint your beauty?”

[Clover]

The beasts had finally fallen, victims of elezen and hyuran blades. With this small battle -which luckily didn't cause major loss beyond their own deaths-, their threat had been temporary eradicated from that path.

 

"Phew, that was dangerous!" the bearded traveller said, taking a sip from his bottle of wine. He really needed it. The rest of the passengers also displayed relief, for some of them had feared the worst just a few seconds ago ago.

 

Clover grabbed her bag and jumped her way out the wagon to run beside the injured hyur, the stranger who'd defended them almost at the cost of his life. He might not be the only injured soldier, but he was the one whose wounds she'd witnessed, at least, and it was clear that he needed medical attention as soon as possible. Besides, he didn't look like a Wood Wailer, nor did he seem to be as prepared for battle as they were; it was as if he'd joined the skirmish out of pure altruism.

 

"Please, sit down against that tree," she spoke from behind, interrupting his inspired moment of contemplation. The girl's face remained serious, her tone a mix between a request and a command. She made it clear that she was there to help him, and that any kind of refusal would not be accepted.

 

 

((OOC: I'd love to add more screens, but being on a trip makes it difficult ;_; ))

[K'nahli]

Andre brought his eyes to a gentle close as his head remained tilted slightly upwards to face the canopies. The various beams of light that broke free through the maze of branches and leaves above warmed his face, a soothing feeling and one that he welcomed with open arms following his exertions.

 

 

("....sit down....that tree")

 

He heard that female voice from before call out to him again. Without the distraction of battle, he now furrowed his brow slightly in confusion.

("Strange") he thought. ("That sounded so... real?").

"...?"

Opening his eyes again, Andre turned to face a young hyur girl standing next to him, a serious expression carried through her beautiful, jade eyes which remained fixated on him with intent, mixed with what seemed to be worry. His own changed suddenly in surprise, up until now he thought that that final push of encouragement from when he was kneeling before the Ixal, staring death in the face, had come from himself, but in actual fact... it had been this young conjurer? Was she also the one who assisted in fending the beast off? Andre stared blankly at her for a moment, almost forgetting to respond.

 

"..oh... no.. no" Andre responded at last, offering the girl a modest smile.

 

"It's really nothing, I'll get it cleaned up when I get ba-.."

 

Andre tried to continue, taking a brief step past the girl, only to lurch forward unexpectedly, nearly collapsing to his knees once again. He let out a gasp in pain as he struggled to keep himself standing. No, he was not okay. His adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, numbing most of the agony he would otherwise be experiencing, but even so, he could not make it back to Gridania in his current state. His bleeding refused to cease, pumping out various, continual channels through his crimson-soaked fingers which just barely succeeded in slowing down his draining vital fluid. His head continued to pound from the force of the headbutt he had endured earlier. Though that wound had stopped bleeding, it left him in no better comfort as his dizziness returned and disappeared in short spells repeatedly.

 

"Agh.." he struggled to catch his breath. The pain was slowly becoming more real, burning and searing through his chest with each second that passed.

"Then again... that tree does look rather comfy.." he jested, nodding towards the moss-covered, tree truck that the girl had previously indicated.

 

 

With the assistance of the conjurer, they made their way over to the nearby oak tree. Falling down into a seated position against it, Andre rested his back against the bark under the sheltering shade of the Twelveswood's giant, allowing his unusual guardian to examine his wounds. He observed the girl in silence, her expression eternally focused and serious. Even had he the strength to walk, he wondered if she'd have allowed him to leave. He continued watching her in puzzlement, she carried a mysterious aura about her. One would expect a different reaction from a civilian, particularly one of her age, after having gone through such an ordeal. Though all seemed well now, was she not afraid of endangering herself? Was she no stranger to violence? As for her willingness to assist, she didn't seem reserved or even doubtful. Not even squeamish? She was intriguing, to say the least.

 

Andre parted his lips to speak to the girl who was still seemingly unaware of his watchful gaze.

"Were you also the one... who helped fend of the Ixal?"

 

His voice cracked slightly in places as pain slowly returned to him in pulsing jolts of agonizing distress. Albeit, he retained his composure. If at least for the young girl, he should act as though she needn't worry too much about her success or failure with tending to his wounds.

[Clover]

Clover would have insisted, indeed, but it wasn't necessary. It only took the warrior a few seconds to realize on his own how much he needed medical attention. She helped him on his way to the tree and knelt down by his side, facing him as he rested his back against the trunk. Then, she proceeded to take a quick look at his wounds. It wasn't difficult to assess what the most severe one was-- the injury crossing his chest from side to side, without a doubt. Her expression remained serious the entire time, clearly concentrated on her task; she was unaware of his gaze on her, and truth be told, it was also irrelevant at that moment.

 

It wasn't the first time she had to deal with such a situation, was it? Ah, but those memories weren't something she needed now. Even if everything had been fine back then, even if she did well.

 

Holding the small branch, Clover closed her eyes and placed both hands in front of the warrior's chest, not quite touching it. A soft, warm light started emanating from them. It wasn't a quick process, but it'd be enough to at least close the wound and prevent it from bleeding.

 

As she did this, his voice could be heard as a question. The girl's eyes remained shut as she replied, her expression still the same.

 

"My magic is not very good yet, but I'm glad I could be of any help."

 

Little by little, the young man could feel how the pain from his chest diminished. After a moment, Clover's eyes opened again, and this time they raised to meet the warrior's.

 

"How are you feeling now?"

[K'nahli]

Struggling hard not to grunt in discomfort as his wound slowly began to close, Andre rested his head back against the tree, shutting his eyes firmly as he patiently awaited for the process to come to an end. As she continued tending to his wound and after a brief pause, the young conjurer gave her answer, confirming the warrior's suspicions. So, it really had been her.

 

Andre opened his eyes once more as the tingling sensation finally subsided. He couldn't quite make out if his wound had been closed or not through his torn, blood-soaked clothing but the pain had almost entirely vanished and he was no longer losing blood. His expression lit up in surprise as he evaluated his protector's handiwork. He turned his glance to her, only to find that she was already watching him once again, her mysterious, peridot eyes meeting the bewildered gaze of his sapphires. Inquiring to how he was feeling, she continued watching him intently, awaiting his response eagerly and perhaps anxiously, doubtful as she was of her own abilities.

 

Andre gave a light-hearted, yet brief chuckle before returning her a warm smile as he gently reached forward, catching her delicate, warming fingers in the palm of his hand and clutching them softly as an expression of humble gratitude before answering her directly.

 

"I do believe that is the second, if not third time you have saved my life today, milady"

 

He spoke in a melodic tone, carrying through the formalities he would have typically displayed back in Ul'dah, a habit he would not soon break.

 

"I fear coin would not suffice to repay you in the manner most gratifying to you. Howbeit, I am truly indebted to you"

 

He continued addressing her as he slowly clambered back to his feet, her hand still lightly clutched in his, serving as a medium to express his genuine appreciation for her selfless actions.

 

"Pray tell, how could one possibly repay you?"

[Clover]

Clover blinked just once when the warrior took her hand, eyes opening a bit more than before. Her previous determination had subdued, leaving her with a hint of shyness and surprise. It wasn't just the unprecedented way he was displaying his gratitude, but also his outstanding chivalrous manners. The hyur girl had spent the past five years of her life living in a city of pirates, after all; everything she'd seen was a huge contrast with this young man.

 

Once both were standing, Clover took her hand back slowly, shaking her head in refusal.

 

"You've saved us all. You owe me nothing."

 

What followed was her head lowering in a deep, respectful bow. Even if there wasn't a trace of a smile in her face or voice, her gestures and tone were still full of gratitude.

 

"Thank you very much. Please stay safe from now on."

 

This said, she turned to the carriage. The other soldiers seemed to be out of danger, so it was time to continue the eventful trip to Gridania.

 

 

 

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