*
No other way to describe it, it was like fighting a natural disaster. Even enhanced by yggdrasil's simulation wasn't enough for Sariel to keep up. She teleported closer, got hit in the side then teleported away to retreat. Taneda was strong enough to punch a hole through her body before she could move her arm forward to connect an attack. She retreated as fast as possible, but she still received the hit.
"Hiss...! It's always the hip or waist." (Sariel)
There's one chance, she needed to make an opening for Arin to carry out her plan... Worse case, she could just sacrifice herself to surprise Taneda, that way Arin could use that gap... Not right now, not yet. It would be in vain if she squandered that last resort right now. She floated in the air at a far distance away from Taneda, carefully observing. Taneda, naturally, was no longer found in the same spot.
Sariel teleported once more as a precaution, when she surfaced into reality, what greeted her was a punch to the face. Unable to leak even a sound, blood poured out of her Jaws for a short moment before her body smashed straight into the road. Taneda arrived in front of her, ready to throw more punches. Arin was teleported behind Taneda, she reached her hand out to her as fast as she could, but Taneda jumped away in caution and prepared to attack.
It would be convenient if she could change the location of her opponent, but life wouldn't be this easy. The impact to her head knocked her out for a short moment, another one and she might have died. For whatever reason, Taneda hesitated long enough for Sariel to {Swap} Arin nearer. Did she still want to take them in?
Arin jumped in and started firing away with her weapon. The bullets while made of magic, wasn't dense enough to even damage Taneda's skin, so she swatted them away like flies. Arin needed to save her magic, but now was not the time. Her friend was in mortal peril, she moved with as much precision as possible while going full speed. Shooting at the opening of Taneda's cloak, she hopped from building to building. Taneda arrived next to Arin in a single step.
Sariel had another idea, a way to guarantee contact between Arin and Taneda. But Arin might not survive... No good, Taneda beat her too much, the impact to her limbs smashing into the ground broke her bones and severed her nerves.
'Move... Move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move, move!!!!!! There is no one else, but... Me!!! No one else can deal with her!! So I have to do it!' (Sariel)
She lifted her body with all of her strength, her chest rising into the air while her lungs felt like they were burning. She still had so much to do, so much to accomplish! She needed to save Lastia!!! The world was crashing down on her, she gathered the last of her strength as her regeneration healed her connective tissue. Springing herself off the ground, she rolls to her side before {Swapping} with Arin.
She lifted her arms and ate the attack, before {swapping} once more with Arin.
"... {SWAP}!!!" (Sariel)
"{BARTER}!!" (Arin)
The fist that Taneda used to make contact with Sariel was now pushing against Arin. Even though most of the attack was diverted into Sariel, the pressure was still unimaginable for Arin.
"For this trade... I'll give something precious to take away something equally precious from you...
Lastia's memories of today will be erased, in exchange... Yours too." (Arin)
"!?-" (Taneda)
There might be some discrepancies, but they could pretend today hadn't happened as long as Evaria, Arin and Sariel did not speak about it. Taneda will inevitably question the gap in her memories, but that will be an issue for another day. The large black tree in the crumbling street of the mini culture zone began to wither into black particles, fading into the air at a gradual pace.
The shock of having their memories erased caused a momentary gap in their guards. Taneda was knocked out by Arin, and Lastia forgot her despair. She stared blankly at her dim surroundings, though the bark was beginning to burn away into an invisible flame. Piece by piece, it vanished and out came smaller flakes of dark scarlet bark that dissolved in the night sky.
They stood under the jet black rain, observing the remnants of Lastia's magic slowly disappear. Carrying Taneda's limp body, Arin gradually approached Sariel.
"Yo, you still alive?" (Arin)
"... What did you trade?" (Sariel)
A gloomy silence permeates between them, a rising heat engulfs their hearts amidst the cold rain. Not even a pin drop noise could be heart, much less their heart beats. An eery composure takes afoot, even if Sariel was barely sitting up and taking everything she had to crane her neck and gaze at Arin.
"... Lastia's memories." (Arin)
Whether it was her own mercy, Sariel's intimidation, or simply compassion towards another's curiosity, Arin wasn't quite clear on the reasoning herself. She just wanted to divulge it. It would be advantageous to keep it a secret from Sariel, perhaps she was just... Tired from fighting. It was only after going through a life and death situation together could they be this amicable with each other at the current moment. Arin understood, that if given some time to cool down, she would regret her action.
She did it anyway.
Was it instinct? Or had it really been mercy? Sariel's thoughts run a similar trajectory, attempting to trace after what didn't exist.
"Thank you for telling me... But if I may overstep my bounds...
Please don't do it again." (Sariel)
"... You don't get to decide." (Arin)
"I'm pleading... Because I know what you find precious now..." (Sariel)
Lastia, she would be an unwilling subject of trades. However, even more than protecting Lastia, she was concerned about Arin. If things continued this way, Arin would only keep {Bartering} away things more and more precious to herself. If {Barter} worked to how Sariel understood it, it sacrificed what Arin perceived as valuable to herself.
After giving away something once, she would inevitably see something as less valuable, because it becomes disposable in case she was ever in another pinch. Slowly and consecutively, she would have to give away something more valuable in order to achieve the same result... The worse consequence was probably the fact that what was once precious to her is no longer so. Because declaring something a trade is akin to abandoning it.
"... If life were to be cruel one day, I wouldn't hesitate. Sorry..." (Arin)
"You shouldn't be... How am I supposed to get mad at you now?" (Sariel)