"VAHE!" Jeris shrieked as the beast's legs collapsed beneath it broken and twisted. The ant lion's jaws became trapped under the twintania's weight, leaving it temporarily helpless. A shocked and grim Erté leapt off his fallen mount and out of harms way. He caught Jeris' outstretched hand and swung himself up behind her on to the other ride's back. They urged the stressed and frightened beast away from its felled kin and up to higher ground. Vahe roared in distress and struggled to raise itself. Jeris let Erté take over Kaikura'a reigns and readied her spells as the ant lion worked its mandibles loose. The injured twintania's cries increased in volume and frequency, further upsetting its kin and unnerving Jeris. Erté struggled to keep the beast in check and out of danger, but it fought him with all its strength to aid the other.
"Grrah! Stay back you stupid beassst!" "Eerrr...! Bastard!! GET AWAY FROM HIM! FIRAGA!" An inferno spread from her arms, engulfing and searing the ant lion. Its organs boiled in its shell, audibly popping and sizzling, making the area fill with its stench. "JERISSS! Reign yourself in! You'll cook the twin' like that! They're far too close! Jeris!" She sobbed, her face streaming with tears, but only increased the intensity of the flames. Instantly the beetle's shell exploded into bits of heated shrapnel and boiling goo. Jeris reflexively shielded her party as the fire's glow faded. Still sobbing but her face painfully dry from the heat, she rushed to the now silent creature's side.
Its sides still heaved but nothing else moved. She fell to her knees at its side and laid her hands upon its flank, only to yelp and pull them back, for the beast's hide was heated as well. This time without contact, she began casting high level white magick spells in a desperate attempt to keep the beast alive. The first four spells glistened in the air but did not affect her quivering patient. Frustrated but not slowed. She Dispelled the Reflect Vahe had cast defensively and cast Auto-Life should her casting prove to be too slow.
Erté led the other mount over to calm it, doing the same for himself as he watched Jeris, more concerned for her well being than for that of his injured beast. Her sobbing ceased as she redoubled her efforts to repair the creature. Her spells reattached its ruined legs and cooled its burns, but with each healing the twintania rebuffed itself reflexively, forcing Jeris to again Dispel it, interrupting her ministrations.
The battle for its life was wearing thin. Magickal cures or no, one must receive aid within minutes else permanent damages be sustained. This was rapidly becoming the case despite her best efforts. The beast shuddered violently as it lumbered to its feet, again wailing in deep distress. Its renewed cries were of a strange pitch and cadence, likely meaning it had nerve or brain damage. It took a few clumsy steps and spun in a half circle as it caught itself from falling. Now that its other side was in view, she could see that it was sunken in horribly.
Her face crumpled and reddened as she rose to her feet and slammed it with more intense spells. "Its no use... there was too much harm done..." "No..." she said in a hushed voice, "No! HOLY!" A sharp white light burst through the mount, killing it instantly. "Li- no, Arise!" The beast roared back into being, still crippled and crushed in terrible ways. "Itss no use... stop. Stop!" Erté grabbed and turned her away from the damaged creature. She stared down, again shuddering and sobbing silently. Kaikura stepped towards its former kin, inspecting and analyzing it. No longer did it wail with worry or fright, but growled its disapproval.
"Jeris... look at me! There's nothing more you can do. It wasn't your fault!" He lifted her head to look at him. Their eyes met and he could see the pain and frustration that she'd never let show before. To the rest of the world she was calm and reserved, only expressing anger or mirth, never such a fragile image. Frankly it frightened him.
They stood locked like that for several moments until a sharp CRACK! snapped their attention towards the twintania. They looked just in time to see Kaikura turning away from Vahe. The undamaged twin had bashed the less fortunate one across the head, crushing where a skull would be. The finished beast fell to the ground a last time, too dead to ever bring back. Kaikura returned then to their side and stood at ready as any loyal mount would.
Erté looked to Jeris for her reaction. Her face calmed and darkened, the shaking completely stilled and a stern understanding filled her demeanor. She met his eyes herself this time. "Bugs. They're... instinctual, not compassionate," she said, spitting the word, "Not... tolerant of weakness. When a unit in the team is a burden or can no longer fill its roll, it is removed. Purely business... the perfect soldiers. That's why I picked them and why they're so loyal. I have yet to fall and yet in dire situations like this I can still exact revenge and destruction while ensuring that the most units survive." She turned back to the beast's corpse. "More or less."
Jeris scooped up some uncooked bug juice in a piece of shell that formed a sort of vial. She capped that off with another bit of shell and tucked it away. Emotionless and drained, they mounted Kaikura, Erté taking the reigns. Mission... accomplished.