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Today had gone on too long.
Upon returning to camp, Karlach marched off to the river without a word. She’d never admit how much those soul coins took out of her after a fight, but her companions didn’t miss the angry redness of her skin or the way her sweat continued to steam off her body even hours later.
They’d gotten into one scrap too many, and the rest of the party hadn’t been faring too well. By the end of it, it was just her and the paladin fending off goblins just so they could all make it back to camp. Karlach had never been happier that they could make full use of that plate armor, watching blows just fall off of the shining knight. Perhaps watching a little too much, since she didn’t notice the acid from the Booyahg in time. Lesson learned.
Any other time she’d get Halsin or the cleric to patch her up before her daily dunk in the river, but today she couldn’t think past the white clouding her vision or the searing down her spine. Leather hit sand as she stripped quickly, leaving a trail behind her on her beeline for the river. She took one step into the cool river and dropped to her knees, letting the current run over her sore legs. She has no idea how long she’s been there when they call out, voice cutting through the ringing in her ears.
“Karlach? Are you feeling alright?” The paladin stands on the bank behind her, their boots sunken into the sand next to her discarded clothes. Their eyes rake over the wounds on her marred skin, deep cuts and burns scattered between the scars and rivets. When she doesn’t react they step forward to try again, hesitating when she turns her head to look back at them over her shoulder. Their eyes meet til her head falls forward and she plunges both hands into the sediment beneath her.
A dull thunk sounds out behind her, followed by the clinking of steel plate and mail being piled on top of each other. Their steps splash water against her back, joined by the knight’s calloused hands on her shoulders.
“Think you can crawl?” they lean down to murmur in her ear, urging her forward. “Lets get your engine actually submerged, Kar.” She wills her legs to move and drags herself deeper into the water. They follow and settle behind her once she stops, their knees brushing against her feet and hands coming back up to hover behind her. Karlach’s eyes trail the reflection of the setting sun to the opposite bank, the rippling surface partially obscured by the mist emanating from her.
“Dum vita est, spes est,” their paladin murmurs and lets their hands fall to rest on her arms, examining the wounds on her back. “You’ll probably need to see Halsin for some of these… but hopefully that will ease the pain until then.” She can imagine her companion right then, damp skin shimmering in the low light of the sunset, long golden braid swaying as the gentle current of the river drags it behind them. Their brows furrowed to match the look of worry on their face. She holds back a laugh.
“Thank you,” the tiefling rasps, looking down at the rusty cloud starting to dissipate from the water beneath her. She lifts a hand to wave away the bloody water, rubbing stray smears off her forearms.
The paladin shifts, moving to her side and relaxing into the cool water next to her. “No need,” they turn their head to her and smile softly, “You’d do the same.”
The two look back at the sun dipping under the horizon, burning a deep familiar red.