Chapter Text
Gaius’s fingers were numb as they found the gash, seeping crimson across his battered cape. He managed a laugh as he assured the lollipops in his pocket were untainted. Not that it mattered much; he probably wouldn’t even have time to finish one at the rate he was fading.
A fitting end, he thought hazily, raised in the dirt and now buried in it. The Risen raised its axe, ready to deliver the finishing blow, and the thief shut his eyes. Naga, whatever you’ve got waiting for me, bring it on.
A roar from somewhere above, and a spatter of blood. Gaius smiled, accepting his fate, as he lay in peace for a moment. Then two. He blinked one eye open, surprised to find his head still attached to his body. The same couldn’t be said for the Risen that lay next to him.
A familiar pair of arms hooked under his, lifting him from the dirt to face the overcast sun once more. “Lon’qu,” Gaius wheezed, heels dragging slowly along the ground, too weak to help carry his own weight. “I thought death wanted to take me.”
“No, I didn’t,” the swordsman grunted.