Pain is what she had remembered first. Not cutting or searing, but a throbbing from within her midsection that permeated her whole body. Had she not been armored, Warren's blow would have easily broken her back and cut short another life this night. Stumbling backwards, her body met the stone wall of the tunnel and her vision flashed white.
Then the gunshots. Two of them, to her left. The sound of a gunblade clattering to the stone below. There was the figure of Osric Melkire laughing, crying, singing, bleeding out on the floor. An armored figure stepping backwards from him. She realized then the trick that had been played on them all.
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises~..."
"No..." Jameson staggered backwards, moving up the hallway. Blood seeped from the blackened holes in the middle of his armor. "Gideon---" he choked. Time slowed as she watched him stumble. The blade slipped from her hand as she lurched forward towards him.
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises~..."
"James!", she cried futily. No aid came however. The sounds of combat continued behind her as Warren struggled with Jameson's guard. From within his armor something else began to pour out. A viscous blue and luminescent liquid that resembled the sea beneath the moon's light. He looked down and grimaced beneath the visor. "No."
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises, early in the mornin'~"
She nearly tripped in trying to reach him. His voice stopped her in her tracks though as the helmet looked squarely at the Flame Sergeant back down the tunnel. "You FOOL, do you know what you--" Amidst the hate there was fear in his words, though only Coatleque could feel it. More of the blue liquid dripped from the wounds now, far more it than blood. A strange glow began to seep from the very cracks and joints of the armored plates he wore.
She saw the gleam of his eyes though the visor's slit one last time, felt the fear behind them. The the resignation to his fate. "Banurein," he whispered to her. There was a final look of warning before he implored her to "Run!" The armor began to shake.
"N-no...," she whispered even while taking her own staggered step backwards. Would that he could see the fear behind her own visor. There was nothing else she could have done, and the will to live overtook both fear and sadness. She knew he would have saved her even if he could not save himself. So she ran, turning about and flailing her arms at the forgotten paladin approaching her from behind.
"Run!" She cried, "RUN! Get back!" The man uttered his own curses, sheathing his blade and turning to hoist the downed Flame and carry him to safety. As they neared the next two figures, Coatleque reached out and forcefully pulled the one off of the other; She was not even sure who it was.
The armor itself shook, flashed, hissed...
A bright flare.
Then silence.
She stopped and released the woman she had been half-dragging with her to look back just as the suit of armor toppled face first to the ground. "James?!" She called out. Not waiting for an answer she left the others where they were and raced back to the other end of the tunnel.
There as no movement. No sound or sign of life within. She collapsed immediately next to it and rolled the armor over to its backside. Surprisingly light for what she expected. And also empty. She stared in a mixture of horror, shock, and loss, as she examined and prodded the armor for any signs, any traces of what had happened.
There was heat. The smell of burnt hair and singed flesh, but no ash left behind. She began to mumble his name to herself repeatedly. "James, James, what did you do? Don't do this to me..." Even in this state, though, she could tell he was simply gone. Not dead yet not present. It was perhaps this realization that kept her from breaking down right there. Her head slowly turned to see others backing slowly up the tunnel towards her.
She turned back to the armor to examine it one last time. Within one of the gloves she found a locket, familiar yet now charred and slightly melted. The picture within burned to nothing. She gazed at it before scraping some of the blackness away with a nail, then quickly pocketed it. Rising slowly she joined Brynnalia at her side to meet the imposing figure now closing on them with drawn blade.
Then the gunshots. Two of them, to her left. The sound of a gunblade clattering to the stone below. There was the figure of Osric Melkire laughing, crying, singing, bleeding out on the floor. An armored figure stepping backwards from him. She realized then the trick that had been played on them all.
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises~..."
"No..." Jameson staggered backwards, moving up the hallway. Blood seeped from the blackened holes in the middle of his armor. "Gideon---" he choked. Time slowed as she watched him stumble. The blade slipped from her hand as she lurched forward towards him.
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises~..."
"James!", she cried futily. No aid came however. The sounds of combat continued behind her as Warren struggled with Jameson's guard. From within his armor something else began to pour out. A viscous blue and luminescent liquid that resembled the sea beneath the moon's light. He looked down and grimaced beneath the visor. "No."
"Weigh, heigh, and up she rises, early in the mornin'~"
She nearly tripped in trying to reach him. His voice stopped her in her tracks though as the helmet looked squarely at the Flame Sergeant back down the tunnel. "You FOOL, do you know what you--" Amidst the hate there was fear in his words, though only Coatleque could feel it. More of the blue liquid dripped from the wounds now, far more it than blood. A strange glow began to seep from the very cracks and joints of the armored plates he wore.
She saw the gleam of his eyes though the visor's slit one last time, felt the fear behind them. The the resignation to his fate. "Banurein," he whispered to her. There was a final look of warning before he implored her to "Run!" The armor began to shake.
"N-no...," she whispered even while taking her own staggered step backwards. Would that he could see the fear behind her own visor. There was nothing else she could have done, and the will to live overtook both fear and sadness. She knew he would have saved her even if he could not save himself. So she ran, turning about and flailing her arms at the forgotten paladin approaching her from behind.
"Run!" She cried, "RUN! Get back!" The man uttered his own curses, sheathing his blade and turning to hoist the downed Flame and carry him to safety. As they neared the next two figures, Coatleque reached out and forcefully pulled the one off of the other; She was not even sure who it was.
The armor itself shook, flashed, hissed...
A bright flare.
Then silence.
She stopped and released the woman she had been half-dragging with her to look back just as the suit of armor toppled face first to the ground. "James?!" She called out. Not waiting for an answer she left the others where they were and raced back to the other end of the tunnel.
There as no movement. No sound or sign of life within. She collapsed immediately next to it and rolled the armor over to its backside. Surprisingly light for what she expected. And also empty. She stared in a mixture of horror, shock, and loss, as she examined and prodded the armor for any signs, any traces of what had happened.
There was heat. The smell of burnt hair and singed flesh, but no ash left behind. She began to mumble his name to herself repeatedly. "James, James, what did you do? Don't do this to me..." Even in this state, though, she could tell he was simply gone. Not dead yet not present. It was perhaps this realization that kept her from breaking down right there. Her head slowly turned to see others backing slowly up the tunnel towards her.
She turned back to the armor to examine it one last time. Within one of the gloves she found a locket, familiar yet now charred and slightly melted. The picture within burned to nothing. She gazed at it before scraping some of the blackness away with a nail, then quickly pocketed it. Rising slowly she joined Brynnalia at her side to meet the imposing figure now closing on them with drawn blade.
