Zelrius stood there as the flames burned out around him, his breath was ragged. Lungs struggled against his ribcage, bending each of the bones, threatening to pierce his chest and stick out. Fighting for any semblance of
moisture in the defeaningly hot, dry air around the man. Slams from the Serenity Cannons, the rush of the mud around him, the ringing in his ears, the red HP bar visible in the top left of his peripheral, and the horrid screaming. A familiar voice that echoed behind him - now a memory, but as disgustingly real as when he had first heard it. Someone reaching out, calling over the bugs for
Hayate when the man had whisked him away. Unknowningly, he had left
@Trissayne Lavelle to die, to fend for herself.
There was no time to dwell on that now, as the insects began to swarm him again, and the golden haired felis had no choice but to reduce them to pin pricks of smoldering light just to keep them off of him. Another blast of the serenity cannon.
@Moonsong's cheery grin as she heroically leapt beside the man, defending him from the cacophony of threats that both the Matron and her horde posed. His wounds became increasingly fatal, his energy draining. He could feel the warmth of his heart soften and freeze, giving the heat of life to expel that energy outward into pyromancy. His limbs jittered, and shook, legs faltering. This looked like the end. The corners of pink lips curled and lifted into a bitter, injured smile. If there was any water left in his body, he'd be fighting back tears from welling up into his eyes. This was the end, he had failed. Just like he knew he would. They were right to sneer, and cackle. To rely on others. And those who didn't? They had chosen wrong. He felt that even as
@Lucy's nature magic began to surround him, bringing stability back to his stretched and sore muscles.
@Toko was far more injured than he was. Yet, she was still fighting. Throwing her hands and shouting for glory. Even as a mysterious hand found his shoulder. The squeeze of the source's fingers made the man straighten his back and draw in a sharp breath, though he did not dare to turn and face
@Gideon, worried that in some way, it would upset her, or waste her effort. Gone as quickly as she had came, Zelrius made a final ditch effort to step forward and ignite the matron once again. An attack that was well coordinated with none other than
@Bradwynne.
He took a step back just in time to watch
@Hyakin Heliodoros and
@Fina Drago deliver the crushing blow to the mortal body of the Matron. The small distance would prove to be the most important step of this entire fight for the man. Giving him just enough distance to hear Childress's call to get the hell away from the creature. His face tightened, and instincts kicked in. A puff of flame found its way to separating his black-shoed heels from the blood-soaked mud away from the creature, his Dynamism mastery taking him far away from its body at the moment of
@Shane's implosion. What followed was a moment of stunned silence. His heart beating in his ears, his chest finally evening its breaths as breathable oxygen found its way into his body again. He looked around. Spotting
@Harlow on one end of the battlefield, alive and standing. With an arrow sticking out of him - though one that seemed
helpful rather than chaotic friendly fire. His gaze followed the trail, noting a rather injured
@Avery Aphelion standing not too far off. His cart mates from the days before, alive and well.
And the lack of the thick-accented New Orleans woman was palpable. He frantically looked and looked. She had come to the battle with them,
right? Where was she now? "Triss...?" He asked through a raspy, scratched breath, barely audible to those around him. Maybe she didn't come afterall? Safe and alive back at camp?
Definitely.
So that's where Zelrius went first. His mind racing, Shane's personal sacrifice, and the efforts of strong-willed people like
@Brutus Dahlgren had won them the fight. Eyes widened with the dawning of that fact. Turning to
@Moonsong who happened to be the closest. His first instinct was to move, to shout, and though he got close to his fellow adventure, the man managed to fend off the instinct to hug her and embarrass them both in front of such a large crowd. "WE WOONNN!" He let out with a raise of his fists, triumphantly wielding one of his fine blades upwards, turning toward
@Hayate when he was able to open his squeezed-shut eyes again and grin in self-approval, looking for validation in those he had met along the way.
This adventure was over with that. Zelrius would chat his head off, and search for Trissyane back at camp. The incessant, nagging feelings eating at the back of his mind, and crushing that excitement when he eventually logged off later that night. Faced again with the muted, off-white coloring his childhood bedroom's orange-peel patterned ceiling. The side right side of his bed remained empty, something that had become more familiar than the face that belonged to the person staring back at him from the nightstand on the opposing side. A picture that lacked warmth, despite her smile in it. "You would not believe the day I had." Markus told the silent room around him. "Though it was nothing compared to how it was four years ago." And so he'd ramble, to someone who didn't exist anywhere but in his own drowned thoughts. Someone who could no longer respond, and whose he could only remember through garbled, distorted dreams. As though all of it had been spoken to him from underwater.
The happiest time the man had had in a while.
