The Keepers of Chaos: A Vault of Hell

Vestus Konstotte: CXLVIII

"Hey- I'm not that ugly! After all that fire I'm pretty hot- oh.. Shit this hurts.." He clutched his stomach when he laughed at his own joke, even getting a good chuckle from Alekzandr, for once he seemed to share in the joke. The soldier's smile however faded quickly, Vestus frowned, stepping past him to see where Herod had run to.

"Who's not dead?!" Adleth crawled from a side port of the cross shaped temple, over her shoulder was struggling to even stand Vaelle, both of them looked better than he expected, but a quick smell in their direction made him catch the whiff of a healing potion. Adleth looked like she had been better, her red hair was soaked in blood, her clothes were torn apart and her right side of the waist seemed blackened and carved into. Vaelle on the other hand was limping so weakly he assumed for a second she might be dead. The former florist looked up weakly rolling her head back to reveal a tiny grin.

"Thank Zeus.." He mumbled, though the sudden expressions on both of the girls' faces did not spell out delight. Adleth's mouth fell open, staring at something behind him. Vestus reached over, slipping his right arm under Vaelle's shoulder and hoisted her up. Crap he'd lost so much blood. Who was the god of blood again? Should he be making a prayer to Apollo?

"No..no no.. no." Riu sobbed, Vestus pulled the two women on his side over to where Alekzandr, and Riu were hunched over. What were they looking at-

"Oh gods." The reality of the situation hit him like a train, Herod was holding the leg of a small figure. The area around it was drenched in blood so much he assumed it was every drop in a human. Sprawled out across the floor with a dented in skull was the body of Markos Amanodel, his green eyes were dull and his face was pale and lifeless. Pink bits of brain were tossed all over the place along with shards of the half-elf's skull.

His heart dropped, Vestus stared at the ground in disbelief. Despite knowing the cultist for such little time he had always assumed the boy seemed.. Invincible. Litterted with absurd powers.

"H-how?!" Adleth pushed forward her hands, never quite touching the body. "HOW THE FUCK?!"

"He.. got stabbed.." Herod whispered. Pointing at the wound in the center of the half-elven chest. "And then thrown over the side.."

"He.. he can create portals though!" Riu protested. She was still clearly on the ground, with two broken legs. No he couldn't.. Vestus realized. He reached down with his right arm plucking the large elder sign necklace off the boy's chest.

"No powers with this on." He sighed, tugging it off with a small snap. His body wasn't strong enough to pick up the half-elf, not yet. He still feared his intestines spilling out of his stomach. Everyone looked like shit, and now they had a dead body.

"No.." Riu cried. "No. no. no!" She pounded her fists against the ground around him feebly. "Lunae Tamashī o iyasu deae!" She wailed, hitting the ground. "Tamashī o iyasu. Tamashī, Tamashī, Tamashī.." With every pound of the stone arcane blue magic surged around until the rocks themselves were split apart. Covered in a mixture of Riu's blood and plants sprouting from beneath the dirt.

To his left Alekzandr offered a bit of healing potion. Vestus obliged by taking a small sip. The earthy terrible taste pushed through him with a mild fire, hopefully that would make it hard to die. "Riu.. Riu stop." Herod croaked, grabbing her by the arms and the warlock pulled the Aasimar back. The two of them embraced, looking away from the body. Adleth shed a tear and turned around, forcing Vaelle to do the same. Vestus crouched closer to the ground ready to pick up the body, he was weak. And he was fairly sure his left arm might fall off.. But he had to do it. Blood ran down his arm when he pushed it gently under Markos's head he felt the squish of the boy's brains in his own grasp. Damn.