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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=#dc143c][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Dungeon, -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
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The void embraced him. It came rushing in like a flood, drowning everything else out: drowning the pain, the weariness, the dull taste of regret. There was a gentleness to it. A quiet sort of reassurance in the emptiness of it all. It reminded him of being tucked in at night and drifting off into sleep without dream. This time, though, there'd be no waking from it.

Then somebody kicked him.

Graves's eyes jolted open as the world came rushing in. Every sound, every smell, every dull ache battered against his senses in his sudden, violent return to the land of the living. Rael was standing over him, covered in the black-as-night blood of the titan. Graves sat up, glancing about the room. There the demon lay in the center of it all, its head lopped clean from its shoulders. It took a moment for him to process that the thing was gone and, yet, he [i]wasn't.[/i]

The work was done yet he remained. He remained when other, more worthy men had not. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Bitter as old steel.

[color=dc143c]"Thanks."[/color] He muttered to her after a moment's silence, still laying in the dirt. She'd put herself in a hell of a lot of danger to pull him outta that one. Thrown herself right in the enemy's face and just narrowly dragged them both to safety. If she'd been even a little bit slower they both might've been laid to rest by Enos and Aaginim. Graves had gotten angry with her earlier for doing the same thing he had- for all but throwing her life away to kill some stupid bat.

She was staring at him, her expression empty. He stared back. 

It was a stupid thing he'd done. He told himself he was just trying to finish the fight. Told himself it had to happen to get them all outta there before somebody else lost their life. He'd made a promise to himself to keep these shmucks alive, after all. That was why he'd done it: To keep a promise. To protect people.

[color=dc143c][i]'Anna always said you were a terrible liar.'[/i][/color]

He sat up, let his his arms lay against his knees and his head rest on top of them. [color=dc143c]"Didn't think I'd leave this room."[/color] It left his mouth before he could think better of it. His voice was hoarse, broken. 

[color=dc143c]"I'unno what I'm going to do when I wake up."[/color] Graves blinked a couple of times to get somethin' outta his eye. 

He watched Priscilica open up the exit, but he didn't move to follow her out. 

He was afraid of what was on the other side.
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