Standing above the corpse of the dark viridian panther, Gwin was filled with a wicked sense of glee. He couldn't help but bare his sharp teeth and smile gleefully as he pulled his arm from its head. His red skin began to fade and pale. His arms and head both returned to their original form, each arm sporting gruesome wounds. An awakened monster was far above him in terms of strength and yet he was the one still standing even if he was practically a dead man walking. This filled him with an unspeakable sense of satisfaction and joy. This thing had tried to kill him and now it was the one dead!
Both of his arms were sporting gruesome cuts and his right side was thoroughly shredded with a few broken ribs. His chest and abdomen were wounded as well from the panther and the swarm. The sickly sweet smell of blood had been intoxicating and even smelled…appetizing during their battle however now that he was back to normal it had returned to its usual pungent scent, even then it did not help him not feel hungry. His stomach rumbled and churned emptily as his attention was drawn elsewhere.
He turned his hollow golden eyes towards the gaping hole left in the fallen building where Elena's corpse resided. He wouldn't allow himself to eat until he addressed it, he didn't deserve to. Even the memory he had received felt like a scathing taunt from the spell. He knew it was a foolish and emotional decision but he couldn't help it. The thought of receiving anything good after failing her was a bitter one and with his ghastly wounds it wouldn't be long until he met her. His essence had been thoroughly depleted as well as his reserves of spirit essence in his fight. He couldn't even afford to keep his memories equipped as his armor faded in a rain of sparks. All he had left was the little spirit essence he had been given by bounty.
'Should I get the shards…summon the [Kiss of Kesh]…or…or go see her?'
He decided he'd go see her. His own wellbeing was not on his mind as he began limping towards the opening left by the [Perforated Hunter]'s ruthless pursuit. Each barefoot step he took left wet red prints on the ground. Each breath was agony on his ribs and arms which hung limply by his sides. After a dozen seconds he reached the entrance and stepped inside the dark chasm. The familiar scent of blood filled his senses. He recognized it as Elena's blood. It mixed with the scent of his own blood as well as the grey matter of the panther making him nauseous. He had never felt so helpless, so frustrated, so disappointed with himself in his entire life. He felt each emotion clearly and entirely as he laid eyes upon the large slab of stone that had crushed Elena. With a growing sense of dread he searched for her exposed hand only to see something strange. It was now covered in a dull grey gauntlet.
'No way…is she?'
He spurred into action as best he could, stumbling and limping to the thick slab with a new feeling in his stomach as he curled his fingers under it and pulled with everything he had. As he did he recoiled and stumbled back from the blinding pain each of his wounds had sent through him. The adrenaline had long worn off leaving him with a myriad of wounds that throbbed in pain with the rhythmic beat of his heart. Each jolt of pain brought his fading consciousness to the forefront of his mind.
'I can't die now..not yet..'
He had a choice. He could summon the kiss of Kesh to save himself or he could use his aspect to pull the piece of rubble off of Elena. Choosing one would cut off the other and he had to choose quickly. Sure he could use his memory on himself and wait for his essence to come back before pulling the slab up but he could not be sure that Elena would last that long. He didn't ponder his choice long.
He bent down and curled his fingers under the slab again before using his aspect on himself. He felt a small and brief surge of strength.
'Now!'
Gwin had never been one to exert himself. It had seemed like a pointless endeavor for him given how he was missing an arm. Whatever effort he made would always be overshadowed by others. His earlier efforts had been met with scorn and ridicule by society. People had told him to give up, to stop trying, to just die and stop being a waste of resources. It had not taken long for him to close himself off from the world and put on a front. He created a character and lived as that character, when that character wasn't good enough he made another and became them. His entire life and persona had become a desperate pretense to protect himself from the critical and harsh eyes of others. He never wanted to let anyone see that frail and weak little boy again and so he hid himself, he hid himself so well he began to believe he wasn't frail and weak.
His rocky and harsh exterior had been an effective defensive method against strangers and those who "knew" him knew him as a confident and charismatic guy, a carefully crafted persona made by years of experience hiding himself from others. Not even his own family really knew the real him. So as he hunched down and pulled with all he had the years of living a lie began shedding off in droves as his true and unbridled self began to emerge. Years of hiding his feelings and being vague in his needs in fear of being too much of a burden became meaningless and crumbled under the weight of his true and scathing desire to lift this rubble.
He opened his mouth and let out a tortured wail. One born of not only his physical pain but of the suffering he had endured his entire life. Every unsaid plea for help, every lie born of self interest, and every harsh word spoken to another. Perhaps it was fitting that his flaw would never let him speak again, he didn't deserve to in the first place. His cry filled the fallen building as his strength enhanced by his aspect began to move the slab. It must have weighed over a ton. In one final jerk of motion he flung the slab upwards crashing it into the opposite wall. For the first time he had done something he truly wanted to and with his own effort and strength. Something fundamental had changed in him yet he wasn't sure what. As the dust cleared Gwin readied himself for a gruesome sight however what he saw relieved him greatly but also…confused him.
'What the hell?'
Laying there on the ground in a puddle of red blood was Elena in a suit of dull grey plate armor. The puddle of blood was her own and was seeping from a wound caused by a red dagger plunged straight into her side. Her hand was wrapped around its hilt seemingly to keep it in place. That was not what confused him however, what had confused him was the shape of the armor. It was squished. Not crushed or dented but squished, as if to protect a person made from jello who had decided to take a nap. It had no faults in it due to being squished and instead seemed to have been made that way. It must have been summoned while she was being squished alive. He was now afraid to see what was in the armor. He saw the helmet shift slightly in his direction and noticed how her short crimson hair spilled from under her helmet.
Her armor began to disintegrate into a swarm of iridescent white sparks. Gwin could not muster the strength to stand let alone shield his eyes from the bright rain of sparks. He fell to his knees just as the sparks disappeared leaving Elena in only her under armor. He was struggling to keep his eyes open as his earlier exertion had caused blood to flow heavily from his wounds. After landing heavily on his knees he looked down at Elena's body with a dazed look. Her entire body was squished too and yet she was not bleeding from anywhere like someone who had just been crushed like her should have been. He guessed the dagger was used as a makeshift post of sorts to keep the rubble from completely crushing her.
Her cracked and squished lips parted before drawing in ragged breaths of air. Her flattened chest began to swell with new found breath. Her body began to return to its original state like firm dough that had just been poked. Gwin watched this with faint fascination before seeing her head turn towards him.
She smiled, a bewitching thing, and spoke with a raspy voice.
"You crazy bastard."
He fell over her smiling like a madman