As the blaze of their village faded behind them, themen on the raftsurrounded the last of the goblins, killed them, and threw their corpses overboard. Calista was too busy to help as she tended the wounded Thalias. The half-elf had taken an arrow to the chest and was bleeding from both ends. So far, Calista had used nearly every bandage she had in an effort to save Thalias who, to her, seemed determined to die.

“It’s okay, you can just let me go,” the half elf said. “I’ve lihved a good life.”

She was taken aback, “Uhm … I thought you had just got here just like me and everyone else.”

“No, I mean I’m sure that I lived a good life before I was sucked into this game and turned into an adventurer. Really, I’m a bard. I’m not worth the trouble.”

“Ah …” she looked down at the wound, “If I can get this bleeding under control …”

“No, really, I really don’t think I’m cut out for this …”

“Yeah, but … you don’t have to die just now, you know …”

Thalias weakly shook his head, “No, really, don’t trouble yourself.”

“But I’ve … like … already used up most of my bandages. I mean, really, you should let me finish bandaging this wound and at least get the skill experience.”

“Oh, you know you’ve got a really good point,” replied Thalias.

“So please,” she said, “just give me a moment to see if I can patch you up and you can get around to dying another time.”

“You got it.” The half elf looked up at the sky. “I just … you know … thought it would be a really romantic way to go, you know? Fighting a horde of monsters at night while a beautiful woman tended my wounds.”

“Well, you still get all of that except … wait, are you hitting on me?”

“No … well … not unless you want me to. You know, I guess could.” Thalias looked embarrassed. “To tell you the truth, when I arrived here and designed myself, I didn’t really envision having any kind of success with women.”

“Oh,” she looked down at him. “You shouldn’t have told me that.”

“Ruined it, did I?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Dammit.”

“On the plus side, I think I’ve stopped the bleeding.”

The half-elf looked at his chest. “Really?”

“Yeah, you had a nasty chest wound there that was bleeding out both the front and the back.” She took another look at the arrow wound. “Wait, what’s that?”

“What’s what?” Thalias asked.

“What’s that green stuff?”

“I don’t know, I can’t see it. What does it look like?”

She pressed her pinky finger into the fluid and drew it up to her nose. “Smells like poison, I think.”

“I’ve been poisoned?”

“I think so.”

“Is it curable?”

“I don’t know.” She smiled weakly, “Honestly, I doubt it.”

Thalias looked down at the arrow stuck in his chest. “Well shit.”

She gently patted his arm, “Just wait here and I’ll check to see if anyone has anything to help you.”

He nodded, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

She left him lying there as she went around the boat, from villager to villager, asking if anyone had any herbs or medicine that might be used against the poison. Unfortunately, the only things she came back with was an apologetic look and a bottle of liquor.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” Thalias looked at the bottle in her hands. “No dice, huh?”

She popped the cork off the bottle and handed it to him. “Not unless the alcohol magically does something.”

“It’s worth a shot,” he said as he took the bottle and downed a long swig.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Cold.”

“That’s not good.”

They sat in silence as the water rushed by. Above, the stars were bright and shining against the night sky. Somewhere in the distance, an owl sounded.

Thalias broke the silence, “Say, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah sure, what?”

“Do you mind if I kiss you?”

She was taken aback, “What?”

“I just mean that I picked bard as my class because I thought it might help me actually get a girlfriend. I didn’t tell the other guys, but the Attendant told me the reason Concept’s test audience picked me was because I was some loser guy who lived in his mother’s basement, but that I always played a ladies man online because I could never talk to them in real life, you know? So I just thought that because I’m laying here dying and all …”

She tried not to look down at him in disgust, failed, and finally said, “We don’t know that you’re dying, alright?”

Thalias held his hand over his chest. “I can literally feel my heart beat slowing down. I don’t think I have much time.”

“Alright, fine.” She then leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips. As she pulled away, she looked around to make sure no one else had been looking.

“Wow,” Thalias smiled.

“Er …” she tried to pull herself away, but found she couldn’t. He probably was really dying and she figured she might as well stick it out now. At least, so long as the drama didn’t last too long.

“Say, can I ask you one more, like, big favor?”

“Sure, I mean … you can ask,” she said.

“Can I … like … touch your boobs?”

She pointed at him like a stern parent. “Absolutely not. If you even so much as look at my boobs, I will pull the arrow out and shove it down your urethra.”

Thalias froze. “You have no idea how much I need to look at your chest right now.”

She held her finger to his nose. “Arrow in dick, asshole. Now let me see if I can find something to take a bit of the pain away.”

He waived her off, “Oh, don’t worry about that. I stopped feeling anything about ten minutes ago. Everything is just kind of cold and numb now.”

“Ah,” she nodded.

“Yeah, so anyway. I’m pretty sure I’m on my way out. Any minute now. Getting kinda sleepy, actually. It’s nice.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “It’s really too bad about the boobs.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said. “I’m really not into getting molested by weirdos.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

She looked out at the water then. The river was dark and deep and the waves were lapping against the side of the skiff. A dozen oars dipped in and out of the water in unison as a lone man at the back steered the rudder.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands reach up and grab her breasts. Raising her first, she got ready to strike Thalias right in the arrow wound, but then she saw his eyes roll back in his head as he let out a death rattle and then breathed no more.