Chapter Text
“Wait. Where is Percy?”
There was a moment of silence as they realized their group was missing one member. Uneasiness crept its way up Vex’s spine.
“Pike?” Vax looked at the cleric questioningly.
The gnome shook her head, still breathing heavily, exhausted from using her power. “I haven't found him yet. But the rest of you made quite a lot of noise, so we should be able to hear him.”
The problem was, they weren’t.
Vex pricked up her sensitive ears, but there was nothing. No screams, no raving, not even any sounds of struggle. Her brother must have come to the same conclusion because he gave her a knowing look.
Keyleth’s eyes scanned the foggy forest around them. “Maybe he wandered off somewhere? Should we split up and look for him?”
Suddenly, Vex recalled her vision.
“No!” She exclaimed, her stomach dropping. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Vax asked, worried at her tone.
“I… I saw them dragging him into the cave. I thought it was just a vision, but maybe not entirely…”
Vax pressed his lips into a thin line. “That would make sense. Ripley wants something from Percy. She must have set up this trap so she could grab him.”
Pike swore under her breath. “We need to hurry. Gods know how much time has passed.”
“I’ve got you, Pikey.” Grog scooped her up without hesitation and put her on his shoulders. “Let’s go,” he said, rushing off to the cave entrance, the rest of the team in tow.
I’m coming, darling, Vex thought as she ran into the darkness of the tunnel. Please be okay.
*****
It wasn’t long until they started hearing explosions coming from afar. At the very least, it assured them that they were on the right track.
“Whatever Ripley’s offer was, I don’t think Percy agreed,” Vax panted, trying to lighten the mood. In reality, however, he didn’t feel like laughing.
Percy was all on his own, not only with Ripley and her pet demon but also with who knows how many of her goons and whatever other sinister shit that mad woman might have devised. And, judging by the sounds, she was no longer interested in keeping him alive.
Percy was incredibly smart and resourceful, but he was at every disadvantage there. They needed to get to him. Fast.
Hold on, Freddy.
*****
The place was completely wrecked. Fire blazed all around. Every now and then, loud rumbles split the air as parts of the strange metal constructions collapsed. Some minor explosions were still ringing out amidst all the havoc.
Vex’s eyes burned from the smoke. She screamed Percy’s name. She didn’t care if the enemies could hear it. If they were still out there, let them come. She would tear them all apart.
The group slowly made their way through the rubble, minding the dangers and watching out for any sign of their friend. One by one, they all called him, but neither got a response.
They found a lot of bodies, though. All of them with bullet wounds. There was no doubt who had inflicted them. The shots were precise and clean.
“Percy did all that? By himself?” Keyleth’s eyes were wide with astonishment.
Of course he did, Vex thought to herself. Percy was much more capable than they were giving him credit for.
But where the hell was he? Had he gotten hurt? Had they taken him away again?
Even though her throat was getting raw, Vex kept calling his name. But the only answer she got was the crackling of fire.
And then, just as she rounded another bend of the winding path set by the blaze and debris, her eyes landed on something. Even though she couldn’t see clearly, she instantly knew it was him.
“No!” She cried, darting into a run.
He was lying on his side, not moving. There was blood around him. Quite a lot of it. He was hurt badly. No, no, no.
Tears were already running down her cheeks when she fell to her knees right at his side, not minding the sharp shards of metal and stone covering the ground.
She turned him onto his back and lifted him onto her lap as gently as only her trembling hands allowed. She gasped breathlessly, her heart stopping in her chest.
His eyes were open and staring blankly into space, unfocused, hazy, lifeless.
“No. Pike!”
The cleric appeared on Percy’s other side and wasted no time casting the healing spell. She hovered her hand over Percy’s torso, shining her light on the bullet wound in his chest. A mere second later, the light started flickering, then went off completely.
Pike’s eyes met Vex’s, her expression horrified. “He’s gone.”
Vex forgot how to breathe.
No. No, he couldn’t be gone. She wouldn’t accept that. There had to be a way.
She shifted her gaze from Pike to the rest of the group, silently pleading with them to come up with something. But no one offered anything. They just stood there, shocked and speechless. Useless.
Vex turned her attention back to Percy. The deep green color of his eyes had faded to a grayish tone. The dried streaks of blood that ran from the corners of his slightly open mouth strongly contrasted with his unnaturally pale skin.
No, she thought, pulling him close to her chest.
“Please don’t leave me,” she begged.
Holding on to him as tight as she could, she started shivering. Percy’s body was limp and completely still against hers. This wasn’t right.
After what felt like hours, she felt somebody’s hand on her shoulder.
“S-Stubby.”
Hearing her brother’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. She lifted her head but didn’t let go of Percy. She would not let him go.
She looked down. His vest was ruined. It was soaked with blood, the stain concentrating around one of two bullet holes in the dark blue fabric. That wouldn’t do at all. Percy would be so mad. His clothes had to be impeccable.
Her gaze went down, sweeping over his arms. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. He always rolled up his sleeves when he was working on something.
Her fingers touched the bare skin of his forearm. He’s cold, she thought mindlessly. He needs his coat.
Vex momentarily recalled all those times Percy had lended it to her when they traveled through frigid territories. He always claimed he was doing fine without it, but they both knew he was lying. He hated the cold.
She must have spoken her thoughts out loud, because a moment later Vax squeezed her shoulder and choked out, “I’ll look for it.”
Vex’s arms were already aching from supporting Percy’s weight. She gently lowered him back onto her lap. New tears welled up in her eyes as she regarded his face, the horrible truth finally settling in. Percy was dead.
She folded herself over him, her whole body shaking violently with uncontrollable sobs. With hands pressed to his chest, she prayed for a miracle.
No one listened.
Percy’s heart, which he had opened up for her, which he had been willing to give her, was no longer beating. And would never beat again.
I’m in love with you.
Those were the last words he had spoken to her. The words she hadn’t said back. He had died, all alone, thinking she didn’t love him.
A pained cry escaped Vex’s throat at the realization. A moment later, Keyleth was upon her, her arms circling around Vex, offering all the comfort the druid could muster. Vex leaned into the warm embrace. Her friend’s hands stroked her hair tenderly as they sat on the ground, weeping together.
*****
Vax was glad for the excuse to walk away. He couldn’t stand looking at his friend’s corpse.
The moment he had realized that Percy was dead, he had instinctively pulled on the Matron’s power, expecting to see his soul lingering close by. If Vax could reach it, then maybe the Matron would allow him to strike one more deal with her and bring him back.
But there was no trace of Percy’s soul anywhere, not so much as a hint of a thread, even though he couldn’t have been gone long.
Vax stopped in the middle of the carnage and closed his eyes, offering a silent plea to his goddess, begging her for assistance, for guidance, for any kind of help.
Silence.
“Dammit,” he mumbled under his breath, clenching his fists. What good was being the Raven Queen’s champion if he couldn’t use the privilege to help his friend?
He knew he wasn’t being entirely fair. He had gotten his sister back.
But Percy dying wasn’t fair either. He didn’t deserve this. It wasn’t supposed to happen. It all could have been avoided. It was wrong. Vox Machina still needed him. Whitestone and his sister needed him. Vax’s sister needed him.
Vax put a hand to his chest, trying to calm his too-fast breathing and racing thoughts. Tears welled up in his eyes.
He and Percy had only started getting along recently, and not because of Percy’s lack of trying to befriend him. Vax was the one pushing him away. He had let his anger and contempt for nobility cloud his judgment for too long, failing to see the decent man Percival actually was. Had been. Gods, he should have forgiven him a long time ago.
Once he had come to terms with Vex and Percy’s romance, he had found himself glad that it was him his sister chose. He believed that, no matter how annoying the noble was sometimes, he cared for Vex and would treat her well. He could make her happy. That was all Vax ever wanted for her.
And now his heart was breaking twofold - for the life lost by his friend and for the love lost by his sister.
Taking in a shaky breath, he marched further into the depths of destruction.