I Want To Play... [Dice Camera Action One Shots]

Lay On Hands

"Evelyn we need you!" Paultin shrieked over the sounds of Strix's pained wails. An iron short sword sprouted from the tiefling's chest, creating a thick pool of red in the grass around her. Her attacker was merely a teenage boy, but he laid dead in his own pool of blood. Paultin's rapier was deep in his neck causing streams of blood to gush from the boy's mouth. Strix breathing staggered and hitched as she tried to grip the hilt of the sword in her chest. With a shriek of pain she pulled the blade from her flesh with a sickening shink. Paultin let her grip his hand in pain.

Evelyn cut down her own enemy, another teenage assassin, before rushing to Strix and Paultin. She readied Lay On Hands and kneeled down beside her wounded friend. Diath followed closely behind her, taking Strix's other hand.

"Shh." Evelyn comforted as Strix writhed in pain. She stroked her tangled hair as she carefully rested her hand on the wound, muttering the healing spell under her breath. But Strix was still bleeding and screaming in pain. Evelyn looked down at her now bloodied hands in horror.

"What the hell?" Paultin said nervously, wincing slightly as Strix gripped his hand tighter. "W-why didn't it work? It always works!"

"I..." The paladin didn't know what to say.

Diath glanced to the bloodied short sword laying in the grass. The iron gleamed eerily in the moonlight. He gingerly picked it up and studied the blade, noticing a slight green tint in the metal.

"Poison..." He gulped and turned to his party. "The blade is cursed..."

Paultin gave Strix's hand a squeeze as she whimpered in agony. The gash began to steam slightly, causing Evelyn to jump back in terror. Diath bit back tears and threw the blade as far as he could. Paultin cast an angry glance to her attacker's body. He was glad he killed the bastard. Letting go of Strix for only a moment he walked over the corpse and yanked his sword from the boy's limp neck.

"Gods..." Diath muttered. "You really fucked him up."

"Yeah..." Paultin sighed as he knelt next to Strix once again. Evelyn started frantically searching through their bags for something to help her friend. Not a single potion or even a roll of gauze. Tears began to roll down her rosy cheeks. She buried her face into Paultin's shoulder, who tensed but didn't protest.

"Paultin you don't have any Vistani tricks up your sleeve do you?" Diath pleaded hopefully. The bard lowered his head, running his fingers through Evelyn's curly blonde locks.

"Not this time." He sighed in defeat.

"P-please," Strix managed through her teeth, making the entire group jump,"do something!"

She clutched her chest as the blood began to hiss and steam even more. She gripped Paultin and Diath's hands tightly. Evelyn tried casting Lay On Hands again, praying to Lathander that it would heal her friend. The Morning Lord must have selective hearing. She tried again. And again. And again. She started getting weak and dizzy from using so much energy at once.

"Evelyn, stop." Diath ordered as she readied the spell again. "You're no good to anyone dead."

"Don't you have a resurrection spell?" Paultin remembered. "Maybe if she doesn't... pull through... you could just bring her back?"

"I need a diamond to do that. I don't see any diamonds here, do you?"

"Not with that attitude..." Paultin muttered.

The party fell silent once again, the only sounds being Strix's soft cries of agony. Paultin began absentmindedly stroking her hair, humming gently as an attempt to comfort her. He muttered a spell under his breathe as he gripped Strix's hand once again. Her whimpers faded, replaced with steady breathing as her eyes slowly closed.

"What did you do?" Diath panicked.

"Sleep spell. I don't like seeing my friends suffer." Paultin looked at Strix's sleeping face and moved her dirt caked bangs from her eyes. Evelyn once again buried her tear stained face into his chest.

A bone chilling howl cut through the momentary silence. More growls and snarls followed. Diath gripped the hilt of his short sword as Evelyn shivered in Paultin's arms.

"Paultin. Hut. Now." Diath ordered. Without a moment of hesitation Paultin cast out the spell, creating a shimmering dome of energy around them.

"We should get some sleep while we're in here. We all need it." He suggested. Diath nodded, and before long they had their musty cloaks rolled out as makeshift bedrolls. Evelyn curled up next to Paultin "for warmth", but he didn't protest. He was too tired to really care at this point. Diath stayed close to Strix and held her hand gently as he allowed himself to drift asleep.

Though they were all silent, they all were thinking the same thing:

All we can do now is hope.