Critical Role: Cold Burn

Cold Burn

The forceful gale whistled through the snow-covered mountains. The two adventurers, not far from the mountain's peak, gritted their teeth against the wind as it chilled them to the bone. Their twin faces turned a pale color as they huddled together to keep warm. Heavy snowflakes fell in a flurry around them, obscuring the world from their vision until they saw nothing but each other, faces inches apart.

"Vax?" Vex whispered, her voice nearly carried away by the wind.

"Vex." Vax murmured his sister's named into her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace. "We need to keep going."

"I know." Vex pulled the torn scraps that had once been her coat closer to her skin. "The others-"

"They'll come." Vax promised. "They'll come within the hour."

Vex nodded, remembering the plan the twins and the rest Vox Machina had agreed to the day before. Her skin stung a little from the many injuries the Frost Giants had inflicted, and she tried her best to force words from her bleeding mouth and ignore the pain. "Let's go."

Slowly, the twins forced their numb limbs forward. They gripped each other's hands and leaned on one another for support, shivering and feeling nothing but ice on their skin. Using their remaining strength, they trudged their way to the rendezvous point, under the large rock overhanging from the mountainside. One more step and they both collapsed into the snow, leaning back against the rock.

Vax's eyelids grew heavy, and she let them flutter shut. Parts of her body ached as the cold burned her skin. She replayed the events of their ill-prepared fight in her mind, how she and her brother had slain the Frost Giant and nearly died in the process-

"Vex. Sister, wake up."

Vex opened her eyes by sheer force of will. She saw her brother, his skin turned white as the snow around him, press a bottle to her lips.

"Drink."

Vex complied, too weak to resist. As the potion touched her lips, heat spread throughout her body. Her clouded mind became clearer, sharper, and the freezing burn of the ice faded altogether.

"What- Vax?"

"I found a potion of warmth." Vax patted the Bag of Holding on his hip. He smiled down at her weakly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Vex laughed and pulled her brother into a hug. "You saved me again, Scrawny."

"Anything for you, Stubby." Vax coughed, and drops of blood flew from his lips, which had taken on a strange blue color.

It dawned on her how terrible Vax looked: frozen lips, bloodshot eyes, pale visage. She gasped as she, now back at her regular body temperature, truly realized how stiff his body had become. She pressed her body into his, trying to pour warmth into his body as he had done to hers. A thin layer of ice encased the tears and blood on her brother's face. She held him in her arms, frantically searching their bodies for another potion, a magic item, anything that could help to save him, even though she knew it was useless.

Vax lay there, letting his sister hold him. What parts of his body still had feeling hurt with indescribable pain, and he couldn't summon the strength to move anymore. "Don't." He used his remaining strength to keep his eyes open and locked with Vex's. "There was only one potion. I checked."

Vex pressed a hand to his lips. "Save your strength. The others will be here soon."

Vax relaxed against her, his head falling into her shoulder. "I love you, Vex."

"And I love you so much. I can't lose you." Vex cradled him, rocking him, trying to share as much of her body heat as possible.

Vax gazed up at her, his eyes beginning to glaze over. He struggled to draw breath as his failing lungs burned. The twins saw every weak breath that he exhaled turn into fog, disappearing into the night. The ice coated his body, pieces resting in his hair and crystalizing against his skin.

"Don't leave me!" Vex sobbed. She knew how the math broke down. Vax would last as long as he could, but he wasn't invincible, and the cold would take him long before help arrived. The others would return, moments too late, to find her hugging her brother's corpse and refusing to let him go. She would live the rest of her life as half of a whole. The ice in her heart would never thaw. She would never move on. She would be alone again.

"Love you, Stubby." He mumbled, his eyes half-closed.

"You should have taken the potion yourself! I didn't need it. I didn't need it." Vex ran her hands through his hair, shaking out some frozen flakes of snow.

"You were freezing to death."

"And you're not?!"

Vax laughed, wincing a little. "You got me there."

"I'm sorry." Emotions threatened to overwhelm her as she blinked back tears.

"Don't cry." Vax lifted a feeble hand to wipe the tears away. 

"Vax-"

"I love you."

"Brother-"

"Love you."

"Twinnie-"

"Love…"

The wind blew away the words as his eyes closed and his hand fell limply from his sister's face.