He wouldn't make it. It was the one thought Dave Strider did not want to think, but at this point he just had to give up. He was finished.
He was bleeding far too much, he didn't even know he had this much blood. But there was a trail behind him, the red liquid shining from the light given off by the lava below.
He finally collapsed, face down on the warm metal of the platform he was on. He was too tired. He just couldn't go on, even though he desperately wanted to.
He would not see Jade, and finally tell her that he loved her. He and John would not watch shitty movies together. He and Rose would not have the face-to-face therapy session she had wanted to do. He would not see his Bro again. He would not grow up, or grow old. He would not get married. He would not have a family.
He would not live.
It was an explosion of pain and regret, as Dave's blood began to drip into the lava now accompanied by his tears. His shades had been lost for awhile now, and he had nothing to hide behind.
He knew that maybe, another Dave would succeed. Win this damn game, sweep Jade off her feet, and live on.
And so, he ejected his sylladex for anyone would stumble upon his body and his small treasure.
And then, with one last tear, Dave Strider passed away.