He had tied her up despite her unconsciousness, for lack of anything else to do to delay the final action. Loren was in the process of bleeding to death behind him, and Eurice was unconscious in the corner. He lifted the sword above the woman before him, trying not to think.
"There's a better way," he heard Loren gasp, and he spun, drawing the sword closer to himself as he did so.
"Hurry up and die," he managed to spit out, but he did not turn back to Kiera's prone form.
"You can still get out of this," Loren continued, gasping, clutching at his stomach. "Marr forgives."
"Not me!" hissed Rheuben, careful not to raise his voice too much. He didn't want his comrades—or Loren's comrades—interfering, forcing his hand. "You know what's on the other end of this sword for me, if I disobey."
"It doesn't have to be-" began the other, but a new wave of pain cut him off.
"The other side of any sword, Loren. And you're still asking me to do the right thing?" Rheuben ground his teeth together, and turned back to Kiera. "I can't. I won't spend eternity... there… and not be in His favor."
"Spend it elsewhere," gasped Loren. Darkness was gnawing at the edge of his vision, and he could feel himself going.
"I won't go crawling back to Marr," spat Rheuben in disgust, looking away.
"I'm dying," interrupted Loren. The words sounded farther and farther away. He felt the pain ebb away drastically, and he knew it was close. "We were friends, Rheuben. I loved you." Marr, it was close. His ears rang.
For a moment, neither moved. Then, Rheuben's sword began to twitch. He was shaking; it traveled from his hands through his arms to the rest of his body, and he was quivering all over. "You should hate me," he roared at last, throwing the sword across the room, away from his old friends. "You should hate me by now!" he echoed, no-longer caring if anyone showed up. "I'm a fallen paladin," he said bitterly, "an abomination." He collapsed, falling to his knees, and then curling into the fetal position. Loren thought Rheuben might be weeping, but things were beginning to fade.
"Save us," he thought he heard himself say, before the ringing in his ears overcame him, and his vision tunneled to nothing. All four of us.