The cold rain splattered against the cobbled ground of the now empty village. His last few maneuvers hadn't been the best, and Inigo found himself alone.
Dashing towards the village center, he sought an open space to fight the Risen who'd trailed him. A low metallic ring signaled an impending blow, and Inigo quickly raised his sword to keep the blade from striking him.
Spinning to meet the Risen, he parried the ax away, ducking under his enemy's next swing and dispatching it with a clean cut through its chest.
As the Risen vanished in a cloud of dark smoke, Inigo failed to notice a second unit charging towards him.
Side stepping a moment too late, the Risen's sword grazed his arm, knocking his weapon out of his hand. Before he could dive for it, the Risen took another slash at him, driving Inigo back.
Without a weapon to defend himself, Inigo grimaced at his prospects. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep fight off the rising sense of dread. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to die crying.
He watched as the sword was raised against him, seeing his own blurry reflection in the dull metal. And then a steadily glowing blaze lighting the blade.
Glancing back, he saw a large ball of fire hurtling towards him. Praying that the elfire was meant for the Risen and not for him, Inigo ducked.
A large explosion blasted him backwards, knocking him against the rain slicked streets. Black.
...
A groan escaped his lips as he struggled to move. "Oh gods I'm dead."
"You aren't dead. A poor conclusion, but a reasonable one considering what you've been through."
A hand pushed him back down, and Inigo blinked his eyes in an attempt to figure out where he was. In the dim light, he saw a figure peering over him.
"Ah, pray, tell me you're a lovely lady that saw my heroic battle?"
"Inigo. Please tell me that explosion didn't leave you blind."
His eyes adjusted, and Inigo just barely made out a faint glare from a familiar pair of glasses.
"Laurent. Incredible."
Ignoring the other's sarcasm, Laurent pulled a sweet tincture from his robes. Removing the stopper, he offered the bottle to Inigo. "It's a minor wound, and this should be enough until we can find a healer."
Nodding in thanks, he allowed to other to help him into a sitting position before downing the potion. The effects were immediate, and Inigo could feel the pain from the cut fade.
"You'll have to excuse any ill affects you may have suffered from the blast. It's admittedly more difficult to aim in the rain than I expected." Polishing his glasses, Laurent offered a shrug of apology.
"Not to worry. A little fire never hurt anyone."
A comfortable silence settled over the abandoned house, the steady beat of the rain plinking on the roof. Laurent pulled out a tome and idly flipped through the pages, attempting to pass the time.
"But thank you Laurent." It wasn't the first time Inigo had barely scraped by with the mage's help. Battles waged in the future often saw the two relying on each other on the field.
"Hm." Barely looking up from the pages, Laurent continued to leisurely study the spells. "Think nothing of it. Just rest for now."
Inigo took the other's advice, lying back down and closing his eyes, trusting the other to watch over them for the time being.