They'd tried, the diamond had floated above Fjord's chest, flickering with green light only for it to turn grey and dull, falling to their friends bleeding chest before burning away to ash, he'd learned.
He'd been brought back with little resistance, Marius letting out a loud a sigh of relief as he and Yasha pulled the Tortle into a seated position. Jester had latched onto the Tortle, joyous tears pouring down her face even as she couldn't bring herself to look over at Caduceus and Fjord's body, the Firbolg staring at the sky with a muted expression.
Orly started, "Hey there Chere, wh-."
He froze when he spotted the Captain.
Splayed across the deck, several gaping stab wounds in his chest, his blood being washed away by the hammering rain. His head was rested in Beau's lap, who had her head down and was visibly crying, her tears mingling with the water already pouring down her face. Caleb stood several feet back, staring into the waves beyond, his face hard, his eyes searching, hunting. Fire briefly crackling across the tips of his fingers. Not-Veth was kneeling beside Jester, rubbing her arms comfortingly as she sobbed into his wide chest. Yasha loomed above Fjord, her head turned upwards towards the sky, a flash of lightning illuminating her entire face.
"We can't fix this tonight." Caduceus had finally muttered, his normally calm and warm voice more dejected than the old Tortle had ever heard. The others had all turned to look at him, except Jester who had begun to cry harder.
"But we can fix this."
A single beetle flitted free of the Firbolg's staff, landing on Fjord's forehead and sitting there a green ripple of energy passing across his whole body.
Yasha had carried Fjord's body down into the lower quarters of the ship, past the rest of the crew who looked terrified and confused. Jester had detached from Orly and was now wrapped around Beau, who hugged her back tightly, both women failing to hold back their tears. Veth had grabbed Caleb's hand and lead him after them. Caduceus had remained on the deck, that tornado of beetles that still swarmed about, consuming what remained of the beasts that had killed the Captain. He waited for Orly to pass, supported by Marius and then made his way below.
The Nein piled into Jester's room, laying Fjord's body down on the bed. The insisted that the crew join them in the room as cramped as it would be, Marius, Gallen and the Newbie had grabbed their things and curled into a corner. Caduceus had sat in a corner facing the bed, slowly, fitfully falling to sleep sitting up. Veth, Beau and Jester had curled into a ball next to the bed, the other women wrapping around Jester protectively. Caleb had threaded a wire across the door, but he and Yasha had not entered the room. They sat sentinel outside of the door, and Orly heard them speak quietly throughout part of the night as he fought for sleep.
Scrabbling on the side of the ship, the tortured scream invading his dreams, the blade finding his flesh
He awoke the next day to clear skies and found that Gallen had taken the helm, while the Nein were arrayed on the deck
He walked up onto the deck and saw Fjord lying on the deck his head resting on Jester's lap, his sword lying across his chest, Beau off to his right and Caduceus to his left. The rest of the Nein stood with solemn expressions.
Caduceus produced a larger diamond and began to chant, green light shining as the diamond began to float, sigils of green, and pink and blue burning their way across the deck, the sents of fresh tea, sugary pastries and old grapes drifting on the wind.
Beau spoke first, "You told me…you wanted to stay with us. That we had to stay together. That you wanted to repay the favor for helping you find your path. You're invested…and so am I but I don't think I can do this without you here. So you had better come back, Captain."
She laughed slightly, tears running down her face. She reached out and placed her hand over his heart.
Caduceus spoke next, "This isn't your time. You changed, you started to find your path and this is nowhere near done. There is no closure here. She has plans for us, and I want you there to see them. Come back to us."
He sighed softly, looking towards the sky and then placed his hand over Beau's.
Jester spoke last, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes as her fingers traced through his hair.
"We talked once about how the prettiest things often hurt you the most, but I never thought I would hurt this much. You, heh, you were my first friend after the Traveler and I…I…I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without you now. So please, please Fjord, come back."
The colors began to swirl, and in the moment the others moved in, Veth placing a hand on Jester's shoulder, Caleb Beau's, Yasha Cad's, and at that moment Orly felt a compulsion to play like he never had before.
He immediately began to play his pipes, the sound taking on an almost ethereal sound as it echoed across the waves. He stared down at Fjord's form as the light continued to shine.
"This group ain't the same without you Cap'n, come on back now."