"Maybe we should head back," Percy called up to Vex. "It's highly unlikely she was thrown this far from the fight."

Vex sighed. He was right. If Keyleth had gotten out this far, they would have seen some sign of her by now. She carefully picked her way through the brush and down the rocky outcropping she'd climbed for a better view of the area. When she reached the ledge nearest to the ground, Percy reached out a hand, ready to assist her.

"Oh, come now, darling, don't be shy," Vex said flirtatiously. She leaned down and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I might slip and sprain my ankle, and then where will we be?"

Momentarily flustered by the cleavage directly in his line of sight, Percy cleared his throat and straightened his glasses before responding. "You've never set a foot wrong in your life, Vex'ahlia." He placed his gloved hands on her hips to control her descent as she jumped down from the ledge. He kept his face neutral as Vex leaned in unnecessarily close, letting her hands glide lightly down his chest before she turned away. Gods, she was infuriating! He could feel himself blushing and was certain she'd seen it, too.

"Hopefully the others have had more luck," Vex said. Although they hadn't found Keyleth, she felt more optimistic than she had earlier. Getting Percy hot under the collar always improved her mood, she found, and she'd peppered him with enough innuendo and flirtatious glances that he would surely be glad to be rid of her. As it was, she didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that his eyes were following the sway of her hips as she sauntered ahead of him.

"I certainly hope so. It's nearly dark, so we need to move quickly," Percy said as he caught up with her. "Without a light source, it would be impossible to find our way back to camp, and I'd prefer not to spend the night out here." He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Oh, yes!" Vex cried, leaning to the right so her arm pressed up against his. "It gets so bitterly cold after sundown, too. Whatever would the two of us do to keep warm all night?"

"I do know how to start a fire, you know," Percy said flatly.

"Yes, Percival, I rather suspect you do," she purred. It took every bit of self-restraint she had not to laugh out loud as he stomped off ahead of her, mumbling something she couldn't make out.

They were close enough to the camp that Vax could smell the smoke from the campfire, and his keen eyes spotted a faint glow in the distance. His arms and back ached, his lungs burned, his legs felt like jelly… he wasn't going to make it. Maybe Grog was back at camp already, and he could just set her down here and get the goliath to finish the job. He staggered to a stop.

Sighing softly, Keyleth relaxed in his arms, resting her forehead against his temple. Vax felt something shift in his chest.

"Vax?" Keyleth murmured, her breath dancing along his cheek.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for rescuing me."

"Sure. No problem. Any time."

Suddenly energized, Vax lurched toward the campsite, heart pounding in his ears. He was going to bring Keyleth to camp himself, come hell or high water.

Pike sat on a log, poking forlornly at the campfire. She couldn't believe no one had come back yet! Maybe she should go back out and start looking again; what if Keyleth was too badly injured to be moved? Or if someone else had been injured in the search?

Just as she leaped up to rejoin the rescue effort, she spotted a dark figure emerging from the trees. Whoever it was, they were staggering toward her carrying Keyleth in their arms. She sprinted toward them.

"Pike!" Vax called breathlessly as Pike ran up to him. "Her leg is broken, it looks bad."

"How bad is- oh, shit!" Pike clapped a hand over her mouth. "Uhhh, that's not so bad, I can definitely fix it!" She didn't look any more confident than she sounded. "Bring her over here by the fire so I can see better."

Vax set Keyleth down on the grass, sighing with relief as his aching muscles relaxed, and flopped down beside her. He ventured a quick glance at her face only to realize she was struggling to stay upright. Beads of sweat stood out on her pale face as she drew a ragged breath, arms shaking with the strain of holding herself up.

"Pike?" she said feebly. "Is it OK if I lie down?"

"Yeah, that's- no, wait, maybe it's better if you don't?"

Keyleth hunched forward, grimacing. Strands of red hair stuck to her face, looking like rivulets of blood in the rosy light of the campfire. Vax felt sick looking at her. His exhaustion vanished as he scrambled to his knees, moving behind Keyleth to help her stay upright.

"Pike, come on! She's barely conscious!"

"I know," Pike said brusquely. She was in full healer mode now. "Vax, I need you to sit behind her and hold onto her arms. Your legs should be in a V on either side of her."

If it seemed overly intimate, Vax didn't question it. He did as he was told. Keyleth tensed as he pinned her arms to her torso but didn't make a sound. She seemed to know what was coming.

"Good, like that. Now put your left leg over hers and hold it down."

OK, now he was going to question it. "What in the hell for? What are we doing?" he asked, exasperated.

"She has to set the break," Keyleth said softly. "You'll have to hold me still."

Vax's stomach dropped. This was going to be horrible. He watched in silence as Pike straddled their right legs, resting just above their knees, her small, deft hands practicing the motion she'd need to set the bone.

"OK," Pike said, "OK. Keyleth, I can't lie. This is gonna hurt like a motherfucker. But it's just for a few seconds as I set it, and then I'll start healing it and the pain will lessen. Vax, get ready."

"I'm scared," Keyleth whispered.

Vax wasn't sure if Pike had heard it, but he certainly had. That thing in his chest shifted again as he felt a sudden, mad urge to press his lips to Keyleth's hair and tell her everything would be all right. Instead, he tightened his grip on her arms, careful not to hurt her.

With a sickening squelch, Pike got to work setting the break. Nothing could have prepared him for the scream that erupted from Keyleth's mouth as she twisted wildly in his arms, trying to break free. It was all Vax could do to hold onto her as she bent forward, convulsing in pain. Her head suddenly snapped back, clocking him square in the jaw.

"Fuck," he spat, as Keyleth suddenly went completely limp. Her head drooped forward, chin to her chest. Was she…? "Pike! Something's wrong! She just stopped moving!"

"It's fine, she just passed out." Pike's face was illuminated by the glow of her healing spell as she glanced over her shoulder. "She's still breathing."

Yes, that was true. Vax could feel the short, sharp breaths she was taking. He loosened his grip enough to tilt her chin upward, letting her head rest against his shoulder, her clammy face against his aching jaw. He sighed as he watched Pike work. He couldn't wait for this day to be over.