Chapter Text
It all happened so fast, Ashton could hardly keep up.
Bells Hells had boarded the Silver Sun after days of traveling through the wilderness, exhausted and happy to have a relatively safe place to sleep for a few days. They all but collapsed onto the deck of the skyship and settled in for a comfortable evening of drinking and recounting their latest adventures to those on the crew who eagerly awaited tales of their exploits. Things had gone surprisingly well this time around, and everything was good.
That is, everything was good until a massive, ugly, vaguely hawk-like creature dove straight for them, no doubt in search of its dinner.It couldn’t have been more than an hour after they returned to the ship, and they’d hardly had time to get washed up and lick their wounds before they were on their feet again, mustering up whatever strength they had left to fend off the beast.
Ashton knew the casters were low. Sure, he wasn’t in the best shape himself, but still in a better place to take a few hits than most of the others. So, the moment the thing made contact, the wood of the ship splintering beneath its claws, they rushed up and started swinging.
It went well for a while, all things considered. It got a few good slashes in and the way it screamed made their head pound, but they had a thick skin and with the help of the rest of the group, they were making more progress against it than it was making on them.
And then he was in the air.
He didn’t feel the harsh thump of the blow to his side.
He didn’t feel the air being forced out of his lungs.
He didn’t see the flash of green try to catch him, or hear the shouts from the deck.
It was all drowned out, somehow, by the sickening feeling of falling.
(A flash of white light.)
And falling.
(A balcony getting smaller and smaller.)
And falling.
(CRACK!)
And falling.
(“He’s dead, just leave him!”)
And nothing but the open air to catch them.