Content Warning: Poisoning Sequence
He avoided the sounds of bells and screams to make it this far. Cracks litter the pavement, filled with water and ice and the unknown, deep enough to swallow him and twist him up. He jumps over one, watching the library rise in the distance. There's a wet, hot, sinking sound, and the library continues to rise.
He hears voices, but his muscles slow, the world spinning as he moves to look. Footsteps, coming from all the wrong directions. He sees shadows, but they don't line up with the people. An Arakanth approaches, wiping venom from her mouth. He can't hear her until she steps over him.
He takes a breath and tries not to choke on his spit, thick and hot like the poison on his skin. He takes a breath and tries to pretend this isn't scaring him. He takes a breath and tries to take a breath.
The pavement is round, with many pieces. They don't all go in the right places. His leg twists, trying to find purchase, and keeps twisting, snapping as it meets the leyline. He feels like that should bother him more than it does, but it's just cold and he can't stop feeling cold and it's pissing him off and it's in his veins and he can't get the damn cold out, how is he supposed to get the cold out?
He takes a breath and realizes he doesn't have a leg anymore. He takes