Artemus managed to evade the ghouls after his injured leg had stopped bleeding. He then circled back to Abigail's tree but remained out of sight.
His dark gaze was on the child who was clinging to her tree, clinging to life despite the odds that were against her. Thunder rolled in the sky, releasing more lightning that flashed so brightly it hurt his eyes. The anti mage had worn a spare set of clothing that he kept in his dimensional bag but it was already wet and chilly.
"Forgive me, Abigail," he whispered. For what he was about to do, Artemus was willing to take any punishment from the entity that would judge him in death. His heart was bitter but his hand was steady.
The anti mage removed his divine staff and hesitated for a few moments. And right then, the little girl looked in his direction. Weak from holding on against the rain, the wind, and her own paralysing fear, the child could no longer hold on.
