[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QIUSezo.png[/img]     [img]https://i.imgur.com/ycOCuCr.png[/img][/center]
[right][b]Interactions:[/b] Adora [@Mixtape Ghost N], Sloane [@Atrophy], Everyone
[code]Artifact Team [/code][/right][hr]
With the monster beheaded by Britney, Luca pressed himself back against the wall. The remaining flesh on his hands completely rotted away, leaving them as clean as they’d started. With a grimace he pulled his gloves back on. His chest heaved up and down, head tilting to the side and squinting against the fire still blocking their way out. He inched towards it has frost crept towards them - preferring the heat radiating off it to the gripping frost that could easily hurt someone as sick as him. 

But it wasn’t over yet. What could he do? Adora said to run. To where? Back and out? No way. If he got closer-

Part of the roof caved in. Dirt stung his eyes, and dust filled his lungs. Luca took a heaving breath, before coughing. Rough, horrendous sounding coughs tore through him as he breathed in more and more dust. His knees buckled underneath him and hit the floor. He curled forward and into himself. Even as the dust began to clear, hacking coughs still ripped through his frail body. Rotten lungs barely functioned under the best circumstances… It was so difficult to breathe. But he had to. Deep breaths, slow breaths. 

Dark coloured bile was forced past Luca’s lips, spat out onto the floor as he forcefully coughed up as much dust as he could. Eventually, breathing got easier. His limbs stopped shaking, and. It was just a short lived attack brought on by the dust. He’d be fine.

One hand grasped at the wall as he pushed himself back to his feet. His hand went into his backpack, pulling out an unlabelled tub of pills. He threw a couple in his mouth and washed them down with the small water bottle he’d brought with him.

That should relieve the agony in his limbs a little, at least. Either way he’d just push through like normal.

[color=6B8E23]”A- Adora, are you alright?”[/color] he coughed out, squinting to try and find his friend. She… seemed to be alive. He wanted to stay behind and make sure she was alright, but what could he do? He’d just hurt her more if he got close. It was better to press forward, find the artifacts and get out of here. 

[color=6B8E23]”Let’s keep going. We still need to get past the guard dog… Gotta be quick since we’re lit up.”[/color] 

Before he started moving forward Luca moved back towards Sloane, pausing a short distance away - long enough that she wouldn’t quite feel the prickling of his aura, but it was almost there. He looked at her with completely brown eyes - no hints of the rotten green that was a telltale for the rot taking over. Not that he knew she had the bronze needle on hand. 

[color=6B8E23]”I’m alright, in case you’re worried,”[/color] he said quietly - talking about the coughing like he was dying… which she knew he was. [color=6B8E23]”It was the dust, not the rot. It hasn’t progressed at all because I… well, I can tell when it does.”[/color]

His eyes creased slightly, reassuring smile hidden behind his black surgical mask. He held up a gloved hand. [color=6B8E23]”Let’s go- I’d offer you a hand, but that’ll end badly for us both.”[/color]