<span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family:Open Sans">Cygnus kept him on the edge of consciousness. Altair was actually surprised he made it as long as he did. He wanted to give over to it, to fall to blackness, but it wasn't so easy a task. Adrenaline was keeping him from it, his bodies reaction to the pain, and when it was over, men were untying him and hauling him up, Blessedly they caught him before he fell into the fluids mixing at his feet. The blood was slick, already concealing and clotting. Altair chances touching his body, the blood coming away and making him want to vomit if he had anything at all left. With a shaking hand, he touched one man's face, marking him with that blood and saying something to him in Dusanian. His faith hadn't been shaken like Cygnus would have expected. Altair's upbringing wouldn't see him so easily shaken. He knew that his goddess tested some more than others, though Altair couldn't imagine what path he was supposed to take from this.<br/>
<br/>
Vengeance for his maiming, perhaps?<br/>
<br/>
Altair didn't have it in him to pull away when Cygnus collected him. He could hardly raise his head to the other slaves, and most wouldn't meet his gaze anyway. The oldest slave did, his expression somber, his color pale. Maybe he'd seen this sort of thing before, and Altair preferred that the man's eyes locking with his rather than the slaves that would prefer to look at their feet. Cygnus made his point, but he wasn't done. Salt water was poured over his back and Altair let out another sound of misery as pain outlined his wounds. Trembling still, feeling weak and drained, he was at the end of his energy reserves. He didn't look to Cygnus, comment, or try to ease towards him in the hope that he would provide comfort for a groveling slave. Instead, he went slack in his hold, not fighting any longer. Unable to even if he wanted to.<br/>
<br/>
The man Altair had marked with blood was talking with another of the crew, pointing and rushing to wipe the blood off his face. Altair hoped his unknown words had cause to give him worry, if nothing else.</span></span>