His chest rose and fell in slow breaths, but no air expelled from his absent lungs, just a vague smell similar to algae that filled the darkened cave.  A rhythmic drip, drip, drip is the only sound to be heard.   That bright green slime, almost neon, pooled at his feet as it dripped from his body slowly.  His eyes had no color, just that bright green that made up the rest of his body.  His hair dripped downwards, his locks flowing slowly like melting jello.  His clothes, from his simple t-shirt to his long, tight-fitting pants aren’t there, not really.  Just another layer of that sickening goo.  His feet are planted firmly to the ground, but his toes are lost in the slow forming puddle.  A humid odor similar to the stink of a bog or swamp poisons the air of the cavern.  Four tendrils swish hypnotically behind him, coming from somewhere on his back and propelled by some force unknown.  

Vault sways there, silent.  

In front of him, on the ground, lies the mangled body of a small creature.  Its shape and claws are reminiscent of a large crab, but its face is far too human.  Its mouth is open in a permanent scream and its eyes are forever blackened.  It’s unsightly, terrifying, disgusting, even more so in death than it was in life.  And yet, tears of green stain the ground around it as Vault mourns.  

Coin lays there, silent.

“He was smaller than you.”  Vault’s voice seeps through the silence.  “Weaker than you.”  His eyes don’t blink.  “Quieter than you.”  He clenches his fists, his fingers disappearing into the slime of his palm.  “Kinder than you.”  A tentacle sways in front of his face as he points at her accusingly.  “So why?  He was not a threat.  Not to you.  Not to anyone.  So why?”

She trembles there, silent.

“Do you know why I named him coin?”  She gave him no answer.  “Because I am Vault.  And I was meant to keep him safe.  A Vault is meant to protect a Coin.”  She scoffed.  “I do not expect you to understand.  But I do expect you to accept the consequences for your actions.”

They stood there, silent.