Elias held the sword, surprised by its weight despite its size. It was heavy, but it felt perfect in his hands. He might have had more time to appreciate the sword if he hadn't heard its panicked thoughts.
"What's too late?" he asked, genuinely confused. Before he could get a response, he felt the ground trembling beneath him.
"We're dead! Absolutely, positively, stone-cold dead!" the sword complained, barely refraining from cursing. "You've awakened this irritating thing!"
Elias also came to a realisation, that it wasn't the ground which was trembling. Instead, it was the skeleton itself that was moving.
"Was this sword some kind of seal that kept this Beast of Decay in place?" He felt his balance shake, as the giant skeleton started rising.