-Sylphiette-

  Talhand, Elinalise and I had spent a week exploring the dungeon. At first, things were easy. The monsters on the upper layers had all escaped, meaning we just needed to quickly look around and find the stairs to the next floor. I doubted Roxy had only fallen a floor or two, but we needed make sure. After we entered the fourth layer, thing got more difficult. The vulpine monsters that survived the white monster's assaults were on guard, protecting large populations of pups. Talhand theorized they were growing their packs, preparing to kill the tunneling beast. Entering their domain meant engaging in a savage fight, but we had to check every corner for Roxy. I didn't want to think about finding her lifeless remains, but we had to confirm if that was the case. So, on the second day, our progress slowed to a crawl.

  On my own, I would have been killed trying to face such ferocious fox monsters. I could only do so much with my sword and magic. With Elinalise drawing the attention of monsters and holding them off, I was able to slay them while they were distracted. Talhand whittled down packs from afar with his magic. He was unable to use earth magic, which he preferred, due to it causing the white worm to stir. Even with that handicap, he was a powerful mage.

  By the end of the week, we were halfway through the sixth layer. Despite scouring each floor, there were no signs of Roxy. Elinalise kept telling me to calm down. She forced me to sleep while she and Talhand kept watch at night, but I was restless. Talhand kept saying we needed to go back before our supplies ran dry, but I couldn't leave without Roxy. As the stress and anxiety were reaching a fever pitch, I heard it.

  An explosion rang out from the end of the hall. It was the type of concussive force that only magic could produce. Ignoring the objections of my party, I ran towards the sound. I used magic to increase my speed, leaving them far behind. In seconds, I had reached the final stairs, leading down to the lowest layer. I leaped from the top, using wind magic to slow my fall. The moment my feet landed beyond the final step, I dashed forward.

  I tore through the seventh floor, killing what few monsters remained and blasting through the unnatural walls that blocked my path. It was all a blur, until I saw her. Roxy was fighting small worms. They must have been the white fiend's offspring. She was already overwhelmed, when a group burst from the floor, surrounding her. “Get down!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Throwing myself in the middle of the ambush, making sure Roxy had ducked, I twisted in a circle. The worms were sliced in half, collapsing to the ground as they died. Looking down, I called out to her. “Are you okay?”

  Roxy looked scared, but quickly composed herself. Standing back up, she smiled at me. “Thank you, Sylphie.”

  Turning back to the horde of monsters, I readied my blade. I gave a quick look back to Roxy. “Can you still fight?”

  “Of course.” Roxy raised her staff, already intoning more magic.

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  “Don't leave us behind!” Talhand came running, followed shortly by Elinalise. “Wait, did you find her?”

  Elinalise looked relieved, until she saw the worm legion charging us. “We'll talk later! Get ready!”

  With the four of us together, the worms were quickly dispatched. While their numbers were frightening, they weren't strong. Even the ones that burrowed beneath our feet were easy enough to kill once we realized they were displacing enough earth to leave a path on the surface. As the last one was slain, our party regrouped.

  “Thank you all for saving me.” Roxy looked at us three with gratitude. Now that things had calmed, I could see how worn she was. Her eyes and cheeks were sunken. Her usually vibrant hair was a tangled mess. She was clearly at the end of her rope. “I thought I was going to die.”

  “I don't need any thanks.” Talhand marched past her, starting to examine the expired boss's desecrated remains. “I'm getting paid well for this job.”

  “Let me help you gather the loot.” Elinalise followed the dwarf. She quickly looked back, giving me a wink. I guess she was wanted me to tell Roxy how I felt.

  “We should help too.” Before I could take advantage of our limited solitude, Roxy started to join the two in collecting materials.

  “Hold on.” I moved to grab her shoulder, when I felt the ground shake. “Roxy!”

  It all happened so fast. The white worm burst from the wall, sending itself flying right at Roxy. It was far faster than its infants. Roxy couldn't react in time, so I had to act. I threw my hand out, already chanting a shortened spell. But I was too slow. I screamed out in pain. “Ahh!”

  “Sylphie!” Roxy's voice was filled with terror.

  The worm had swallowed my hand, biting into my lower arm with great force. I felt as its throat took hold, dragging me further into its maw. If I didn't act fast, it would kill me. It would get to Roxy. I couldn't let that happen. I let loose a silent spell. Was it my second or third? Maybe fourth? It didn't matter. I forced as much mana as I could channel into the spiral of cutting winds. “AH!”

  The white worm started biting down harder, no longer concerned with choking me down. After a few seconds of the beast struggling to bite off my arm, its head exploded. I was blown to the ground from the force. I could feel the effects of mana exhaustion taking hold. Gore and viscera splattered across me, as I drew my hand to my chest. The green blood was mixed with my own.

  “Oh my god, Sylphie!” Roxy reached out to my hand, then recoiled. “What did you do?”

  I looked down to see my hand, but it wasn't there. A bloody stump was in its place, sliced all over by my own magic. My pules began to surge. Pain came over me in waves. I nearly vomited, but managed to hold back. Curling in on myself, I cradled my mutilated arm and started using healing magic.

  “Stop, Sylphie. You're already at your limit.” Roxy tried to pry my arm away, beginning to chant her own healing magic. Then, the tremors began a new. “What?”

  I was focusing on healing my arm, so all I heard was the ground exploding. Fading in and out of consciousness, I heard the sounds of battle.

  “Roxy, we need your help!” Elinalise was shouting.

  “But, Sylphie!” Roxy's voice was shaking as she replied.

  “If we don't beat this bastard, we'll all be dead!” Talhand was forcing the point, as my vision began to fade.

  Looking my way one last time, Roxy made her decision. “I'll be back soon. Don't fall asleep.”

  I tried so hard, pouring healing magic into my wound as long as possible, straining to stay awake, but it was too much. While my allies were fighting, while I was trying to stop the bleeding, while I struggled to hold onto consciousness, I faded away.