— …Are my eyes open?
When I wake up, after running away with the protagonist, all I see is darkness. If it weren’t for the feeling that I can distinguish my surroundings, I’d probably have to survive in this dungeon as a blind person.
I try moving my body a little, but a sharp pain makes me give up.
— Tch… How many bones did I break this time? — I wonder, as I notice the protagonist lying next to me. — It’s all that idiot’s fault!
Watching him for a little longer, I let out a sigh of relief when I realize he’s just sleeping.
— Haa… So what do I do now?
Without many ideas, I start checking my skills and magics, deciding to activate the new magic I’ve acquired.
— [Vulgor]… As expected, I don’t feel any effect.
Keeping it active, I continue looking at my panel while thinking about some theories regarding the feeling I’m having and what might be useful.
— …I also have to worry about this flower.
I look down under my shirt, where the small flower with yellow petals is rooted in the center of my chest.
I’ve already tried various ways to remove it, even commanding it with my [Connection] magic, but none of them worked.
While I’m thinking about what to do, I hear a low grunt beside me, followed by the protagonist waking up.
— Ugh… Where am I?
— You finally woke up? It’s your fault we almost died! — I say angrily because of the pain.
The hero remains silent for a few moments, probably trying to piece together what just happened, before a soft glow spreads across his body.
With this glow illuminating the darkness, I get a better glimpse of where we are and our condition.
My body, aside from the dirt and a few cuts, doesn’t seem to have any external injuries, while the protagonist is practically covered in blood.
The light radiating from his body seems to slowly fill in those wounds, healing them little by little.
— …If you have healing magic, use it on me too!
— You seem to be doing just fine…
— Fine!? I broke my ribs!
— …
He points a hand in my direction, and some of the light falls on my body, illuminating me for a moment.
After a few hours, the protagonist falls asleep again due to overuse of magic.
— Did he use up all his magic without saying a word? — I think, watching him lying next to me. — If he’s going to pass out from exhaustion, he should have just stopped the magic and recovered…
With not much else to do, I try to get up, but the pain in my back stops me. It seems that, even with the healing magic, its effect is much slower than I expected.
— Looks like I have no choice but to sleep… If something happens to me, let it be while I’m asleep.
I look over my list of magics and decide to simply fall asleep from exhaustion, just like the hero.
With my continuous magic training, I no longer get extremely exhausted after using [Connection] to send messages, so I decide to try something different.
Activating the sequence of magics I use to train every night, I start talking to myself.
— So this is my first real message… Well, this is a bit strange, but… If anyone actually heard all those noises and words I sent in the past, know that… This is just the effect of my magic…
As I keep talking, I end up getting a little lost because I’m not used to talking to myself. It’s like trying to record a video for the first time, making me a little nervous for some reason while my voice comes out monotonous.
— Eh… Putting that aside, I just want to say that I’m currently at the bottom of the Abyssal Dungeon… Incredible, don’t you think? Hehe… You know what, that’s it, bye. — I finish, feeling weird. — Seriously, what was I even saying? It’s almost painful to listen to myself…
Putting my self-inflicted suffering aside, I use my [Connection] magic to send the message, but this time I decide to try something new.
Using my [Trail] magic, I try to sense exactly how far my magic is traveling.
And then, after consuming a large amount of magic and starting to get a headache, I finally felt the connection reach its limit.
I can’t put the feeling I’m having into words, but it’s as if my connection were just a single strand of hair among many.
And the message, once it gets there, simply heads straight for the nearest strand.
— How interesting… Are these all the connected beings?
I can’t hold onto this sensation for very long, so I just let the message go on its way while I take a deep breath.
— Haaa… Maybe I can communicate with more beings? — I think briefly, feeling exhausted and with a headache. — Who or what received this message?
Before long, I fall asleep, unable to think any deeper about the matter.
[…]
After being unconscious for a while, I feel a hand touch my shoulder and wake up instantly, only to see the hero casting his magic on me.
Although he’s covered in blood, he seems to be doing much better now than before. His body no longer has any major wounds, just a few scrapes.
— Have you recovered already? What are you made of? — I say, trying to sit up but unable to because of the pain. — Ah! That still hurts…
— Seriously, my magic even healed my own body, so why are you still in such bad shape? — asks the protagonist, looking at me doubtfully.
— Do you think I know!? — I reply, though I do have some suspicions that a certain flower is absorbing the magic. — Anyway, stop wasting magic on me for now… We need to find a source of water and food to survive.
The hero stares at me for a while, probably wondering if he should keep trying to heal me, but soon deactivates his magic and sighs.
— Ok, I’ll go look for water while you stay here… — he says, slowly getting to his feet. — …By the way, what’s your name again? My name is Cael.
— Now that you mention it, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet… My name is Rafael, nice to meet you.
— Alright, I’ll be right back.
— Stay in the shade!
Looking at me as if wondering why I’m still making jokes in this situation, the hero starts crawling to one side.
— Wait! That way is where we came from! Go the other way!
— …Ok.
[To be continued…]
[???]:
— … Ei, I sense something.
[+++]:
— What is it this time? Can’t you see I’m working?
[???]:
— Aren’t you just eating while watching a soccer game?
[+++]:
— My job is to cheer for my team!
[???]:
— … You know what, it’s probably nothing for now.