Blinded by my skill, the healer screamed and started rubbing her eyes, while I returned to my dim glow.

  “Rissa! What happened!”

  “I can’t see! The wisp glowed too brightly in my face, and I can’t see anything!”

  The swordsman tried to split his attention between the monsters stalking them in the shadows and his companion, who couldn’t see. I could see the indecision on his face, but he isn’t important right now. The other man, the rogue or scout, rushes through, disarming the trap to remove the current danger. As expected, his already low success rate and his harried movements lead to the only possible end in this situation; his hand slipped and triggered the spike trap.

  “Gods dammit all!”

  I have to hand it to him; he kept his composure pretty well, better than I could, but he is still too inexperienced. The spikes fall from the ceiling, directly towards the rogue, still crouched from his attempt to disarm the pressure plate. Out of sheer luck or skill, he managed to get out from under the trap, but not without a spike tearing through his calf. He might be able to walk on it, but down here without help, it's a death sentence.

  “Shit, Rissa, heal Renee! He’s by the wall now to your right. Hurry, I’ll protect you both!”

  “Okay, Renee, call out to me.”

  “I’m over here, just keep heading this way. It isn’t too bad, really; it's just a bad scratch.”

  He’s trying to keep a brave face for his comrades, but I doubt it’s working to calm their nerves. The rogue’s face was scrunched in pain, and blood was starting to pool around him, enough to make the healer’s nose scrunch at the smell of sweat and iron in the air. If she could smell it, then so could they. The monsters hiding in the shadows knew that this was their best opportunity, and they took it. From the depths of the dungeon’s shadows, a dozen reptile-like forms emerged, all aiming for the fresh blood permeating their home.

  “Rissa, Renee! A dozen monsters from the front!”

  “Give me thirty seconds, and I can heal Renee’s leg enough to run!”

  “Then I’ll buy you thirty seconds!”

  With a fierce determination in his eyes, the swordsman began to swing his sword in wide arcs to keep the monster's attention. Flashing from the dim glow of wisps and a torch, his sword slashed through the air. Arms, feet, heads, he cut through the monsters indiscriminately in his passion to protect his friends. In twenty seconds, he was able to kill nine, but not without injuries to himself. He endured bites and scratches, gorging his armor and flesh, just to ensure another kill and even one more second. At this rate, they would be able to make it out of this and inevitably escape the grasp of the dungeon. I want them to escape, to be able to live their lives, but I can’t let it happen. I need their lives in exchange for strength. Diffusing my mana to reduce my physical presence, I float towards the swordsman, right in front of his face, and glow. With a blinding light, the swordsman loses his, but this doesn’t stop him. He just grits his teeth and swings anyway, slashing straight through another monster. But there were still two more monsters to his side, and just after he was blinded, the monsters bolted straight towards the healer.

  “NO! RISSA!”

  With a speed too fast for a blinded swordsman to keep up with, and a healer focused on saving her injured friend, those two monsters pounced on their prey. In just as quick a motion, the rogue pushed aside the healer and pushed a dagger across the side of a charging monster. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough. The weight of the now dead monster pinned down the rogue, and the other went straight for his neck. With a crunch, the rogue was dead.

  “RENEE!!”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Rissa, get back!”

  The swordsman was almost able to make it; he was already blinking rapidly, his vision returning to normal much sooner than the healer’s. He must have been prepared for it to happen a second time and had good enough reflexes to avoid the worst of it. But it still isn’t enough. Before he could get to her, the last remaining monster jumped at the healer, tearing into her with teeth and claws.

  “Get off of her, you bastard!”

  With a stab through the center and swinging up, the swordsman dispatched the last remaining monster. He pushed its remains off the healer, holding on to her as she bled from the wounds the monster left.

  “No, no, no, no. Rissa, c’mon. You’ve got to stay awake. You need to use your healing magic. Hurry, please, don’t give up.” In his quiet muttering, he pleaded to his friend who lay dying in his arms. “Lerissa, say something, please. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were supposed to adventure together and get rich from dungeons all across the continent. All three of us were going to be famous. We were going to make the old man proud, and then we could retire together in the village. Please, cast your magic. I don’t want to lose you, too.

  He was crying now, tears streaming down his face as he bared his dreams and desires from his heart. But he surely knows she’s already too far gone. Then, the healer raised a hand to the crying swordsman’s cheek and spoke in a quiet voice.

  “I know, but it’s too late for Renee and me. But, you could still follow your dreams-” she coughed, blood dribbling down her lips. “You can still make the instructor and all of us proud. Just don’t forget about us when you’ve accomplished all your dreams. That’ll be enough to make me happy.”

  “Please, don’t talk. Your magic can still save you. I can still save you. I can carry you back to the surface. Please, stay with me. Heal yourself, please.

  “I don’t have the strength to heal myself enough to survive, but I can still help you. I’ll always love you.”

  With those final words, she used the last of her mana to heal some of the swordsman’s wounds, the light fading from her eyes as she died with a smile on her face.

  “No, NOO! Why! Why are you healing me?! Stay with me! Don’t leave me alone! I don’t want you to go. I love you, so live for us! Why, why does it have to be like this? Why couldn’t they take me instead? Why?”

  Still bleeding from his wounds, he held her body close and cried in despair. If he doesn’t take care of his wounds, death will claim him too. The scene in front of me was the result of my actions, but I don’t feel anything, just an emptiness. I knew what would’ve happened, but it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. But I can’t stop here, I’ll need to do this countless times to become strong enough in this world. It’s a necessary evil. I don’t want to do this, but I’ll do what I need to do. And then, the swordsman finally looks up, tears still streaming down his face, and he looks directly at me.

  “You! You were the one who blinded her! You were the one who did all! Why would a wisp do this? You’re supposed to be a mindless monster. You should just be a useless light! Why did they have to die because of you? I’ll kill you, for them!”

  With that, he began to swing his sword at me. Fear and guilt paralyzed me for a second, but then the sword phased right through my ethereal body. No matter how much he swung, how much force he put into each swing, it didn’t hurt me, nor would it ever. He was only swinging a normal, metal sword.

  “Gods dammit! For Renee! For Rissa”

  And then, his sword began to glow. It glowed with the same light of the healing magic cast on him. The magic used to restore his wounds was now coursing through his sword, now wielding a weapon that could actually kill me. Swinging down, his sword cleaved me in half, causing a jolt of pain to go through me. I quickly checked my health, and it was down to three points. I need to run, I need to get away from him!

  “Ahahaha, so I can hurt you. May you feel the pain my friends felt in their last moments. And die!”

  He raised his sword high, ready to cut me down. I tried diffusing my mana again to dodge and slip away, but it wasn’t happening quickly enough. There’s nothing I can do to save myself from his sword, but in his rage and despair, he forgot the harsh truth of reality. We are in a dungeon, filled with monsters ready to kill human intruders, and he’s been in a battle loud enough to draw attention from both sides of the tunnel. On one side was the swarm of reptiles he already slew, and the other side was no longer blocked by spikes. Screaming in madness and despair, the swordsman never heard the quiet whistle of wings, gliding straight to his back, and plunging a spear straight through his chest. His eyes full of rage and then despair, he looked from me to the spear, letting his arms drop, the sword clattering against the ground.

  He whispered, “I’m sorry, Rissa, Renee. I couldn’t live for you.”

  Quiet returned to the dungeon, its last challenger’s life returned to nothing. I have killed three people; I will not forget them: Eric, Lerissa, and Renee.