Hopeless Situation

As Eliss watched Amukelo's unconscious form, her heart ached with a mix of fear and determination. She gently administered the last of their healing potions, the liquid trickling down his throat. Hovering her hands over his bruised body, she whispered an incantation, the air around them shimmering with the glow of her spell. She used every bit of her magical healing abilities on him, depleting their reserves completely.

While Amukelo lay still, his breath steadying under the effects of the potion and spells, Eliss busied herself with a crucial task. She retrieved a small, unassuming stone from her pouch—a dimensional access stone. Her fingers trembled as she tied a note to it, her script hurried and filled with emotion. "Maybe I wasn't useful to you," she wrote, "but you can at least access everything I stored: food, water, maps. Everything you will need to survive. I love you..." The words were a silent farewell, a hope that he would find everything he needed if she could not be by his side.

With a heavy heart, Eliss prepared a traveling bag for Amukelo. She placed the stone carefully at the bottom, hidden beneath layers of essential supplies, ensuring he wouldn't notice it unless absolutely necessary. She also packed purple mana shards, their energy pulsating softly, and added some basic food supplies. Each item was chosen to give Amukelo the highest chance of survival, especially if she had to sacrifice herself for his safety.

Eventually, Amukelo stirred, his eyes fluttering open as consciousness returned. His ribs felt strangely better, healed by the potent magic of the potion, but his hand remained painfully broken, a testament to the severity of their recent ordeal. He looked around, disoriented, and then noticed the empty potion bottle next to him. Worry furrowed his brow as he turned to Eliss.

"Eliss, why did you do that?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern and confusion. "Why did you use all our healing possibilities on me? You haven't healed at all." His eyes then caught the sight of the waist bag he hadn't noticed before. "And what's that?"

Eliss, standing a short distance away, paused in her actions, her expression solemn. "This is for an emergency so that you can use these powerful shards," she explained quietly. "I also added some food, just in case." She forced a small smile, her eyes sad. "I thought it was best to heal you, as you are much stronger than me."

Amukelo's response was immediate and empathetic. "Eliss, you are strong too. We are a team, and to make it alive, we both need to be in our best condition." His tone was firm, underscored by deep concern. "It's not even a question, you are using your healing spell on yourself when it's available again." Eliss simply nodded, her heart heavy with unspoken words.

Now that the immediate threat of Leviathan was temporarily stalled, Amukelo and Eliss could shift their focus to assessing their surroundings more critically. They found themselves in a small cave deeply embedded within the dungeon's lower echelons, surrounded by a harsh and unforgiving environment. The jagged white rocks around them reflected even the dimmest light, causing a sharp discomfort to their eyes. The space was cramped and stark, the air chillingly thin, devoid of any semblance of natural comfort. Sparse, sharp-edged rocks jutted from the uneven ground, offering no respite for their weary bodies.

The oppressive silence of the cave was intermittently shattered by the distant, muffled echoes of monstrous roars, a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked just beyond their temporary shelter. This unsettling ambiance underscored their perilous situation. They were deep within the dungeon, possibly deep below level forty, according to the only vague descriptions that matched their current environment in the basic book about the dungeon provided by the Fallenhoods.

The book contained descriptions of monsters they might encounter and an overview of the dungeon's levels. It included maps up to level forty-two, but ominously, the pages detailing levels any deeper were missing. This gap in their guide left them blind in a domain where even fully prepared teams tread with caution past level twenty-five. Now, without a team, nursing severe injuries, limited supplies of water and food, uncertain of their precise location, and still haunted by the looming threat of Leviathan, their situation was dire. It couldn't get worse than that.

Understanding that the main route through the dungeon levels was typically the most open space, Amukelo and Eliss decided this could be a crucial piece of information. If they could find themselves in a larger, wider cave, it would likely indicate they were on the main route, which could lead them towards an exit or at least towards a safer area.

With the flickering light from their meager source illuminating the pages, they spread the book and the partial maps out in front of them. Each took turns holding the book close to the dim light, squinting to make out the contours and landmarks that might match their current location. The map of level forty-two was the deepest one they had, and though they were likely below this level, any familiar geological features could provide a clue to orient themselves.

As they studied the map, tracing the paths they had traveled and the landmarks they had passed, a mix of hope and desperation filled the air. Every small indent, every large cave marked on the map was compared against their memory of their descent into the dungeon's depths. They were looking for anything that might resemble the towering caverns or distinctive rock formations that could serve as a beacon to guide their way forward.