At first I didn't recognise her for the hero she was. Through my tears I could only make out a flash of dark fur and some very non-human ears. She moved so quickly and crushed the goblins so viciously that I thought I was about to become prey for an even greater monster.
"Oi. You OK?"
It took a moment to register that she was speaking to me.
"...Hey, anyone in there?"
And another moment to comprehend her words.
"Ah! Y-yes, I'm fine. Err, a bit sore, but not injured."
She grunted in acknowledgement, and looked around as though she only just now noticed the dozen brutalised monster corpses littering the dungeon floor.
"So they just abandoned you here to save their own skin, huh?"
"They? ...Oh! Y-you mean you ran into my party members?"
"Three weak-lookin' 'tough guys' with swords in their hands and piss in their pants? Hmm... actually I think the one had an axe..."
Well, I guess it's a good thing if they got away safely. I wouldn't have the chance to be cross with them later if they had died.
"Well never mind them. The urge to change their underwear probably has them making a beeline for the exit. Anyway, you look like you haven't taken a break in hours. How about you rest up a bit." She sniffed at the air. "Seems like I'm not in any hurry anyway."
I took her up on that suggestion and sat down, choosing to ignore the carnage around us in favour of making a proper inspection of my saviour. She wasn't even sweating, so I felt confident she would easily be able to protect me if the smell of blood attracted any other monsters.
Speaking of blood, there was quite a bit of it on her hands and feet. Which stood to reason, as she seemed to be unarmed; she had crushed the goblins and hobgoblin bare-handed, and was now licking the blood from her fur...
Ah! She was beastkin. That was why I mistook her for a monster in my terror. Though her build was similar to a human's, she had the ears of a cat, and black fur covered her limbs. If not for the white bandages wrapped around her forearms and calves, I might not have even noticed the blood spattered on such dark hair.
I hope I wasn't staring too long. Beastkin were an uncommon sight in this part of the continent, so I was a little excited to be able to interact with one, despite the circumstances.
Though I suppose I should start by showing the gratitude I had so rudely delayed.
"Um... t-thank you so much for rescuing me."
"Hmm, welcome." She waved off my tanks as though this was just business as usual for her. "Well then, if you're rested enough, what's your plan from here?"
"Err, my plan?" Our goal had been to conquer this dungeon, thus proving to ourselves that we had what it takes to be a proper adventurer party. This meant exploring the deepest level of the dungeon, finding the boss' room, and defeating said boss.
It didn't really make much sense, why dungeons always had a room in which a powerful monster was waiting. How did that monster survive, just sitting around waiting for a challenger? Why did a new monster take its place within a day of it being defeated?
In fact, there were a lot of mysteries surrounding dungeons in general, but none of that really mattered right now. What mattered was there was no way I was taking on the boss by myself. And even if those cowards I came here with did return for me, we probably weren't ready if we had this much trouble just getting there.
Even trying to escape by myself seemed dangerous. The beastkin woman apparently agreed, for as I was gathering my thoughts, she remarked: "I have business on the floor below, so it would be a nuisance to have to escort you back to the entrance. The others probably figure you for dead by now and don't have the guts to come check. So you might as well just follow me. We can take the teleportation circle after the boss room once I'm done here."
Another mystery of dungeons: there was always a teleportation circle in a room that unlocked after the boss was defeated, which would transport anyone who stepped in it back outside the dungeon entrance. Then did this mean she planned on conquering the dungeon herself? Is that why she happened to be in here behind us?
With her strength, it should be an easy enough task, even by herself. Someone weak like me would only be a liability for her. But she was the one who invited me, so I should probably take her up on that offer, before she has second thoughts.
"Ah! Yes, please! My name's Lena. I-I'll try not to get in your way!"
Oops. Perhaps I should've said something more confident. Now it just sounded like I was leeching off her strength. Just because it was true, doesn't mean I should be so blatant about it.
"Sable", she responded with a smirk, as though acknowledging my helplessness. "C'mon then." She adjusted her backpack and started off ahead of me.
It wouldn't do to keep my hero waiting. I rushed to her side, and so began our journey to the dungeon's final floor.