A bugbear.
That was what awaited us behind the door to the boss' lair.
Bugbears were among the largest and most ferocious goblinoids, and this one was better armoured than any of the other monsters I'd seen so far in this dungeon. And I definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of that mace it was holding.
A rather fearsome-looking beast, but this was only a D-rank dungeon. How difficult could it truly be?
...Is what I tried to tell myself.
The experience with the hobgoblin was still quite fresh in my mind. The fear I felt at being abandoned, fear which I had yet to confront, came flooding back.
This was a dangerous monster. A monster which, even at my most confident, I could not hope to fight alone.
But I wasn't alone. Miss Sable was here. And she would not abandon me.
Miss Sable was strong. I knew it, and so, it seemed, did the bugbear. For though it was clearly resolved to fight us, it was nevertheless cautious against rushing to the attack. Nor was Miss Sable herself in any hurry as she set down her charge against the wall, that she might free up her hands for the forthcoming battle.
I could just leave everything to her.
...No. No I could not.
She didn't need my help. Monsters feared her, and rightfully so. She could crush the bugbear in less time than it would take me to chant even the most basic spell incantation. A weakling like me would just get in her way.
But she wouldn't always be around to protect me. A hero like her must have more important things to do than escort a coward around low-rank dungeons.
Today, however, she was my teammate. We needed to support each other. I wouldn't let her down.
I wouldn't lose to my fear.
"Aye, got yer resolve back? Well then, I'll keep it busy, while you show me what you're capable of."
Miss Sable believed in me. It wouldn't do to let that belief be misplaced.
She jumped into action — quite literally: she had closed the distance between herself and the bugbear in a single bound. She then began dancing around the creature, expertly dodging the wild swinging of its mace. Much like how the hobgoblin had dodged the unskilled attacks of my former party members, but with far more grace.
This was not the time to be mesmerised. She was working to provide me an opening, and I needed to prepare a spell to make use of it. But which spell?
Most of my offensive magic relied on physical impact as much as elemental effect. The bugbear's armour would mitigate some of this damage, so for maximum effectiveness, I should aim for its exposed head. In that case...
I began preparing the spell "ice arrow".
As the name suggests, ice arrow produces a small projectile of ice. It travels quickly, and shortly after impact, it explodes into a freezing cloud. The effectiveness largely depended on where it struck, but as long as it pierced the opponent's flesh, it was virtually guaranteed to cause problems.
The bugbear's hide probably wasn't strong enough to repel it.
Miss Sable seemed to recognise the spell. She goaded the bugbear into facing my direction. This did mean putting herself between the bugbear and my spell, but she kept her stance low, possibly to keep the bugbear from noticing me as much as to keep herself out of the way of my spell.
Ah, the bugbear did notice me... too late.
I fired.
The arrow shot straight ahead, directly into the bugbear's snarling maw. Striking the back of its throat, the arrow exploded, rapidly chilling its head from the inside.
The bugbear grabbed its throat, dropping its mace in the process. It appeared to be choking.
"Huh. Think you froze the blood and saliva right in its throat," Miss Sable remarked. "Probably messed up its lungs as well."
The bugbear thrashed about for a moment as Miss Sable picked up its mace. "No sense letting this drag on."
With one swing, she caved the bugbear's skull.
I reiterated to myself once more that under no circumstances should I upset this woman.