“Well it was all uh hypothetical, so yeah you are meant to be dead but they didn’t actually know what was going to happen, we still don’t know. We were going to do some ritual under this focal point but well uh it's not going well as you can tell.”

Somehow her upbeat tone doesn’t change once while she gives me this watered down explanation.

“And why are we down here?” Slipping those words through the link means a handful of rocks once again tumble through my limbs.

Carefully, I extend more of my appendages over towards my creator, supporting the cave roof above her with even more prejudice.

Either oblivious to the danger or maybe just being incredibly trusting with me, she doesn’t seem to pay it any mind, only pausing so that she can gather her thoughts before barraging me with more information.

"Just like how some areas are more naturally beautiful, some areas are more plentiful in mana, these locations with plentiful mana are called focal points. Since magic is normally very difficult to perform and it takes years of study and practice to actually be able to go from being a fire mage to a pyromancer. These focal points are very important as they can shorten the time needed from years to just months, if the fire mage is especially talented of course. We used to have quite a few but uhh all the civil wars kind of got rid of them, so now they’re mostly used for rituals. Like the one we were meant to do together, the one which you know, failed.”

Oh, that’s cool and all but why were we underground? Why was my first summoning after whatever it was we went through involving me acting as a glorified support beam, holding up a collapsing ceiling?

Matter of fact where were the support beams? It was all just grey stone, no wood and no metal.

I would have preferred for it to be more symbolic, there wasn’t much reputation to be earned here, especially thanks to the other summons and mages.

But did I even need to worry about that? We were important now, she was safe, right?

“Why are we underground? Are you safe now? Is there no need to go glory seeking?”

“Umm, we’re like a mile or two underground and basically buried alive. So yes? We’re safe from any attacks but we’re also going to slowly suffocate to death, well I am. So that’s why I summoned you even though it’s risky, we need the air, once the cryomancers get finished with the ice pillars, I’ll unsummon you just to be safe.”

Focusing on trying to not get crushed to death made being an attentive listener rough but I was still paying enough attention to notice her tone switch once she got to the suffocating to death part.

The brief surge of panic and nausea that echoes through our link makes her fear even more obvious, it also makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

I can fight enemies, rip apart other summons, or be ripped apart but I can’t do anything in a situation like this.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

She was more or less safe in my previous summonings, surrounded by an armed cohort of somewhat trained soldiers.

Now she’s trapped under layers of stone and I can’t exactly solve that problem, I can’t fix the danger she’s in.

“Are you alright?” She anxiously asks, I can feel her panic steadily growing as well.

“Why are we underground?” I say, trying to distract her but the moment I transmit my message across our link I realise I made a mistake.

I should have asked her about focal points or what her favourite food was, not why we were underground.

I’m not built for multitasking, I’ve got better eyes and feel more present but clearly, I’m still lacking in terms of mental abilities.

Actually, this is rather concerning, most of my knowledge comes from her but I haven’t gained any new information this time, which is a good thing since she’s no longer going insane, I hope.

But now I’m going to make so many mistakes and be so slow at progressing, I’m going to have to rely on my creator for even basic information.

And I’m also going to make stupid errors like this, she’s just standing still breathing a little too heavily while coming up with her response.

Eventually, she figures out how to voice her thoughts and speaks “It’s just how it is, like I said before some areas are just more mana dense. This is one of those areas, while was one of those areas. The backlash from the ritual has probably destroyed this focal point unfortunately.”

Ah, right, I suppose that makes sense, wait hang on a second.

“How are you alive?” I can hardly force the words out, my tendrils have all mostly snapped at this point, it's just my tentacles keeping this rocky roof up at this point.

“Sacrifices that's how.” She says sadly, before continuing “There were around seventy of us, now there's less than fifteen. The overwhelming mana killed quite a few of them and some more died as the tunnels started to collapse. It’s a bit weird with all this overflowing mana around I expected you to be able to stay with me for at least another hour or two but you’re already starting to run out.”

She’s right, I am starting to get quite hungry, I don’t have long left here.

“Perhaps you should move away, could you do that please?” I urge her, only one of us needs to get crushed and that someone isn’t her.

“No need, the cryomancers are done on their side.” She reassures me, funny how she’s gone from being panicked to reassuring in the blink of an eye.

I really do hope that’s just a quirk of her personality and not some serious soul damage.

With hurried grace, the cryomancers move over to us and begin to cast their spells, creating ice sticks that gradually grow into proper thick pillars.

I want to keep asking her questions and talking to her but I can hardly focus on keeping the ceiling up, sure the pillars are helping to relieve my burden but thanks to the loss of a few dozen limbs the tasks also gotten more difficult.

And thanks to the hunger I’m feeling, they're not going to be replenished.

After what feels like years though the last pillar is erected and I am freed from my weighty task, slumping down to the ground I prepare myself to ask her some more questions but before I can even try I start to fade away.

My remaining limbs swiftly disperse into nothingness as I start to dissipate and exit this physical realm.

The last thing I hear is a faint “I’m sorry!” and then my physical form is gone and I’m a floating blob again.