Diana hopped over cracks, and ducked at whatever debris was thrown her way. This hall was built for this beast, and, as such, it was a suitable arena for this type of creature. Her footsteps were quick, much faster-paced than her likeliness called for.

She shook Akko on her shoulder. "Akko!" she whispered sharply, "Are you awake?"

Akko grunted in response, yet it was a tired response. Her hands weakly clutched at Diana's back, and tried squeezing Diana's arm. The brunette tried once more to respond. "Diana…" she moaned, her voice wet and muddied. "…Tastes like iron… D-Diana… What's wrong with me?"

The girl was clearly distraught, and disoriented. She didn't even seem to process what had happened to her.

Diana cursed under her breath. They had nowhere to go but forward, and potentially down. Backtracking was no longer an option, especially not with such dangerous monsters wandering around.

Diana finally found another hallway, and made a sharp turn down it. She kept running; the footsteps and the growls of the monster rung through her mind.

She wasn't sure how long she ran for, but by the time she stopped, it was after the adrenaline had faded away. Her lungs burned, and her cheeks were damp with tears. She wasn't yet ready to admit it, but she was utterly terrified.

She kneeled down into a squat, and set Akko down against the wall. Diana couldn't help but heave in response to the stress.

She shook her head, and focused. "Akko," she mumbled. "Akko, are you with me?"

Akko's eyes were all but closed, only a slit of her irises available to see. Her breathing was heavy and strained, and she was clutching at her chest. Her uniform was tattered, and the color palette of her person was stained red.

Much of her face was bloodied; from the cut on her left cheek, the blood from her right eyelid dripping down, to her damaged forehead. Her shoulder seemed to have the most pressing damages, a clean slice going through the shoulder blades and upper shoulder. Diana didn't have any access to water or medical supplies to clean the wound, so she knew they had to get out as soon as possible.

Akko was clutching her chest, and Diana feared that they may have been fractured or broken, but there was no way for her to check.

Healing magic wasn't an option for them anymore, as it became unstable and unpredictable when the interiors of the body, too, were damaged. Boosting the healing process of the skin was easy enough, but to mend bones and muscle tissue was another task all of its own.

Diana put her face in one of her hands, her gaze down. What was she supposed to do? What could she do? Her team, the blue team, had been working close by the red team, when Lotte and Sucy found them. They were in a straight panic, as Akko went chasing something she found and disappeared. The blonde had instructed Sucy and Hannah to go back up while the remaining three would track down Akko. Admittedly, that wasn't what they should have done, as now there were multiple students lost, but she felt as though Akko's reckless nature and Diana's own prowess in magic would make up for the executive decision.

Yet here they were, in a scene that would only be found in a nightmare. Diana had always scolded the brunette for her recklessness, for how she went into things with such a disregard for the dangers. She admired that about Akko, yet the consequences, the evident consequences, were horrifying.

With a small tug to her sleeve, however, and a squeeze to her hand, Diana lifted her face from her hand. Akko was looking at her, worry over her expression.

"What'cha… What'cha thinking?" Akko asked, innocently.

Diana's brows scrunched together, almost in disbelief. What kind of question was that? Was the Japanese student really that unaware of the situation?

With a grunt, Akko sat up more, drawing out a yelp from Diana. Diana lurched forward in a quick panic, an arm on Akko's healthy shoulder.

"Do not sit up, Atsuko," Diana scolded, catching Akko's attention by using her full first name. "You're not in any shape to do so."

Akko only smiled (albeit weakly) in response, however, squeezing Diana's hand harder.

"It's not as bad as it looks, okay?" Akko reassured, or at least attempted to. "I've been in plenty of worse situations…!"

Diana averted her eyes momentarily, before again scolding the girl. "You're delirious, and you're losing blood. We're trapped down here, and you clearly have some damaged bones. Regardless of your past experiences, we cannot dismiss this one!"

She was seriously upset. There was no reason for the girl to dismiss her own pain, and it was frustrating to convince someone that they were in danger.

"Akko, you could have been killed from wandering off. What if we hadn't found you in time?" Diana continued, her voice cracking. Her eyes felt damp again, so she tried blinking away any tears. Akko's eyes widened a bit, the situation finally settling in for her.

"That creature is one of the most dangerous in these types of dungeons. We were instructed to avoid them at all costs, Akko.

"A-And to see you just get… to get thrashed around like a r-ragdoll…! Only for you to–"

Diana was interrupted as Akko rubbed her thumb across Diana's cheek. It stung.

Akko pulled her thumb away, looking down at it. It was glistening, a shiny crimson painted over it now. Diana's right cheek was bleeding.

The brunette's face was one of guilt, Diana realized.

"I'm aware of what happens to me," Akko mumbled, a harsh frown covering her face cheek to cheek. "I know what kind of threats are there for me, but you didn't even know that you got hurt."

Diana's eyes narrowed briefly, looking down. She rubbed her cheek, and then looked down at her forearms. They were bruised and scratched, and, while they weren't as bad as Akko's, she knew that the brunette was likely blaming herself for it.

Diana looked further down, her brows furrowed. "I apologize…" she confessed. "You're okay, and I should be grateful enough for that."

She brushed down her outfit. It was coated in dust, and the upper half of it was drenched in Akko's blood. It reeked of iron, yet Diana felt a strange acceptance of it. She looked at the bruised girl sitting in front of her, red streaks patterning her face, a wet puddle of red around her shoulder. This girl in front of her was alive. Not just living, but truly living in this very moment.

Diana tried smiling throughout her fear, throughout her nausea. Akko returned the smile in likeliness.

"See, Diana?" Akko inquired. "We'll be fine! We both know there're multiple ways out, and we know we've got each other! The two best witches in the world!"

The blonde helped the brunette up, and allowed Akko some support.

"And… And when we get out, we can get a band-aid for my shoulder, and then we can get a nice hot chocolate! On me! Trust me, I'm used to this kinda stuff, y'know?"

Diana nodded, although she did have some strange hesitance in believing Akko. They had nowhere to go, now, but down. Further down this hall, further down this dungeon, until they could find another place to backtrack. Whatever monster it was that nearly killed the two, it was one of many.

The truth was, Akko was terrified of what situation she just flung both of them into.