Tensa grapsed her sword and charged the Demon King. Her comrades were all worn down and injured, only she remained upright thanks to her stamina as the heroine. However, she too was injured, and was quickly losing energy. This was the only opening she would get. Ignoring the magic energy the Demon King was gathering in his hand, Tensa swung her sword downward decisively and buried it in the Demon King's left shoulder, the swing forceful enough to break though bone and reach the Demon King's heart. Just as the Demon King collapsed in death, the magic energy he was gathering was loosed, and Tensa saw everything flash white.
"Tensa!" her companions all cried out in horror as they saw her fall along with the Demon King. Running up to her, Obliv Rance, the crown prince of the human-ruled Vaunt Empire, pulled her up and cradled her unconscious body in his arms, his green eyes shaking at the sight. Tensa's left arm had been obliterated by the magic blast midway between her shoulder and elbow, and she was rapidly bleeding out.
"Hurry up, heal her!" Obliv demanded, his fiery red hair standing on end as he scowled at Sanci, the elven priest. However, after attempting to cast several curative spells, Sanci shook his head.
"I can't, there's too much demonic energy around the wound, prayers for healing are useless!" Sanci stated sadly, his head lowered.
"No, this can't be!" Obliv cried rather melodramatically. "I love her, I'm going to marry her, there must be something we can do!"
Neither Vix, the beastwoman scout, nor Bursin, Obliv's personal guard and assassin, looked up to meet his eyes. Only Manti, the dwarven mage, looked around thoughtfully with her cold, analytical eyes, stroking her beard in thought.
"We could...substitute another arm for the one Tensa lost," Manti finally mused aloud.
"Use mine!" Obliv grabbed his sword. "Then Sanci can heal me, and you can heal Tensa!" Before Obliv could take action, Bursin grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms back.
"My prince, you cannot! It's too great a risk!" Bursin shouted stubbornly, placing the value of his master over that of a heroine who had already fulfilled her purpose.
"Prince, I can heal a wound, but I cannot regenerate a limb!" Sanci yelped at the same time, his normally tranquil demeanor distorted.
"Dammit, let me go!" Obliv snarled, struggling. "I refuse to watch the woman I love die--"
"There's no need to use yours, Prince," Manti stated flatly, ignoring Obliv's histrionics. "There are plenty of available limbs right here," she continued, handing her staff to Vix and taking the large axe off her back. "This one should do nicely." Manti stood over the corpse and swung her axe down, then picked up the loose limb. The corpse she had selected was that of...