"Unless those enchanted gems in their foreheads are Bound Objects," Fergus said.
That made them all stop and think. Killum considered that. Nothing he knew kept such an evil object from being bound to a player. If so, then being subjugated like that meant eternal servitude.
"Boy, this world plays for keeps," he muttered. "Okay, they stand in our way. How do you want to take them out?"
Asha shook her head. "The gemstones only subjugate the living. I still think all of the undead players will be freed to respawn when we kill Lord Kathro. The individual zombie players all fade away when killed, so they are definitely freed to respawn." She paused to stare at the female mage. "The subjugated people might be freed from his control when he dies as well, but there is only one way to find out."
"Make the dragon kill them," Rand said.
Killum sighed. "We went over that already. If Gye kills all of our opponents, then we will never level up. We get experience points by doing things, like slaying monsters."
"Killum is right. Gye is only for when we really need him," Asha said. "Maybe you don't care, but I actually want to fight and level up. It's why I play the Game."
"Fergus, I think this is the perfect place for you to shoot your bow from," Killum said. "The rest of us will attack. Asha and I will take care of the spellcasters." He looked at her. "I'll take the shaman if you take the mage." She gave a single nod, before turning her full hostile attention on Tarissa. He looked at Rand, "Can you sneak around to attack from their left flank?"
"Can do," Rand said, and started backing away to head out. "This is going to be epic."
"Tiana, I need you to attack from the right flank," the battle-mage said. "Asha and I will charge up the road, which should be plenty of distraction for you to sneak in close."
"We will crush them beneath our hobnailed boots," Tiana said. "Remind me to buy hobnailed boots in the next town."
Everyone turned cool eyes on her.
"What? I'm not allowed to make jokes?"
"No. Not if they're that bad," Fergus said.
Killum watched Tiana ease into the woods and vanish. The three of them waited for Rand and Tiana to get into position. Killum couldn't see or hear them, but both Fergus and Asha could.
"I see Rand," Asha said. "He's in position."
"Tiana is moving up close, and will be ready in a few," Fergus said. "Time for you two to hit the road. Keep it professional. No kissing or giving each other the googly eyes."
"What are googly eyes?" she asked. "Is that an American expression? What does it mean?"
"It means his jokes are worse than Tiana's."
Killum backed away on all fours, careful to be ghostly quiet. The sorceress followed, while giving Fergus an evil look. The ranger appeared quite pleased with himself. Killum wondered if they'd ever stop teasing him and Asha about their little indiscretion.
Once on the road, "So, Asha, do you want to walk in nonchalantly, skip in like school kids, or charge in like the 7th Cavalry?"
"Charge," she said. With a wink, "I'll hit them high and you hit them low."
"Sounds like a plan," he said, and took off running. "Last one there has to take Rand on a dragon ride."
She surprised him by laughing. That girl really did love fighting. Maybe as much as Rand. She was a lot faster, but didn't run all out so he could keep up. They rounded the bend in the road at a full run. The ambushers were caught off-guard and scrambled for their weapons.
When Asha launched herself in the air with her magic, Killum veered toward the shaman. Fergus filled the sky with arrows, and the undead started dropping. A thunderbolt blasted the air just before he crashed into the line of orks defending their shaman. He glanced over as Asha came down upon the Dark mage.
"Kill them all!" Killum cried, and promptly used his ring to hit zombie orks with lightning. Power Sword in hand, he plowed into the remaining orks. "I free you from servitude, orks!"
He slashed left, then right. First taking off a head, and then an extended arm. The undead ork wasn't the least bit fazed by losing a limb, and proved it by striking the battle-mage in the side of the head with his stump. Killum brought his enchanted blade down upon the zombie's shoulder, and took off his head, right shoulder, and arm. Practically cut him in half.
He heard Rand's battle cry, and then spotted Tiana darting in to dispatch a pair of undead ork warriors. Tarissa cried out, cursed furiously, and then Asha cried out in pain. He cut his eyes over in time to see Asha with a pair of deadly elven swords plowing into the Dark mage, who struggled to defend herself with the staff. Sparks flew off the staff when the sorceress's blades struck it.
The wood remained undamaged.
A fireball roared towards the battle-mage. He ducked and threw one of his own at the shaman. The ork spellcaster held his hand up, palm out, and Killum's fireball evaporated.
"How'd he do that?"
The shaman fended off Killum's lightning just as easily. Very frustrating. Then a pair of ork warriors closed on him from left and right, forcing Killum to concentrate on them. He parried the right zombie's sword thrust, kicked him in the chest, before spinning and dropping to one knee. A decapitating blow whooshed overhead, which he followed by surging forward to impale the monster on his sword. The magic of the sword intensified, and a second later the undead ork's chest exploded.
Killum sensed more than heard the next fireball, so flattened himself on the ground to avoid it. The shaman raced up and kicked him in the chest as he tried to stand, leaving Killum sprawled on the ground. He thought he was about to die for the second time.
Tiana appeared behind the shaman. She surged in close and thrust her sword through his heart. The shaman's fireball fizzled before he could throw it. Killum leapt to his feet, and then sliced the top half of the shaman's head off.
Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom! Ka-Boom!
Tarissa was battering Asha back step by step with wild swings of her staff. Each strike resulted in another explosion that sent Asha flying back. The mage was fast, and quickly closed the gap to strike again. Killum raced toward them to help, even as Rand and Tiana also started towards them. After the third strike, Asha fell to her knees, looking tattered and exhausted.
Killum saw the Dark mage smile cruelly, and then lift her evil staff for the killing blow. That blow never fell. The sorceress threw a splayed hand out and shouted.
"Bind!"
The mage froze with a look of astonishment on her face. Asha struggled to her feet, stepped up close, and plunged a dagger through Tarissa's heart. Killum, Rand, and Tiana arrived at that time.
"Next time," Asha said. She paused to catch her breath. "You fight the mage and I'll fight the shaman."
They looked around at the carnage. There was a lot of blood, but little of it theirs. All of them had nicks and cuts, scratches and bruises. No one had anything a healing potion or two couldn't handle.
By the time Fergus joined them, both Tarissa and Bearclaw were fading away. Tarissa's ruby remained on the ground where she died. Asha nudged the mage's ruby with the toe of her boot.