The sorceress's jaw dropped when she saw Rand. His arms were bound to his sides, and he was hanging by his ankles as he struggled. The dwarf's helmet and battle-axe lay on the floor beneath him.
"Rand! What hap – Ooff!"
Dmitry didn't allow her to finish, and plowed into Asha head-first. Her head hit the floor hard, before he finished her off with a fist to the chin. Darkness pulled her down.
There was no way to know how long she was out, but it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. It was still too long to lie helpless at her enemy's feet. Asha's weapons were stripped away, including both her Shield Ring and Killum's Ring of Lightning. The kobolds piled her talismans, weapons, and purses next to Rand's stuff. They already had a rope hanging next to him to hang her.
"I defeated you, elf," Dmitry said, looking so proud. "I am the superior warrior and spellcaster."
Asha glared up at him. She was on her knees, with five kobolds hanging on to keep her down. The fifth one held a knife to her throat and kept her from even struggling. Three deaths in seven days would not bode well for her future in that realm.
"You are weak and pathetic, and only won with the help of dozens of others," she sneered. "I'll make a deal, Dmitry. Let Rand and I go, and I'll remove that crystal and free you as well."
"String her up," he said.
A kobold approached with a rope. She assumed they planned to bind her arms to her sides like they did to Rand. And then she'd be lifted up, flipped upside down, and the hanging rope would be tied around her ankles.
"Are you doing all right, Rand?"
"Oh, I'm fucking dandy," he gasped out. He struggled mightily for a second. "Never been better."
Dmitry smirked as he stepped closer. "It's heartwarming to see you are such good friends. I'm sure you'll enjoy hanging out with each other until Lord Kathro has time to deal with you."
The sorceress's blood ran cold. She was about to be hung like a side of beef. It wouldn't be long before Lord Kathro arrived to put one of those subjugating crystals on her. And then she'd begin a life of magically-induced servitude. She might even be forced to fight and kill her friends.
Or I can struggle so hard the kobold slits my throat.
Three deaths was bad, but she'd be back in the fight within five minutes. Despite it being her third death, Asha sucked in a deep breath and prepared herself for the shock of being killed. But the kobold with the rope arrived. Her arms were forced straight down her sides, and the knife-wielding kobold stepped back.
Asha didn't hesitate.
"Die!"
She went to one knee, grabbed the closest object to hand – Rand's helmet – and surged to her feet. At the same time she swung that heavy helmet with all of her rage and strength. It rung like a bell when she slapped it across Dmitry's face. The shaman dropped like a rock, while she cleared an area around her and Rand.
Snatching up her swords, she cut the rope holding the dwarf warrior up, before cutting the ropes binding his arms. While Rand struggled out of the ropes and rearmed, she attacked the kobolds.
"Bind!"
Half of them froze. Asha attacked the others, driving them toward the door. Really, her goal was to defend the door and keep them inside so she and Rand could finish them off. Far too many of them escaped for that to work, so she concentrated on slaughter. Between them, Asha and Rand killed two dozen kobolds.
"Ugh, the stench of death in close quarters is horrendous," she said. Noticing Dmitry starting to stir. "Be wary. He's a shaman, but I want to pry that crystal off of him."
"Will he help us once free?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to give him that chance."
Rand knelt on Dmitry's chest, pressing his battle-axe to the dwarf minotaur's throat. The shaman seemed torn. He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want that crystal removed. Asha knelt with his head clamped between her thighs, and used a dagger to dig at the edge of the glowing yellow crystal.
"It's bonded to his skin like it's a part of him."
She was getting a lot of blood, reminding her that head wounds were the worse bleeders. All of that blood made her want to stop, but then she'd have to kill Dmitry. In any other realm of that Game, she'd kill him without a second thought. But that world was different, and there were terrible consequences to being killed.
"Just cut it out," Rand said. "He'll be free even if it leaves an enormous scar."
"No!" the shaman cried, struggling so fiercely Rand's axe penetrated his skin.
Asha thrust the dagger in, and then sliced a circle around it. Even then, it wasn't easy to pry that evil talisman out. It was almost like it was fused to his skull. Dmitry buckled and fought them, but he froze the instant the crystal came free.
"Are you okay?" Asha asked, holding the bloody crystal in her hand.
He looked at her. Smiled. "I'm free."
Dmitry died.
"Oh my god, I killed him," she said. Then she felt a tingle in her hand, and coldness began spreading up her arm. "Aaaiieee!"
She flung the yellow crystal across the room and rubbed her left forearm and hand. The aftereffect felt like the blood was cut off for a few minutes.
"Whatever you do, don't ever touch one of those things," she warned Rand, who nodded with big eyes. "It was trying to subjugate me."
Rand stood up, looked around, and grinned. "We fight well together, babe. If I reach Lord Kathro first, we might do something else well together tonight."
"What? Are you – ?" That was all she got out before Rand raced through the door.
She quickly grabbed the rest of her stuff. The two rings went on her left hand. The sorceress sheathed her twin elven swords across her back, and then took up the Power Sword. Lord Kathro was too powerful to fight with anything less.
The clash of arms got her running after Rand. "If that little bastard wins this, and chooses me, I swear I'll cut his thing off. Afterwards."
She found Rand on the stairs to the next level up. Kobolds, hobgoblins, and a gryphon defended the stairs. Stopping behind the dwarf warrior, she paused to admire his bladework. Rand was a master axeman. She'd always admired how effortlessly he wielded that battle-axe. Few could stand before him one-on-one. Yet, there were too many foes in that confined space for him to win through.
The sorceress called up her HUD, and cringed when she saw her mana was down to 41. She was practically de-powered as a spellcaster. Healing was out of the question now. Her Bind spell was grayed out, so she'd used it too many times. So she drank a Mana Restoring potion, but that would take time since it wasn't one of Lady Evangeline's.
Asha tried to recall what floor they were on. Third or fourth? Only one way to find out. She absolutely couldn't allow Rand to go up first.
"Rand, what time is it?"
"Huh?"
"Incorrect. It's time for me to jump ahead of you and reach Lord Kathro first," she said. "It's… Boom time!"
Asha unleashed five thunderbolts into the defenders. The explosions were deafening, but blasted them apart or knocked them down. She then jumped forward, using her Levitate to fly over Rand's head and come down upon the gryphon. The beast screeched like a hawk as it attacked. She defended with the Power Sword, and forced the gryphon back up the stairs, slowly but surely.