39.1

The Dwarf kicked at Rain's limp foot and laughed. "Oh my you have caused a fuss. I've never seen an Inquisitor as pissed as you made ours, she was practically spitting acid!"

"She sent you?"

"Of course. Although she did ask for you to be taken alive, and I quote: 'Get me that monster so I can skin it alive and wear its fur while I draw and quarter what remains.' Town was like a kicked beehive let me tell yah. Well, no sense dawdling." She hefted the axe. "I was going to take you alive but after that display I think it safer you come as a corpse. You can thank me in hell."

Rain's eyes widened in surprise, but he wasn't looking at the Dwarf. The Elf-sheep had suddenly materialized out of the air just behind her. What was this? The Elf-sheep had betrayed him?

The Dwarf noticed his look and tried to turn but before she could the Elf-sheep stabbed a black blade into the side of her neck with an anguished cry. The Dwarf's mouth opened to scream but she could only gurgle as blood flooded her mouth.

The Elf-sheep stepped back with a horrified expression at what she had done, her eyes snapped to Rain who was staring at her and her legs nearly buckled underneath her. With a yelp she turned and vanished into thin air.

The Dwarf was wobbling but still up, her hands scrabbling at her belt. Rain suddenly recognised that the glass bottle she was desperately trying to remove was a healing potion. He swiftly leaned back and pawed the skull sitting atop the throne.

"G-get off of me you damned dog! I- no stooop!"

With one swift motion he threw the skull and just as the Dwarf managed to get the potion free from her belt the skull struck it. It was knocked from her fingers and flew across the room to shatter on the stone. The skull bounced up against a pillar with a crack and the last flickering dancing green of undeath whisped out of existence. The skull rolled to a stop, still and quiet.

The Dwarf stared at him in silent fury but even as she did her legs buckled beneath her and she toppled backwards. She was dead before she hit the ground.

Rain let out a rattling breath but then his head snapped around as Opal rushed past, another black clad leveler chasing her, this one a Human.

The Goblin turned and her cutlass swung up to deflect a sword stroke from the leveler. She was clearly outmatched, she was just a small monster and he a powerful leveler, the cutlass was nearly blown from her fingers with the strike and her arm was wrenched around brutally just from the colliding metal. She held him back only by the skin of her teeth, even as he watched her legs buckled, going weak at the knees. The Goblin somehow used her unreliable legs to her advantage and dipped below the Human's blade, letting it whistle over head. She backpedaled, desperately trying to stay up as her legs failed her. It was going to happen again, the same as when she was kidnapped by slavers, falling at the worst possible moment.

"Save her!" he roared, but no one answered. He searched around for something to throw, but nothing was in reach. He could only watch as Opal desperately parried using her two swords, each blow nearly her death.

A Kobold crawled from the mound of undead at that point. He looked around surreptitiously and then ran toward one of the doors. The chain ran out and with a squawk he fell on his tail as it yanked on his neck. He scrambled to his feet and tried to pull the chain free from the undead but it was caught underneath something. He looked around fretfully and spotted Opal as she was backed up against one of the pillars. The Kobold clawed at his face and then with a miserable cry he ran toward them and leapt on the leveler's back. The leveler cried out and tried to grab at the Kobold biting and clawing at him.

Opal didn't hesitate and she plunged her rapier through the leveler's chest and into his heart.

The leveler dropped to the ground, the Kobold still attacking him.

"You can stop. It's over," she said, breathing hard, her hands on her wobbling knees.

The Kobold slumped on the dead leveler's back.