[While on a rescue mission gone crazed, a holy warrior and a rogue fight bandits, demons, and the urge to rip each other's clothes off.]
The mission, rescuing a princess, could be going better.
Séa is an earnest paladin, honest and gullible. Tash is...
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Wind of her own making rushed in Tash's ears. She sprinted up and out of the pit. By the time she attained the balcony level, the coward demon was already scampering out the exit. His webbed feet flapped double time as he stumbled and tripped his way up the next flight.
The joy of the chase settled over her and she leaned forward in silent acceleration.
If he gains the portal room and raises the alarm, that would be bad.
But it was clearly Dooch's goal. He tripped over his own feet as he ballistically flew into his kitchen, and mashed his face into the grimy floor. He emitted a grunt and a whine, then scrambled for the staircase up.
He will not scream. That much I can guarantee. She pulled her garrote from under her belt at the small of her back. She unspooled its tough wire as she rocketed around the kitchen corner.
She caught him halfway up the stairs. He had the high ground, so she leapt. Her arms started high, the wire stretched between her hands, and then she swept them forward.
His burlap-covered back cushioned her landing. Her knees gripped his round torso. She sought the notch between his chest and chin and threaded her wire there.
He fell face-first onto the steps, his arms splayed forward.
Remember, demon flesh is tough. She pulled hard. For Séa, you scum-blot. This is for Séa.
Dooch scrabbled with his hands at his own neck, but the wire had already disappeared into folds of his flesh. Tash pulled with her back muscles and pushed with her knees. When the travelling wire hit bony resistance, she sawed back and forth.
The demon's head parted from his body and rolled away downhill.
Tash wiped her wire on his burlap, cleaning it of orange blood. She rewrapped the wire around the handles and tucked her garrote away. Half-heartedly, she patted at the body's burlap coverings, but she found no hard lumps. Nothing to loot. Useless frog man.
The twitching body did not turn to vapor. The rogue's repaired lips twisted in disgust. You got dosed with that fancy protection spell, too? Well la-di-dah for you.
The head had bounced back down to the kitchen, leaving periodic splashes of orange goo. I don't want to touch that. Tash pushed one of her longer daggers through the skin between the head's still-roving eyes. Thus spitted, she lifted the grisly trophy with her dagger hilt and set off back to the dungeon.
"Get ready for banishment, Dooch. I guess that promotion didn't work out for you." Probably, I shouldn't be enjoying this so much. But I am. This payback is sweet.
The head rolled pleading eyes toward her.
Sorry, Dooch. Your switching sides exhausted my supply of pity.
Tash's mocking chuckle echoed from the dismal stone walls.
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