Zin snapped out of his guilt a moment the moment another Gnoll lifted his saber high to deliver a death blow. However, just as he realized his mistake, three excellently placed arrows pierced the beast.  Each arrow hit a vital organ with a thud, thud, and thud. The Gnoll crumpled to the ground as Zin looked up at his ally.
 
Whether she realized it or not, Zin now owed her a life debt.  It was an ancient tradition that had been lost or abandoned by many of Zin’s cousins. Only The Great Clans still adhered to the practice, and even then it was a rare occurrence. It wasn’t simply that she had saved his life. It was that she had no lasting ties to him. She gained nothing by saving him. This quest would not suffer from his death alone. The tradition called for the debt to repaid three fold. His life was now hers to command until the debt was repaid, she take his life, or death take her.
 
The lithe elf landed beside Zin a moment later. She made a sound of disapproval as she pulled a leaf-shaped blade and ax from seemingly nowhere. Zin said nothing. Instead, he took in a deep breath to steady his mind. There would be time later perform the proper ceremony. That is of course only if they survived.
 
Both Stood poised and ready for the next attack as the largest of the last three Gnolls swung its polearm. Zin dodged the swing a tumble to the side. He was now flanking the beast with Arassel on the other side. This Gnoll would not go down as easily as the last two did. However, if He and Arassel worked in unison they would be able to take it down.
 
“Get in close.”  He spoke in Elvish. Hopefully, she would realize the pole arm was useless in close combat melee. 

[@Jbcool]