Ash wasn’t afforded any opportunity to protest when Rohaan pinned her down to perform his maneuver that incinerated most of the shambling zombies. She wasn’t liking her odds of being able to successfully engage them all in close quarters, so she’d just have to forgive Rohaan. She could feel immense heat despite being shielded from the flames, which made her all the more appreciative that she was adequately protected. As the fire subsided and Rohaan allowed her to return to her feet, she gripped her dagger even tighter, more adamant than ever to kill Thoburas. Most of the zombies were completely blasted away, but a few managed to survive for a brief moment until the fire ate away at them to the point where they collapsed as well. A pleasant turn of events for both Rohaan and Ash, considering that they were fighting for their lives, though it went without saying that Thoburas wasn’t all too happy about how things turned out. For a brief moment, he stopped his incessant laughter. Ultimately, that moment passed as well, with Thoburas shrugging and sheathing the dark blade once again, as if he was merely writing off the undead horde that he had only just risen.

“Leave it to you two to ruin all the fun!” Thoburas seemed to be preparing to say something else, but it was at this moment that Rohaan launched an axe at him, forcing the elf to sidestep to avoid it. Ash then witnessed Rohaan transform himself into a wolf. Of course, she could stand aside and let Rohaan try his luck against Thoburas, but that wasn’t why she was here. Ash was here to kill Thoburas and she’d do anything within her power to ensure that she was the one to do so. She had no hard feelings towards Rohaan - he likely had a moral compass quite similar to her own. Still, at the end of the day, Rohaan was nothing more than a mercenary. For her, this was very personal and she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t deliver the killing blow. Perhaps Rohaan understood in his own way, or maybe he was more concerned with killing Thoburas using any means at his disposal. Even if he didn’t mean for his rush at Thoburas to be a distraction, Ash would use it one.

Probably by sheer instinct, Thoburas backed off from Rohaan. Even he wasn’t insane enough to want to fight a feral wolf head on. This placed him well within the range of Ash, and she promptly went in for the killing blow, without any hesitation. She only managed to graze Thoburas on the cheek despite her best efforts. Worse still, she overextended herself, allowing Thoburas to land a hit on her elbow, jarring her entire arm and disarming her in the process. Her arm momentarily went numb, which could definitely become dangerous in hand-to-hand combat, which the status of current events had all of a sudden been reduced to. Thoburas kept the dark blade in its sheath, as if he was eager to toy around with Ash for as long as he could.

Ash was hardly going to stand by and wait for Thoburas to gain any advantage over her. She slammed her knee into the elf’s stomach to properly give her the opportunity to regain the feeling in her arm. Such an attack would have dropped anyone else, but Thoburas barely flinched. She was becoming all the more appreciative of the thorough training Lord Cassander had given her ever since her early childhood. Back then, there had been a thousand nights where her body ached so much that she could barely move. She complained then, but not now. Ash managed to block an incoming blow from Thoburas. She didn’t believe she had ever received a hit that had so much power behind it. Ash was just happy that it didn’t break her arm as it sent her sliding across the stone pavement by a few feet. Ash then landed a powerful kick to Thoburas temple. This time the elf dropped to one knee with blood streaming down the side of his head, yet all he offered in return was another of one of his sinister grins.

Like earlier in the fight, Thoburas was on her quicker than she could react, grabbing her by the throat and bringing her close towards him. She really couldn’t understand how he was still fighting at the same pace before… the kick that she had landed on him must have at least given him a concussion. He flashed his sharp teeth at her as he licked the side of her cheek with an abnormally long tongue.

“Hahaha… there’s something different about you. Not quite human, but I just can’t place it. So frustrating!” At this point, he had raised her off the ground by a few inches, despite all of Ash’s struggling. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. The dark blade is singing to me! Only one more sacrifice before the gate is no more! HAHAHA!”

“It could be you… especially with all the trouble you’ve given me so far. Still... I’d rather save you for last. Then I'd have all the time in the world to play with you.” Thoburas gave Ash an inquistive look as he began to sniff at her hair. The elf was visibly drooling. “You know what? That’s exactly what I’ll do!” With that he tossed Ash aside as if she was nothing more than a half-stuffed ragdoll.

Thoburas turned to face Rohaan with his trademark grim smile and laughter. “I think I’ll give Malachar your soul instead!”