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The instant the first guard walked into the cell, the keys still in the lock, Sungar burst into action. He unleashed all of the anger he had kept in check till this moment. In his clenched fist, he hid all of the dust and pebbles that had fallen from his cell walls during his imprisonment, and he threw it into the guard's eyes.

As the guard tumbled back, surprised and blinded by Sungar's attack, the second guard stepped backward into the passageway and quickly pushed the cell door shut. Sungar grasped his fellow by the hair and slammed him face-first into the stone wall, then pulled him back and let him fall to the ground. With a swift foot, Sungar stamped on the guard's face, and with the single blow the guard's skull collapsed, his head smashed open on the cold cell floor.

In the corridor, the surviving guard desperately fumbled with the keys, glancing with fear at Sungar's raging eyes, gone wild and red with fury. The chieftain made a run for the cell door. The guard jumped backward just as Sungar rammed his foot into the door and sent it flying open, its thick iron hinges trembling as it smashed into the wall.

The guard reached for his sword, but before his hand reached the hilt, Sungar assailed him with both fists. He pushed the guard backward against the far side of the passageway, pummeling him into the stone wall with fast blows. The guard succeeded in drawing his sword, but as soon as it left his scabbard, Sungar snatched it from him and sank it deep into its owner's chest. The guard spat up blood, and his head lolled in death.

The sound of clapping echoed off the dungeon walls. Sungar turned to see Hurd Hardhalberd at the door of his cell. The prisoners looked upon each other for the first time. The stout dwarf was gray-bearded, with long scars down his cheeks, much as Sungar had imagined.

"Good show, Sungar," said Hurd. "Now if you'll be lettin' me out, we'll be ready to cause some serious damage."

Sungar went to his own damaged cell door, where the keys still dangled from the lock. He pulled them out and dashed to Hurd's cell, trying numerous keys before finding one that would turn.

"Grrruuh…," came an indecipherable grunt from the dark passageway. Standing in the shadows was Kiev himself, his half-orc features lit by flickering torchlight. A sickly grin crossed the torturer's hideous face, his sharp tusks glistening with saliva. In his hand he clutched a weapon all too familiar to Sungar-his glass-studded lash.

Sungar turned the key and it clicked in the lock. Kiev's long whip uncoiled with a resonant crack and it snaked through the air, wrapping around Sungar's legs and pulling tight. The barbarian chief collapsed onto the hard ground, losing his sword as he fell.

Hurd burst free of his cell. "I've been waitin' fer this too long!" he shouted as he dashed down the passageway as fast as his legs could move him. He leaped into midair as he reached Kiev, colliding with the half-orc and knocking him backward on the dungeon floor in a vicious, reckless attack. Kiev released his whip as the dwarf gripped his throat and squeezed.

Kiev shoved Hurd's shoulders with both hands, sending the dwarf tumbling backward. The half-orc regained his footing and pulled out a dagger, holding it out before him, daring Hurd to attack him again. And Hurd, unarmed but undeterred, faced him down.

From down the hallway, the lash cracked again, flying directly over Hurd's head so that the dwarf felt its motion as it passed. The whip found its mark as it coiled around Kiev's neck, the cruel glass studs digging into his flesh. Kiev's hands went up to his neck, his dagger falling from his grip. Before the weapon could strike the ground, Hurd caught it and sank it solidly into the torturer's heart. Kiev fell backward with a force that wrested the whip from Sungar's hands.

Hurd spun to face Sungar. "You some kinda expert with that whip?" he asked.

"Not really," Sungar answered, collecting the swords from the dead guards and