"I was wondering where you'd gotten to?" The necromancer said. "I believe you were supposed to resurrect me…"

"Some things should stay buried." The mistress replied.

Leaving the girl with Thrycia, Katja hurried over to where Nadia lay, all the while praying that neither of the two sorcerers would notice her. Luckily, neither of them spared her even a first glance, concentrating solely on the other.

Nadia groaned as Katja crouched down and rolled her over onto her back. "Nadia!" Katja whispered. "I think it'd be best if we were somewhere else right now. Can you walk?"

Nadia grimaced, but managed to stagger to her feet. Katja supporting Nadia, the two hobbled back to join Thrycia and the girl. Nadia glanced at the short sword in Thrycia's hand. "Hand me that." She said, extending a hand.

Hand trembling slightly, whether from weakness or hesitation, Nadia sliced across her chest, cutting three lines across the rune-brand blocking her magic. She cried out in pain, but managed to complete the third cut.

Biting back tears, Nadia chanted a spell, clutching at the wound. Her hand glowed with a blue-white light. When she removed it, the cuts, and the scar from her branding, were gone, the skin smooth and white. "That was…harder than I thought it'd be…" Nadia said, gasping for breath.

"What did you do?" Katja asked.

"I broke the rune, or at least enough that I could cast a simple healing spell." Nadia said. "Now…" she groaned again, "I think we ought to get out of here."

Katja nodded. The mistress and her former master were still talking, in some tongue Katja couldn't understand. With any luck, they could get out of there before the spells started flying. All of a sudden, the necromancer shouted a word of power. The mistress began chanting a spell in response. Katja gulped. So much for that…

Immediately, every coffin in the tomb shattered open. With the creak of ancient bones, the corpses inside stirred. Unlike the mistress' mummies, these ones moved with the strength and vigor they'd had in life, compelled by the skill of a master necromancer.

Most of them shambled towards the mistress, intent on destroying their master's foe, but a number of them lurched towards Katja and the others, and at least half a dozen of them were between them and the exit…

Katja grimaced, raising her stolen short sword as the mummies approached. Behind her, the mistress cast a spell. A large shimmering portal appeared. A dozen figures stepped through. They stood over nine feet tall and had the heads of a bird of prey. Each one held a large, curved, two handed sword in their clawed hands.

The monstrous figures took up a defensive position around their mistress, cutting down the mummies as they charged, while the two spell casters launched a blistering barrage of spells at each other.

The mistress and the necromancer chanted monotone, faces passive with concentration. A bolt of lightning would collide with a shimmering magic mirror, rebounding to destroy a group of skeletons; a ball of magical fire would meet a stream of water. The two combatants were evenly matched.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the chamber elf and Amazon fought the knot of undead surrounding them. Katja severed the hand of a mummy as it tried to swing its bronze sword at her. Remembering the fate of the cultists, Katja kicked the hand away, after grabbing the sword.

It took all of the mercenary's skill to hold the three mummies in front of her at bay, her two swords flashing as they parried the attacker's blows. Periodically, she'd spot and opening and remove another limb from her opponents, careful to kick it away each time. Behind her, Thrycia was similarly engaged, whittling down her opponents as well.

Protected between them, Nadia and the girl crouched on the floor of the tomb. The girl was shaking with fright, huddled against the apprentice sorceress. Nadia ignored her, concentrating. Periodically, she'd muster the energy to cast a small spell, reducing their attackers by one or two.

As one of the mummies in front of Katja exploded in a shower of centuries old dust, she glanced at the sorcerous duel going on across from them. Three of the giant warriors had fallen, but they'd reduced the mummies' numbers by more than half.

A pile of ancient corpses lay smashed to pieces at their feet, those parts still capable of movement twitching and striking impotently at the creature's monstrous feet, only to be crushed underfoot as they stepped forward to attack.

The contest of magic was still going on, though it seemed like the mistress was beginning to gain the upper hand. Katja turned her attention back to their own struggle as the last mummy between them and the exit stepped forward. She chopped at its legs, sending the ungainly undead crashing to the ground.

"Come on!" She said, burying one blade into the corpse's skull. "Let's get out of here!" She turned and helped Nadia and the girl to their feet. They ran for the exit, Thrycia covering them from the mummies still shuffling after them.

The four women ran down the tunnel. Katja did her best to remember which way they'd come. The last thing they needed to do was get lost down here. Behind her, Nadia grimaced. "What is it?" Katja asked.

"The battle's over." Nadia replied. "I can't tell who won, the mistress and the necromancer are very alike in their magic. One of them teleported away." She closed her eyes. "The other has followed."

After some wandering, they found the exit of the pyramid. To Katja's relief, there was no one outside. The ruins were completely deserted. The cultists must have fled when their leader was slain. To her disappointment, though, they'd taken most of their supplies and tools with them and burned most of the rest. Some searching turned up just enough food to make a meager meal for the four of them.

They gathered up what supplies they could and headed off into the marsh. Odds were good, even if the cultists didn't come back, the mistress or the necromancer probably would, to try and plunder the Black Pyramid.  

"Well, we're in the middle of a cursed swamp, with no food, or water, or gear. Barely any clothes for that matter…" Nadia said tugging at the torn, dirty kilt she was wearing. "We have no idea which way to go, oh and just to top things off, the swamp is probably crawling with cultists who hate our guts for killing their messiah, not to mention a pair of master necromancers who want to brainwash us or just devour our souls."

"Well, look on the bright side…" Thrycia said with a soft chuckle, "Things could always be worse…"