Status: Skirt damaged, dead<br/>HP<strong>-17</strong>of 83     Spells remaining: 7 of 7 1st, 4 of 4 2nd, 1 of 1 from bonded object<br/>Ammunition remaining: 16 common arrows, 15 silvered, 20 cold iron, 2 Slow Burn, 5 Tangleshot<br/><hr/>Rayne hadn't died in a couple of levels now, so it was a bit of a surprise - though oddly comforting too, when the panic and disorientation of fighting inside the crocodile gave way to the familiar, if unwelcome, disembodiment of death.  "Damn, damn... stupid crocodile."  Rayne floated up and away from herself - or so she thought, she really couldn't orient herself until she emerged from the beast and saw the sky again.  The boat was still afloat, and drifting downriver as it had passed the crocodile while it turned - perhaps it would bump up against the shore at some point.  Her  three companions were visible regrouping in the trees.  At least her death had bought them freedom, as the horrible river-monster was happy to digest just the one half-elf.  With their slow metabolism, the biology student in Rae-lynne knew that crocodile's nutritional requirements were amazingly low compared to those of a mammal... that presumably applied to dire variants as well, though something this big would still need more soon enough.<br/><br/>Since the battle was over, with the crocodile not pursuing, Rayne expected the respawn directly - she was quite astonished when she started descending through the ground itself into a very traditional hellscape.  "What the..." she didn't exactly look around, since the one creature waiting for her drew her attention, but she marveled all the same.  Was all this new, or had she just never heard of it?  It must be from the Change too... especially considering the appearance of her "host".<br/><br/>Her legs pressed together instinctively at the sight of him, and particularly, what he had hanging down before him - that... was not getting near her, if she had any say in the matter.  Which, fortunately, it seems she did.  She listened to the devil, still quite amazed at this new wrinkle in EHO.  But amazed or not, she hadn't totally lost her sense.<br/><br/>"You... must be joking; or do you think I'm crazy?  I've seen what those collars can do.  What use is being alive if I'm a puppet like poor Grogza was?  And... getting her free wasn't so hard.  But if you're safe down here, somehow I don't think my enslavement would be so temporary."  The new enchantment on the dagger was very nice, and it would be lovely to avoid any death penalty at all as she presumed would happen if she accepted.  But losing all agency... it was no choice at all.  "At least back at the Outpost, I might eventually catch up to the others... and not then try to kill them because a devil is pulling my strings... no offense, I couldn't accept even if you were human."  She felt she could be a bit cocky, now - she was already dead, or more-or-less so - and the respawn icon was right there.<br/><br/>Unless the devil had some way to assuage her quite legitimate fears, she would go ahead and press the respawn button.  Still... if this sort of thing was happening, how many players, not yet knowing the significance of the collars, would be accepting such deals?  Despite the lava, she shivered.<br/>