Unbound

Gabby was exhausted. She lifted her hands and they shook, but it was only partially due to the strain that burned her Body.

You almost killed those people. If she had hit Archie any harder, the small guy would’ve pulped against the weird barrier the Minotaur had made. Murder wasn’t part of her plan, but then they’d all tried to kill her right back. She’d had to pull her punches to take down the Legion, then amp it right back up when that axe guy came at her.

Sunara was no different, though she only hit two people.

Of course, one of them had been her brother’s Companion.

She stilled her shaking hands, clutching them into tight fists. Calm down. No one died. And most importantly, you didn’t violate your bargain with the gods. That means you’re not dying, either.

She leaned back against a pillar and took a steadying breath. Her muscles quaked, strained too hard, too quickly. Traveling across the Continent using the Divinity's Stair was powerful and relatively quick, but it relied entirely on her own Mana and Stamina to endure it. The gods certainly vanished when she walked it, so they weren’t any sort of help. Powering up the ineffable steps was a chore and a half, not to mention while carrying dead weight.

Not so dead now.

The Kobolds were awake and bound with ethereal chains to a single, bone-white pillar. It was more than large enough to accommodate the tiny guys, and the chain gave them no room to move. Their hands were capped in a similar metal, as were their feet, knees, and elbows, blocking every Mana Gate they possessed. An elision collar finished the job, preventing them from activating any of their Skills.

Around the inscribed circle of gold there were nine total pillars, though every other was empty save one. The Sylphaen was bound there, too, held in the exact same manner as the Kobolds. Her wings, however, had required more care. They were stretched out, and bands of that same ethereal metal were clamped around them every two feet, with chains anchoring them to the pillar's top.