If things get bad, it is often better to flee from combat rather than get yourself killed. Unfortunately, in this case, Zartid was unable to flee. This is often caused by overenthusiastic use of 'kick' and 'noogie' causing a backlog of unprocessed commands. If any limbs, the heart or head are torn from Zartid's body, they will probably end up being eaten by the barbarian. The limbs of most characters are highly nutricious.