The first throwing knife landed right in the shoulder of the nearest bandit, who screeched out loud with his face distorted in pain. Alerted by the shrill cry, everyone's attention turned towards the Two silhouettes standing on the southern road. Everyone paused for an eye-blink before sending a volley of arrows in the direction of the duo.

"Get them!" One of the bandits screamed, his voice echoing over the whole place. "And don't you dare let them escape!"

Another knife flew in the direction of the thieves but it only served as a distraction at best, since it flew right over their heads barely chopping off a hairstring of one pursuer. Like the prey of hunting dogs, the two silhouettes were chased down the street with arrows buzzing right pat them.

"How many are following us?" Asked Morell who took the greatsword from his back while running

"Nine." Nathan watched over his shoulder and saw how his companion deflected a couple of arrows with a swung of his sword.

"That means..."

"Jup. There are more than just the ten bandits we've seen. Not to mention those fucking archers on the rooftops, they are starting to get on my nerves!"

"Don't say that to me, when I get a hold on one of them I'll process them into minced meat!" Several arrows found their target in Morells back

Nathan, who was much more lightfooted, had already reached their destination, a small house at the end of the street and threw another knife that flew right past Morell's ear landing in the chest of the nearest pursuer behind him, who then collapsed on the ground.

"Hurry up, you damn giant!" Screamed Nathan who held open the door. "Or do you perhaps want to get us killed?!"

"Not us... pant... but I would've nothing against seeing you... dead."

One of the pursuers caught up to him and tried to stab him in the back but was instead greeted by the greatsword which Morell swung around in a pirouette, at the cost of another arrow which hit him in the shoulder.

"Give me some damn rest!"

While gasping for some air he stumbled the last few meters past Nathan, who then closed and locked the door behind them with a massive plank.

"That won't hold for long so prepare your..."

"I don't need you to say me what I have to do." Barked Morell.

Nathan put his hands in the air as a response before moving the windows shutter. A kick made the door tremble.

Morell and Nathan looked each other into the eyes and nodded.

"You better jump out here fast or you'll become a fine crisp pile of meat." With those parting words, the rogue jumped out of the small window in the back and disappeared from his vision.

Another kick let the jump out of the holding and the door opened. Morell, who already prepared to greet their pursuers with his greatsword, mad one big swing, cleaving through everything in his way, including two unstable-looking pillars. Like thunder, the whole house started to crack without the supporting wood masts, warning the people inside about what was going to happen. Only Morell, despite his lacking agility, made it in time to escape through the back window before the whole house collapsed unto the bandits inside. Nathan immediately took the opportunity to shoot the orange bolt, which left a tray of light on its trajectory to the pile of rubble that promptly turned into a sea of flames. The screams and cries of the burning bandits could be heard throughout the whole place; without a possibility to escape they could only await their deaths inside the flames of hell.

"We did it!" Morell looked at Nathan who sat on the ground, three corpses around him and an arrow sticking out of his calve. "Shit! Are you alright?"

"For a moment I thought that your wish might become true." A tired smile showed on his face. "Those aren't normal bandits. They are experienced and definitely had at least some basic training."

"That doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't that be even more of a reason that they wouldn't attack farmhouses nearby the city?"

Nathan nodded and coughed, thick smoke had filled the air once again but this time the smell of burned flesh was several times stronger.

"But have you thought about the ringing bells from the city?"

"You mean that maybe they are soldiers from another country, disguised as bandits?" Morell widened his eyes. "Even more of a reason to hurry back to Beansprout, there are definitely more of them around here and I don't think he'll be able to deal with them."

Morell reached out his hand and pulled Nathan back on his feed. With the help of a longbow, from one of the corpses, the rogue could stand on his own, because Morell would soon have his hands full of work with the new group of bandits that just surrounded them.