As you and the men reached a door, deep hidden in the ruins, you were as weak as you have never been before. Every time you tried to stay on your own legs, they slipped away. The only thing that saved you from hitting the ground was the hard grip on your shoulder. It felt like a hand of stone that wanted to crush your bones.

Breathing heavily, you tried to keep your eyes open.

"Ah, somebody seems to be a little too close to death.", Hert laughed.

You couldn't respond. Your lips were as heavy as stone and your tongue refused to form any words. Only a shaky breath left your lips.

Without reaching, the man that was holding you knocked at the door.

For a moment, silence filled the air. All that was audible was a cold wind, that chased through the long corridor.

"Come on in, boys.", a deep voice suddenly said.

That must have been Tully, you thought.

As the three of you entered the room, bright light hit your eyes, forcing you to close them tightly. A hurt grunt left your lips, you wanted to raise your arm as protection. But you were so weak that it wasn't possible.

With a loud thud, your body hit the floor again.

"We have a gift for you.", Hert said.

Interested but not thrilled, Tully stepped closer. His figure was blurry, halfway wrapped in shadows but you could tell that he was older than the other two men. One of his legs were damaged, he wasn't walking properly. With a deep hum, he bowed down to examine you with a closer look.

Then, he began to laugh.

"That sad fuck is dead.", he said, suppressing another laughter.

"Not yet.", you whispered.

Talking was painful.

Surprised, Tully raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, it can talk? His interesting. Tell me, why are you here? My boys know I don't like to be interrupted by unnecessary concerns. You must be a fucking mass murderer or some shit."

A soft laugh escaped you.

"I own one of your swords. Made your boys furious."

"That's only half the story.", Hert interrupted. "That little minx wanted to steal from us. Had Lucas blade and said he was dead before taking it. And your name was dragged through the mud also. Doesn't seem too nice, huh Tully?"

Displeased, Tully eyed you. Before you could realise anything, he had reached out and kicked your face. Paralysed by the pain, you caught. Your head fell back, causing an unhealthy crack to chase through your neck. Blood was dripping out of your nose.

Unable to move, you remained motionless, laying on the floor while being covered in your own blood. The world was dancing before your eyes. It felt like your head was filled with water.

Everything was turning darker before your eyes.

"So, you're a little rude fuck, huh?", Tully asked in an angry voice. "Lying and stealing from my boys? And throwing shit at my name? Oh boy, you must be brainless."

Again, he kicked you. This time in the stomach.

With a sore throat, you coughed and crawled into yourself to gain some protection. Pain was filling you. It felt like fire burning in your lungs yet like ice that made your hands shake. The urge to vomit was crawling up your throat as Tully kicked you over and over again, until tears were covering your face.

"Killing you would be so easy!", Tully laughed, pressing one of his feet into the wound that was wide open at your side. "But that would be too easy, wouldn't it be? Gods, a little bitch like you deserves to be hanged. A long, painful death that will make you suffer until the very end. That will teach you a lesson. Nobody drags Tully's name through the mud and gets away!"

Grabbing you by the hair, he pulled you up.

The world around you was already fading. It was hard to keep your eyes open.

All of a sudden you felt so tired. All you wanted to do was close your eyes and sleep for a long time. For forever, perhaps.
With a shaky breath, you managed to open your eyes and look him in the face for one time.

"Fucker.", you whispered.

Angrily, his face twisted. He reached out again, wanting to hit you right in the face. But before his fist reached you, a loud bang chased through the air. It wasn't for long, not was it really loud. But it made the ground shake. Struck by surprise, Tully stopped in his action, tore his head around and stared at the door.

For a long moment, the three thieves were just starring at the door, not saying anything. They did not move more did they opened it to see what was going on.

"What the fuck?", Tully suddenly asked, throwing a glance over to Hert and the other man.

Both shook their heads, also unsure what was going on.

"An attack?", Hert asked, already his bow in hand.

The other man rushed to the door, his hand was resting in his inner chest pocket. Laying an ear onto the wood, he listened for a moment. Then, his eyes wandered to Tully. They were filled with surprise. And something else.

Was that worry you could see?

Without a word, Tully dropped you. His face was torn by anger.

"What the fuck is going on, Jasper?!", he asked. "Who the fuck-?!"

His rage was interrupted by another loud bang. Now that you and heard it a second time you were almost sure it was an explosion.

Filled with anger, Tully rushed to the door, ripped it open and ran towards the exit. His men followed him without a command. No words were exchanged, no plan was made. They just followed like blind dogs.

As they had disappeared, a third explosion shook the ground. It was more powerful than the first two. Almost enormous.

Panting, you tried to keep your eyes open. The darkness had already swallowed half of your mind.

"Morvran?", you whispered out of breath. "Is that you?"