This was the moment we were all waiting for and the war on the city streets is what fueled the brutality of the gangs from both sides. Curt Cut’s Castle, as it was known, is a tall five story mansion/castle located on the outskirts of Rottingham City, was nestled within the hills. This place stood towering above the very city and from it one could see the view of the entire city. There was only one way for humans to get in and that was by crossing a large bridge after the Merry Men broke through the gates with ease that had already alerted all of the members of the Curt Cut’s Clan. There were barricades already established on the bridge for Thomas Curt was not stupid and knew that the war would eventually come to his own home. The Merry Men’s advance across the bridge was swift and brutal but their enemies’ retaliation was the same. Wave after wave met in the center and neither could break through. Riflemen, snipers, shot each other from both sides although the members of the Curt Cut’s Clan had the bigger advantage.
“Today, we men will only be merry when we witness with our own eyes the Curt Cut’s Clan fall! We do not fight this battle only for ourselves but for the very people of Rottingham!”, Lee raised a blade and then pointed it to the castle. “These traitors have betrayed not only their nation but the one true and only King, Richard, and the people as a whole! This battle will only end after we choke the life of those that are still left to defend it and it is my honor, my privilege, to play a part in this glorious battle as it is to stand with you as a former crusader for King and country! Now to arms, my brothers, to arms! Both nazirh and humans! Twilight falls and the enemy awaits!”, Lee swung his blade forth after giving his speech and every Merry Man charged.
They took cover behind walls, crates, stones and others charged with their weapons in hand to meet their enemies in combat on the bridge. What both sides, however, did not expect is the members of the Stone Cold Clan lead by Jan’litle that found another way to enter the fray just below the bridge by traveling through the natural river’s waters it was built upon. The nazirh quickly stormed the beaches of a small cove before they made their way up to the castle and in large numbers swarmed over the unsuspecting members of the clan bringing swift victory. Thomas Curt stood tall in his office and looked through the window overlooking the bridge while there were cameras built into the walls to his right where they revealed the members of the Stone Cold Clan carving their way to the top of the castle’s south end. The nazirh attacked the unsuspecting members of the Curt Cut’s Clan present there and then the force at the bridge were divided due to what had just occurred, and a fight ensued that forced them to divide their forces. One part of the clan focused on the bridge and the other onto the nazirh from the rear.
“Milord, it’s time to go.”, said Anna Safavi. “There’s nowhere to go, Anna.”, replied Thomas. “Better to live another day than die without…”, Anna was about to raise her voice until she saw the arrival of the Stone Cold Clan on camera and realized that they were surrounded as the only escape route left to them was that very cove that the Stone Cold Clan broke through.
“Do what you have to do, Anna, but before you do… you take Marian far from here and ensure her safety.”, Thomas ordered and Anna bowed. “Yes, sir.”, she replied and walked away
The first floor was then broken through on the northern side by the Merry Men and a large open and wide Grand Ballroom with windows from both sides was stormed. The reason that the group of Merry Men chose this place was because the entire building was enforced with defenses and the weakest point was the ballroom itself. The shoot outs in here did happen but the large open field allowed the Merry Men to engage their enemy quicker. Lee, who knew this well, assisted in the push while the Stone Cold Clan and other humans of the Merry Men Gang outside battled the other members of the Curt Cut’s Clan, often exchanging blows with gunfire and arrows. The orcs desperately tried to break through the southern gate but could not as fire rained down on them from above. At that same time, Anna stormed through the doors of Marian’s room without even bothering to knock only to see that the woman was missing.
“Find her!”, she ordered the clansmen that rushed to do so while she knew that a battle awaited her soon and therefore she pointed to another. “They are going to storm the northern section first and then make their way to the south just like we planned.”, Anna explained only for one of the clansmen to hand her what appeared to be a detonator that she intended to activate.
Anna nearly pressed the trigger until she heard a gun click and she pushed herself backwards as a bullet missed her. The clansmen in the room raised their revolvers and took aim towards her with Anna quickly turning to raise her right hand while she held the detonator in the other. Anna was surprised to see Marian looking towards her and wondered why she did that before the bullet would ricochet from a nearby wall that then struck her detonator as well as her left hand. Anna yelped in pain and the other clansmen turned to look at her surprised before Marian fired the other shot at the other guardsmen while Anna waved her right arm, teleporting away. Lee, in the other hand, saw a grand door at the southern end of the Ballroom and two staircases flanking with him choosing to climb one with a band of Merry Men. He was shocked to see that one of them was Reynold Greenleaf himself that competed with Robin Hood in the tournament of the Golden Arrow and the human nodded his head before he kicked the door open. However, this proved to be his undoing for gunfire soon ensued and Reynold was shot to death as he fell down the stairs. It was then that from the outside a dwarf had finished making it over the bridge with a group of many others and this dwarf was none other than Gilbert Whitehand.
“Mortars!”, he shouted and the mortars were then loaded into small cannons. “Get ready!”, he shouted and then pointed towards the mansion. “Aim!”, every gunner then took theirs away while within the mansion Lee looked at the deceased Reynold who had been shredded by gunfire.
Thomas Curt could not believe his eyes at what he had seen as there were a group of dwarves that finished setting up right in front of his mansion and he wondered why Anna didn’t blow up the bridge. At that same time, Anna would appear out of seemingly nowhere and surprise Marian that got struck by her fist that caused her to drop her own revolver. Marian then exchanged blows with Anna and the two kept punching as well as kicking each other, and it was at that very same moment that Gilbert Whitehand raised a torch.
“Set!”, the dwarves all then lowered their torches and Thomas then ran away from the window. “Fire!”, then Gilbert gave the order and the dwarves all lit the torches that fired the mortar shells.
Each shell struck the household and bombarded each floor that destroyed walls, shattered glass and caused structures within the ceilings to collapse down. Lee was taking cower until one of those shells struck the side of the mansion that collapsed the wall and ceiling upon the poor and unsuspecting victims of the Curt Cut’s Clan that happened to find themselves in the hallway. Anna and Marian were caught by surprise when the windows of the mansion shattered, the walls broke and the guardsmen that had arrived just in time to assist Anna were all killed by shrapnel. Anna and Marian then quickly turned to face each other once again and continued their fight. Lee took this opportunity to charge in and swung his blade at the clansmen in the hallway, he defeated them swiftly and disposed of them quickly as he moved deeper into the mansion.
“Reload!”, Gilbert Whitehand shouted, continuing to give the orders to his dwarves.
Lee and a small band of Merry Men ran into the small hallway only to encounter more clansmen that they shot and exchanged blows with. Members of the clan began falling down the stairs of the large round tower that they had just gained access to and Lee took one of the ornaments from the wall that was a shield as the gunmen opened fire on him. One member of the Curt Cut’s Clan was about to toss a grenade but Lee noticed him as he threw his blade into the human that took the blow to the throat. The human struck the door that he accidentally opened and then fell down as the grenade rolled over on the ground beside him. The clansmen that saw the grenade rolling on the second floor of the mansion then dispersed only for the grenade to explode.
“Mortars, get ready!”, Gilbert shouted the following order yet again and Thomas got up from the ground as he walked over to a table in his office. “Aim!”, the dwarf’s mortars then took aim at the mansion once again and Lee saw the staircase of the tower he was in, heading upwards.
Lee looked at the smoke left behind from the grenade at the entrance of the second floor but decided to ignore this and ran up the stairs instead. The band of Merry Men that followed him, however, ran onto the second floor and gunshots followed behind the knight that ran up the stairs only to be intercepted by a gunman that fired at him. Lee dodged the bullet that was struck by the bullet that ricocheted off the walls of the tower and kept ricocheting until it suddenly struck the cowboy instead and he fell over onto the ground. Lee rushed up the stairs and stabbed the man on the ground, killing him. Lee now knew he was at the top of this strange tower that connected to the third floor and then heard the sound of gunfire before he raised his shield that got struck by bullets. The human then took cover and several riflemen kept opening fire on his position before they quieted down quickly shortly thereafter. Lee did not know where they were located but he knew they were waiting with one of them signaling for the other to check it out. The dwarf mortar team leader then pointed towards the mansion once more to give the order.
“Set!”, the mortar teams lowered the torches and Thomas then reached for the device that was in one of his desk drawers. “Fire!”, Gilbert gave the order, the dwarf mortar teams then lit the fuses of their mortal cannons and Thomas pressed the button on his device that caused an explosion.
The mortar teams opened fire and Gilbert felt the ground shake beneath their feet as he looked back only to notice to his horror that the bridge was falling apart because the Curt Cut’s Clan blew up the bridge. The bridge collapsed quickly and all of the mortar shells successfully struck the house already with the exception of one that missed its target as the dwarf mortar team that managed it lost balance but then the mortar cannon fired mid-fall as its shell then struck the window of the third floor, killing the gunman that went to scout the tower that Lee came from. Anna then looked at the window as she grabbed Marian and saw a mortar shell head towards them before she grabbed Marian with both of her arms only to teleport them both away. Lee then felt the ground beneath his feet break and quickly ran into the room on the third floor, leaping into it in one last ditch effort and it paid off. The tower that connected the ballroom to the main three stories of the mansion had collapsed, breaking down and killing all those that were very unfortunate to find themselves inside. Gilbert Whitehand, the dwarf who once competed with the famed Robin Hood, tried to flee and get off the bridge before it fell but found himself to be at loss when he failed to do so. He, along with the dwarves that came to assist the Merry Men, fell off the bridge to their deaths and little did they know that they did their duty at the end. The little dwarves died not knowing that they had succeeded in getting Lee to the third floor and at that same time Lee coughed as he tried to catch his breath only to notice that most of the Curt Cut’s Clan members were killed by shrapnel while those that survived were bleeding out. This is what triggered Lee to remember the horrors of the crusade when he saw the enemy nazirh do the same as they were bleeding out on the ground and his King was there with a lieutenant.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Verysdale, finish these bastards!”, King Richard gave him the order and Lee looked to the nazirh that would have certainly died soon on their own. “Verysdale, what are you waiting for?”, Richard’s men had already proceeded to stab the nazirh again and again while he did not.
“There is no point, my King, they are already bleeding to death.”, Lee told Richard who then smirked and shook his head. “Then perhaps you can help them bleed faster?”, Richard replied and then proceeded to stab one of the nazirh through his skull, killing him.
“Remember, a swift death is mercy rather than a slow and rather painful one.”, Lee then looked to one of the nazirh that choked on his own blood before the paladin smashed his head in.
In present day, however, Lee looked at the humans on the ground and despite what his King had once told him he refused to do what he once had. He looked away, ventured forth and decided to move further throughout the mansion while the Stone Cold Clan had stormed into the first level, finally, and then the first floor from the ballroom was stormed through as more chaos followed.
“Get the flamethrowers ready!”, Thomas shouted into a microphone. “But sir, the mansion will perhaps catch on…!”, a lieutenant argued back. “Just do it!”, but the Lord Sheriff silenced him.
The Curt Cut’s Clan members then broke into their armory on the second and third floors to reach for their flamethrowers that they had equipped before they began using them to set their enemies ablaze, and many men screamed as they seemingly burnt alive. Lee then saw one of these clansmen equipping his flamethrower and then took one of the rifles from the ground that he aimed. The clansman then lifted his head as he had just finished putting the belt on and seeing Lee aiming at him before he turned his head to see his partner’s gas tank facing the gunman. The clansman accepted his fate and sighed before closing his eyes as the bullet struck the tank, causing a massive explosion and several of the clansmen around him to die in the explosion.
“What?”, Thomas was surprised to see Lee on the third level with his cameras and shouted in anger when he realized he had killed some of his clansmen. “I’ll fucking kill that prick.”, Thomas swore to himself and then quickly accessed his closet to get his guns ready.
Lee continued to move through the upper levels while Marian suddenly woke up on the third floor of the mansion. She noticed that she was located on the balcony until Anna kicked her in the head. It was then that Thomas Curt walked out on the balcony with his clansmen.
“Take her away!”, Anna would proceed to grab Marian and then teleported away with her while the doors suddenly broke open as the nazirh swarmed the area in numbers. “Shit.”, said Thomas. “What are you waiting for, men? Take care of it!”, the clansmen then rushed to do the bidding of the Lord Sheriff while Lee overheard the battle that was going on.
Lee moved through the Library of the Third Floor where there was a grand staircase that connected to the Fourth Floor as well as its balcony. The first and second floors are connected as well as the third and fourth floors. This floor seemed to be where Thomas kept his valuable art, books, statues and other notable collectibles with most of the collections destroyed due to the mortar shells, bullets and arrows that struck the floor. Lee then saw Thomas head upstairs in the middle of the building and sneak his way across the floor while the clansmen ventured to encounter the group of nazirh that breached the third floor. Thomas happened to come to a large staircase once more in the center of the massive room and climbed those steps until he reached the top where he opened the door to find himself in a small chapel. It was then that a gunman raised his gun from the altar and opened fire as Lee took cover only to throw a dagger forth that struck the human. Lee then stepped forth to fire one shot and then another to kill the gunman. One man then swung a blade from behind the wall and Lee’s blade met with his own only to see the man that attacked him was a clergymen. Lee appeared to be shocked for a moment until the priest reached for a dagger only for Lee to grab it before he kicked the clergyman back and stabbed him with his sword, killing him. When he saw the poor clergyman die, Lee saw the helpless and desperate look on his face that reminded him of an orcish female that he had defeated in battle that gave him the same look, and she was a magus that was struck down by his hammer. Lee then wandered off and saw a small staircase that leads to a small hallway that in return leads to a doorway. He went down this path and then at the end of it was a camera that he had noticed that overlooked the entire hallway that was just above the door. He knew that the camera saw him and therefore there was no point in shooting or such, and he decided to just slowly push the door open. Lee hid behind a wall immediately and waited. He expected some sort of gunfire, some sort of reaction but received none. Lee looked inside to see that there were three balconies with the second balcony being where Thomas Curt’s throne was located that was destroyed in the mortar blast. The third balcony from above was the window that was also destroyed by the blast and caved into the throne below. The room had red chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with a piano at the bottom floor where Thomas Curt was seated and he appeared to be playing it. Lee was confused and at the same time surprised that his enemy didn’t try to gun him down as he entered into the room to see him. He wondered where Anna Safavi and even Marian was but noticed that neither of them was present rather quickly. There were many torches hanging from the columns on the walls and Lee tread carefully into the massive room, observing the surrounding balconies and then Thomas saw Lee and he stopped playing the piano.
“Lee, Lee, Lee…”, said Thomas. “You have nothing to worry about. No one is here. You don’t have to worry for any assassins or any gunmen over on those balconies above you because I sent them all the way down to deal with those filthy orcs and those so called Merry Men that besiege my family home as we speak. It’s just you and me up here, no one else.”, the Lord Sheriff would then continue to explain while Lee himself had his doubts as he searched the balconies above.
“And I am supposed to just take your word for it, just like that?”, Lee asked and the Lord Sheriff smirked. “Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you think, Lee.”, said Thomas and then got up from his seat and pointed a revolver at Lee that stood his ground, expecting Thomas to fire.
“Yeah, and what about the gunman in the chapel?”, asked Lee. “Oh, that guy…”, said Thomas. “I totally forgot about that one.”, Thomas said while he walked down the two steps towards Lee himself. “I ordered that one to protect the clergyman in the chapel.”, Thomas explained.
“And why the fuck would you possibly give a damn about a corrupt priest?”, asked Lee. “He wasn’t corrupt.”, said Thomas. “He was fearful of losing his life and the reason I ordered that gunman to protect him is because I have a reputation to uphold, Lee, a reputation I slowly built within this city over the years until this very moment.”, Thomas explained as he seemed to be smoking a cigarette in front of Lee that he then threw to the ground before extinguishing it.
“When I first started to operate within this city, I was a contract killer for hire that did the bidding of certain contractors and I was good at it, Lee, I was the best gunmen in Rottingham. I took every contract seriously and I had a rigorous code of honor until one day my lucky streak came to an end when King Richard went off to fight for his crusades and his brother, John, ordered my arrest. John gave me an ultimatum, he made me an offer I could not refuse.”, Thomas explained and Lee then shrugged. “And what was that?”, he asked the cowboy.
“To become his Lord Sheriff, to be his contract killer and to go around collecting taxes owed to him by the people. It was either that or my execution, and I think it’s obvious what any of us would have chosen if you were in my shoes. I chose to live, Lee, and I chose business over death. So I ran his protection rackets and protected his business assets, I ran his brothels and bordellos; I protected his whores and pimps. I had everyone under my wing and all the connections one could ask for, and all because of him. And then you came along, Lee. You came along and I truly treated you as my brother, I wanted to help you Lee and then you went and disappointed me.”, Thomas described what he had felt and then Lee chose his words.
“They took my son’s eyes, Tommy.”, said Lee. “Yes, they did, Lee, and you could not leave well enough alone. He could have killed your son but he chose not to instead.”, said Thomas. “They killed my friend.”, said Lee. “They killed an outlaw!”, Thomas shouted back enraged before he then shot Lee square in the chest and then his shoulder that caused Lee to fall down.
Thomas then approached him and kept the revolver pointed at him as Lee crawled over to a column before he leaned his back against it, reaching it with his bloodied hands.
“Robin Hood knew the risks, he knew what he got himself into and the dumb fuck chose to send a messenger to King Richard, Lee! He fucked up and you followed down his path, and for what; to side with the same enemy that we fought during the crusades under the so called banner of Richard Lionheart, the same man that had abandoned us to that monster?!”, shouted Thomas. “We betrayed our brothers and sisters, Tommy, we did! You could never understand how that feels unless you were once a crusader yourself, unless you watched your brothers and sisters die, Tommy!”, Lee shouted towards the Lord Sheriff who he then shot him once more.
Thomas expected that this would shut Lee up but it did not. Lee instead mustered up his breath and looked to the Lord Sheriff defiantly as he bled out there before him.
“Those nazirh that you speak off, those orcs, saw you for the same monster that we saw you as; a monster who betrayed his own kin and one who valued riches over the lives of others. Those orcs that you mentioned earlier have far more honor then you could ever have.”, the moment that Lee said that is when Thomas too his aim only for him to see a shadow that caused him to turn.
He turned and fired his revolver towards the upper balcony as he shot through the heart of one of the Merry Men, David Doncaster that had just teleported in the room. David then fell from the balcony above and landed onto the ground below before the Lord Sheriff turned only for an arrow to strike him where his heart was as the sheriff fired one last shot that then killed Jan’litle as it shot the orc directly into the forehead. The Lord Sheriff was saved by his armor concealed underneath his uniform and then turned to fire at Lee, which he did, but not before Lee would launch something at him as well that broke through the arrowhead and soon penetrated through the sheriff’s armor. Thomas looked to the ground and saw Lee that took the last gunshot into his chest. He shot Lee again and again but Lee was long gone and it didn’t matter. He saw what Lee held in his right hand before he died and it was a small crossbow.
“That’s some bowshit…”, these were the last words of the Lord Sheriff who then fell down to his knees in front of the dead knight with the Golden Arrow pierced through his heart…