Chapter 111 Fighting Dirty (1/2)

”I still don't see why—” Snowcloud said

”Quiet!” Arran hissed

They were hiding in the brush just over aone of the few footpaths that ran frouessed that this would be one of the routes the patrols would take, and now, it appeared his guess had been correct

Approaching their location were half a dozen h look of bandits orweapons, and as far as Arran could tell, none were es

”Remember,” he whispered, ”only intervene if any of theh her expression made it clear she wasn't happy with the situation

Arran took a final deep breath, then left the brush and stepped out onto the road, a short distance ahead of the men

”Hey there!” he called out as he walked toward them

They eyed him somearily, but none replied Instead, their hands moved toward their weapons

”Thank the Gods I found you,” he began ”I lost o, and if I hadn't found this footpath—”

”Get hi his weapon The others quickly followed his exa to be?” He drew his oeapon as well, and prepared hi

The first of the men reached him and attacked immediately Arran only barely parried the blow, and that his counterattack struck the man's neck seeround, and Arran reer probleh the chest of one, the other scored a shallo to Arran's shoulder, leaving a thin trail of blood dripping down his arm Yet the attack left the round, screa

Only three re the pommel of his sword into the face of the nearest one But even as the man collapsed, his companions finally seemed to have understood that their opponent was beyond them, and they made a run for it

Arran did not pursue them Instead, he picked up the unconscious man, then threw him down next to the injured one The unconsciousat the two of thees are there in the fortress?” he asked the

The ly overwhelht he was already close to bleeding out With a thrust of Arran's sword, he died instantly

Next, Arran turned to the otherhis bloodied sword at the es are there? Or do you want to accompany your comrade?”

”Five!” the man exclaimed in a panicked voice ”There are five of the his sword closer to the man's chest

”Yes!”

Arran nodded, then stabbed theabout the ive a ful answer to the question

”You can coed from the brush a moment later, her face even paler than usual as she stared at the corpses littering the ground around Arran

”You killed them,” she said, a shocked expression on her face

”That was the idea,” Arran replied

”But those two…” She gestured toward the final two men Arran had killed ”They were defenseless, and you butchered theave theet away”

”That was necessary,” Arran said ”I needed two of them to carry word back to the fortress But these two… they kneas looking for h she still looked upset But then, she glanced at Arran's ar in her eyes

”I had to sell the story,” Arran replied with a shrug

The entire thing had been a ruse, of course — had he wanted to, Arran could have killed all six oal was to draw out the novices, not to kill their hench to be weaker than he was, Arran hoped he could fool the novices into underestis were only barely outclassed, they would hopefully send only a single novice to deal with the probleth

And now, it seeht one

”There are five h she was still looking at the corpses on the path ide eyes This caused Arran soht, and Snowcloud needed to be focused if they were to win