Heroes of the Streets

"Giso, give us backup!"

Notger manages to shout one order before my blade is upon them. Just like before, the burly man attempts to force me back with a wide swing of his hammer.

"Don't expect the same trick to work twice."

I throw myself onto my back and slide beneath the bludgeoning weapon. Displaced air crashes into me as I send my boot upwards into the large man's crotch.

"URK!"

His face contorts in pain. Unable to recover his defences, the burly man is at the mercy of my second attempt at his neck.

"Engel!"

My blade misses its target once more when Notger throws his entire weight into his friend's side. As the building groans from a large falling body, a short blade slashes towards my head. I manage to parry the blow, but my momentum is lost.

"HA!"

His next swing forces me to take a step back and defend while a small flying dagger barely misses my face. Not only do I have to deal with adept swordsmanship from the front, I must consistently watch my sides for ranged support fire.

"Go Notger! Take that corrupt knight down!"

"Keep fighting, Engel! You can overpower him!"

"Stay strong Giso! The three of you together should have no problem!"

A chorus of cheers can be heard from the alleys below. Some of the children smile and wave while others shake in anticipation. Considering the reputation of these bandits, they must be expecting a show where their heroes always come out on top. Only those of us on the roof understand the actual weight of this encounter.

I evade the next hammer swing from the recovered vanguard, block the next bladed projectile from the rear, then return to clashing with the commander. This pattern repeats itself without allowing me an opportunity to counter. Their teamwork is perfect. Losing concentration for even half a moment will result in a fatal outcome.

"This is becoming troublesome."

Before another hammer swing could descend upon my skull, I pushed the leather over my forearm into Notger's struggling blade. The dagger in my hand was supporting most of his strength, but it wasn't enough to come out unscathed. My armour tears at the edge of contact and the colour of my blood appears on the shortsword.

"Argh!"

I was slightly wounded, but the extra momentum allowed me to knock the startled Notger off his feet. He tries to steady himself, but is unable to stop his body from tumbling into the hard pavement below. An unsettling crack of bones causes the children to spring into action.

"Notger, are you okay!?"

"You have to get up! The fight isn't over!"

The young boys and girls watch in horror as their hero begins hacking up blood. The tall and slender man is unable to even respond to their worry.

"How dare you!"

A rare message from the burly man accompanies his incoming tackle. A roll to the side places me in a position between the two remaining combatants.

"This is considerably more manageable."

With one of his eyes blinded, the burly man is unable to avoid the slash of my blade against his waist. Blood splatters to the side as my body spins just in time to block the next dagger with my gun. At the end of my rotation, the dagger faces the short man and I thrust into his immobile form. He blocks the first strike. However, the second strike sees my gun slamming into his throat.

His first cough comes after I turn back and deliver a kick into the newly opened wound of his friend.

"Urg…"

The burly man grips his side as his feet rush to catch him. Unfortunately for him, the ceiling finally gives way under his weight. Snapping wood sends the second bandit falling into the same painful pit as the first. As the last one remaining, the third bandit throws himself at me with whatever strength he has left.

"RAAAAA!"

Two blades clash against one, but the numbers advantage couldn't save him. I deliver a kick to his injured leg, then a punch to his face. With his chest wide open, I lunge forward and stab into his heart.

"GISOOOO!"

On the ground, Notger is supporting his weight against a nearby crate as he watches. He manages to meet the gaze of his dying comrade, who smiles through the blood trailing from his mouth.

"Live…brother…"

I had expected his body to fall limp almost immediately. However, I'm instead met with unprecedented strength. Giso grabs onto me and I'm forced to wrestle against his final spurt. This is a fight I shouldn't lose given his condition, but I'm somehow forced off my feet.

"GRAAAA!"

Giso throws us both into the weakened tile surface near the edge. Following the same trajectory as Engel, we crash through the overhanging roof.

* * * * *

While Giso continues to fight, Notger yells at the audience of children.

"You kids have to run! This guy is too much for us!"

"What about you guys!?"

"We'll hold him off for as long as we can!"

The band of street kids are hesitant to leave behind the bleeding figures of the ones who protected them when they had nowhere to go. The boy with the slingshot is especially adamant, refusing to leave Notger's side as he supports the man much taller than himself.

"We aren't leaving you! If we're running, you're coming too!"

"I can't do that kid."

A soft voice reaches the child's ear. His large round eyes stare into the determined face of the bloodied bandit.

"A hero never gives up, even if all hope is lost."

Notger's bones creak as he forces himself to stand without the child's help. Off to the side, Engel also gets to his feet while holding the gash in his waist. The pain they feel is obvious, but their smiles remain nonetheless.

"One day, you'll be the guy protecting these streets. Grow strong and remember everything we taught you. I'm sure you guys will be fine."

He pushes the kid forward as a loud crash opens an extra channel of sunlight. Light from above shines on the bandit and his pupil.

"Here, this is the money we got today. This should last you guys—"

Notger holds out the coin purse, but a dagger strikes through his hand before the kid can grab it. The brown bag falls to the ground along with the lifeless body of Giso a few steps away.

"That is stolen property. I cannot allow you to take it."

I'm hanging from a wooden beam with my right hand while my left returns from throwing. I safely drop to the ground and pick up a dagger that had fallen out of Giso's hand. Out of respect for the foes I previously underestimated, I resummoned my revolver.

"Start running! We'll take this guy down with us in a blaze of glory! Just you wait!"

Notger raises his shortsword in one final declaration before the children disappear into the streets. We share no extra words before fighting continues. I try to finish the job quickly, but I end up being struck first. A crack appears in my dagger.

"Is that all you got!?"

Notger must have at least a few broken bones from the fall, yet his speed has increased. The same seems to be true for Engel, who is throwing swing after swing without any downtime in between. Not a single motion can be wasted, not for me and not for them.

At this point I'm surrounded with both bandits preparing to sink their weapons into my flesh. Even as I attempt to break out of their grip, they offer a strong display of agility to block my path and force me back into the other's weapon. None of their attacks are landing, but it's only a matter of time before I'm backed into a corner.

Time feels to stop for a moment as the two bandits reach the end of their tank. Notger prepares to thrust into my chest while Engel raises his hammer into the air.

"This is the end!"

An attack I've already witnessed, one that I've previously evaded. I crouch down and wait for the right moment to duck under the oncoming metal chunk. However, they had one final trick up their sleeve, one that I failed to notice until I see the hammer floating freely in the air.

"Tch!"

I'm caught. Engel feinted a heavy blow and is instead aiming to crash into me. It's suicide, but that would make it impossible for me to avoid the sword coming from behind.

"I suppose that I have no choice."

My stance changes. With my arms spread, a weapon in each hand faces the two bandits. A rough and familiar texture hits my index finger.

BANG

A pillar of red light fires from the silver barrel and drills cleanly through the head of Engel. Within the next second, I knock the silver shortsword aside and stab my dagger directly into Notger's heart. I take a step into the wall and allow the two bodies to hit the ground in front of me.