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ongshanks barely heard himself bellow as he watched his friend, his Brother, fall. Leaping into suddenly furious action, he flung himself from the tower window, his vision clouding over with the bloody rage of his forefathers, the Berserks. The air hummed with sound of buzzing crossbow quarrels as the keep's defenders turned at his outcry. Unfeeling of the bolt that tore into the fleshy part of his shoulder, his leap carried him crashing into two men-at-arms perched upon the wall. He lost his grip upon his bow as he crushed one beneath his weight and sent the other stumbling back.
      Drawing his boot-knife in less time than it took to draw a breath, he slashed its edge across the soldier's throat beneath him, then hurled it at the other, who was struggling to his feet bare paces away. The weighted blade flipped end over end to bury itself point first in its victim's eye-socket, spouting a crimson gout of blood in its wake.
      Longshanks was already on his feet, racing along the battlements, catching up first one,

 
 
then another primed crossbow that had fallen from useless fingers, and, raising each in succession, firing them without thought. Aimed only by instinct, both bolts thudded home, felling two more guards who were even then turning to meet his charge.
      Hurdling crumpled bodies, Tall Ayrn dropped one now useless arbalest, and brought the other around in a two-handed grip, brandishing it like a club. He smashed it into the face of yet another surprised soldier, knocking him over and off of the wall to plummet to the ground far below.
      Embracing the low growl that rose deep in the cavern of his throat, Longshanks advanced on the two remaining guardsmen that stood between him and his fallen comrade. He could see Timeras' body beyond them, and he snarled a vehement curse of vengeance. The Black Knight stood over him, doing nothing, watching the enraged ranger, as if curious to his fury.
      Duril bellowed again. "Here, you cowardly dogs, you motherless curs!! Join me in Hell!!"

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