The two ruffians were obviously up to no good and Zero decided to sneak up behind them to get a better look at what they were up to.

The ruffians seemed oblivious to Zero's presence, but for the first time he noticed a large guard dog, with sharp teeth set in a salivating jaw. He decided not to take any chances and raised his crossbow to fire at one of the men whilst he had the advantage.

Hearing the dog bark, Tradden decided action was required. He vaulted through the open window acrobatically to assess the situation.

He could see some shadowy figures and a vicious looking guard dog. Taking no chances he drew his blades and charged at the thing.

Zero grimaced and looked panicked. ‘Why didn't I stay outside the blasted window?’ he thought to himself.

On reflex he dropped his crossbow and drew his shortsword and a thought crosses his mind, targeting the uninjured ruffian.

He stabbed with his shortsword, getting ready to lead and then deftly dodge the counter-attack.

Tradden's triumphant ‘whoop’ of joy at having injured the guard dog was short lived when he noticed two ruffians ganging up on the interesting looking fellow he had seen enter the building earlier. Deciding that his luckless fellow's need was the greater (and knowing the consequences) Tradden charged off across the room, the guard dog snapping at his heels.

But the fighter managed to recover as he headed towards the table, leaping onto it in an athletic fashion.

Towering over the two ruffians, both having their backs to him, Tradden looked to strike both at once with a vicious sweep of his two weapons!

Zero nodded his thanks to the newly-entered swordsman and looked at his bloody arm.

‘This isn't good,’ he murmured.

Gritting his teeth, he fought to compose himself.

Fighting back the tears and with a yelp of pain, Tradden instinctively tried to do what he does best and twisted his body so as to try and mitigate the effect of the dog's vicious animal attack.

The ferocity of the attacks against him shocked Tradden and sparked something within him. He felt a second wind coming on.

Empowered by the sudden rush of blood to the head, Tradden snarled a combat challenge to the guard dog salivating in front of him. ‘Have at thee, cur!’. He then exploded into a frenzy of blades!

As part of the same motion, Tradden, twisting and jumping off the table, thrust the blade into the dog and then caught the ruffian with another blow on his way down.

Zero used the opening to slice at the ugly man before him.

Tradden lay motionless in a growing pool of blood.

Zero saw the gutsy swordsman fall.

‘Uh, oh,’ he muttered.

He lashed out at the remaining ruffian again.

The blood kept on trickling from Tradden's wounds.

Zero smiled confidently.

‘Oh, thank the gods for that,’ he muttered under his breath as the dog backed away.

Once again, he swung his shortsword, hoping to pierce his tenacious enemy's leathery armour.

Tradden had looked better. He lay on the floor, with no signs to actually indicate that he was even still alive bar a virtually imperceptible rise and fall of his chest. Blood continued to ooze from his wounds at an unnerving rate.

Zero pursued the fleeing ruffian, unusually manic.

‘Oh no you don't, you little bastard!’

He swung his sword with a wild cleave.

Tradden opened his eyes only to find the dog snapping towards him. The lights went out again.

Zero looked at the guard dog and whimpered.

‘Nice doggy.’

With a quivering arm he dropped his sword and grabbed his crossbow from the floor. Raising it, he aimed at the vicious canine and pulled the trigger.

In the confusion the rogue slipped out of the door as quietly as he could.

Somewhere deep inside his blurred thought process Tradden knew he needed to do something, otherwise he was going to be dog food.

However, Tradden's wounds are many. The last attack from the dog having really taken its toll. Tradden was suddenly in a wonderful place, full of dancing, singing and brilliant white lights, all a bit hazy around the edges…

Zero crept around the rear of the house, ducking low beneath the windows. He picked up a rock along the way.

The young fighter continued to spill his blood onto the floor.

Zero peeked through the window and saw the dog guarding the door. He weighed the rock in his hand and, praying, lobbed it to a spot about thirty feet outside the door.

Tradden continued to bleed.

Blood trickled freely from his mouth and breaths now came in ragged spurts.

Zero, as quietly as possible, snuck back in through the window of the house.

His sense told him to get to the door, shut it, lock out the vicious dog. But the swordsman was deathly pale now, his chest rising almost imperceptibly.

Cursing his conscience, Zero knelt beside the fallen fighter and attempted to stabilise him.

‘Erm…’ Zero appraised the man's wounds and did his best to stop the bleeding.

Despite the rogue's efforts, Tradden was slipping away.

His breathing was almost stopped.

Blood squirted over Zero's hands. He started to panic and tried desperately to keep the man alive.

With a sigh of relief Zero thought he managed to get the bleeding under control. The young fighter's breaths appeared to be more regular, too. It would take time for him to come round, but at least he would live.

For now, however, he needed to get rid of that dog!

He padded over to the door, shut it, and turned the convenient key to lock it outside. Hopefully, it would eventually give up and wander off.

He also closed the windows and then slumped down in a corner of the room to tend to his own wounds and to catch his breath.