No features of the man could be seen, all of his tall frame was clad in a pristine silver armor. His eyes were hidden by the darkness of the thin slit of the helmet. With the moonlight reflecting off the armor shell it was hard to make out the pattern carved on it, but one thing was for sure… It was some kind of sequence.

  On the chest plate of the armor was an engraving of a shield, it was the same kind the other peace keepers wore.

  ‘This must be the lieutenant they were talking about. I’ve never actually seen the armor in person but I’m sure that’s it.’

  Peace keepers often had to deal with a variety of cases, while they were equipped with revolvers they still couldn’t handle weavers.

  But lieutenants were given a set of enchanted armor that let them not only keep up with weavers, but even out pace them.

  Heavy footsteps cracked the tile roof as the silver man drew closer to Soren. Wanting nothing more than to run as far and as fast as he could, he couldn’t find the resolve to take action. Fear gripped his heart so tightly it left him petrified.

  ‘Why can’t I move? I heard what they said before, he’s nothing to be scared of… then why…’

  The lieutenant's voice came out a little muffled from the helmet, but the meaning of his words were clear.

  “Make even a single move and I will be forced to cut you down… Don’t be stupid.”

  Soren gulped. He had plenty of run-ins with the peace keepers before, each time he had been able to escape at least mostly unscathed. This fact had given him a bit of confidence, he even mulled the idea of being able to escape someone as skilled as a lieutenant.

  But now that he was face to face with one, that sense of confidence shattered.

  With his mind racing he was briefly distracted from the armored man, now he was only a few meters from him. In his hands was a set of dark iron cuffs, instantly Soren’s heart began to race.

  ‘Shit!!’

  The second those cold iron shackles locked around his wrists it would be over. The runic sorcery used on them was powerful, so much so that no amount of resistance could free you of them.

  If he was going to act then he would need to do it now, otherwise a life behind bars awaited him… If he was lucky then they would send him on a crusade, then he’d die quickly instead of rotting in a cell.

  ‘…Like hell! I’m not gonna go out like that, not until…’

  Gritting his teeth Soren charged to the side of the building, hoping to reach its edge before the officer could reach him. Just as he neared the edge, a heavy armored boot planted itself in his ribs, sending him down onto the tiled roof rolling a few feet.

  The sharp stinging pain left him taking quick breathless gasps. Clutching the side of his ribs he rolled over to his hands and knees, but before he could pull himself up a hard silver boot pressed him down.

  “I warned you not to be stupid… You brought this on yourself.”

  Looking up Soren saw moonlight glint off the short blade as the armored keeper raised it above his head.

  “Now stay still… I’ll make it painless.”

  There was something in his tone, almost like regret, perhaps even a bit of shame. Did he feel… guilt?

  ‘A peace keeper with a conscience, yeah right!’

  Shifting his hand in between the roof and his body, Soren's hand firmly grasped a small dial that was connected to the harness he wore.

  Turning it as far as he could, soon a line of white light appeared over the harness. As liquid soul flowed throughout this complex network of runes. Soren was instantly filled with surging strength, and with one powerful motion he pushed himself up.

  The armored keeper was thrown backwards, stumbling slightly yet remaining upright.

  “Why you little…”

  Before he had time to utter whatever vile curse he had intended, Soren had reached into his satchel retrieving a small mechanical device. Thanks to the power granted by the sequence he was able to throw the device with incredible speed. As it neared the keeper a complex web of runes shined brightly, and in an instant the entire roof of the building was engulfed in a sea of orange fire.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Nearly being hit by it himself, Soren dove off the edge of the building. Before he could hit the ground however, he fired the hook at a nearby building. The next second he was pulled towards it at a tremendous speed.

  Just below him several peace keepers had noticed his presence, some had even fired shots at him. However, unlike before none of the shots could reach him.

  ‘With that bastard taken out I'm in the final stretch. I just need to lose these guys then I can…’

  Without any warning Soren felt a deep gash being drawn along his back. The sudden force sent him terribly off course, causing him to crash through the large window of a nearby building.

  He was sent into what seemed to be an office space, his body crashing into the small wooden desk lying near the window. Pieces of broken glass and wood laid scattered across the floor. Soren-who was now laying on his back between the two large pieces of the former desk-managed to pull himself upright just enough to see the figure of a man clad in shining silver armor.

  “I told you to stay still… But I guess it didn't get through to you. So, now that you’ve chosen to make this difficult I will give you a little advice… Run.”

  His entire demeanor had shifted drastically, while his voice still carried its calm nature, it was that very calmness that felt far more sinister. The way it made him feel was almost familiar. The armor he wore had also changed. The ornate pattern that resided on the sleek surface of its silver steel, now were shining brightly with the same white radiance that both his harness and grappling hook possessed.

  Thanks to the strength granted by his harness Soren was able to roll to his feet rather quickly. As he did he reached to a loop on his belt, retrieving a sleek copper revolver. Without hesitation he aimed it at the shining man.

  Pulling the trigger tight a shot rang out, as a bullet freed itself from the barrel. At this distance hitting his target was all but guaranteed. Even so, as if unfazed by the weapon, the armored keeper easily avoided its path. His body moved so quickly it was almost hard for Soren to keep his eyes on him.

  ‘How did he…”

  Once again an armored foot planted itself firmly in Soren's torso, this time it was his gut. Instantly he was sent flying backwards, crashing through the heavy wooden door.

  Tumbling down a set of stairs he suddenly found himself in a living room, his body coming to a stop against a dining table.

  Wrapping his hands around his stomach Soren muttered a few vile things about the officer.

  ‘Dammit!! The armor can enhance him… Not only that, I think it's better than my own. He moved way too fast just now.’

  Looking up the long flight of stairs he saw the same shining man descending towards him. His slow calculated pace only seemed to amplify the sinister nature about him. It was only now that Soren had realized why this sinister feeling was familiar to him.

  Looking at the man he didn’t see a noble protector, nor a deliverer of justice. The armored peace keeper seemed to resemble that of a butcher, Soren had only felt this from one other person before… His father.

  Fear gripped his heart, it was suffocating. He could hear whispers of people long dead, taunting him, begging him, voices he had long wished to forget.

  ‘No, no, no… Not now! Pull yourself together damnit! I can’t let myself panic.”

  Pointing the revolver at the man once again he fired off two more shots, but just as before he managed to avoid each one. His body moved in such a way it seemed like he was vanishing and reappearing in an instance.

  Even though his eyes were too slow to keep up with him, his body was filled with runic strength and out of pure instinct he rolled to the side. As he did a sleek blade came down just where he had been, the tip of the blade had embedded itself in the wooden floor.

  ‘Ah!’

  Just as he managed to get to his feet an armored fist connected to the side of his head, sending him rolling over the dining table. Landing with a thud he looked back across the table to see the keeper grip the edge of the table. As if it weighed nothing, he threw the large piece of furniture across the room, clearing any obstacle between them.

  ‘What the hell is this guy!?’

  Scrambling to his feet Soren attempted to bolt for the nearest exit he could find, his eyes locking on a wooden door most likely leading to the road outside. Out of sheer desperation he pointed the gun behind himself not even bothering to aim properly and promptly fired a shot.

  Unsurprisingly it missed, but what else could he do? This man-if you could even call him that-was on an entirely different level than Soren.

  Sure he had some level of experience when it came to close combat, but that was only sparing. He had always been good at running away, so the idea of focusing on learning how to fight with a blade never seemed important. But being faced with the current situation made him regret not taking Seline up on her training offer.

  ‘I can still get away though… If I can make it to the street then I’ll have a chance to escape!”

  All he needed to do was use the superior maneuverability of the hook to avoid him.

  As he ran, a heavy armored hand suddenly gripped the back of his neck and following the momentum he had built up, he was shoved straight through the door. Pieces of wooden shards scattered in all directions.

  Falling to his stomach Soren tried to crawl away, only to have another kick land against his ribs. Rolling a few meters he ended up laying flat on the street, his entire body felt broken. The intense pain coursing throughout his body was the only thing keeping him conscious.

  Heavy footsteps clicked against the stone road, as a shining armored man stood tall over Soren’s broken body.

  “Had enough?”