Specialized Weapon Competition

Emile walked through the empty streets of the abandoned kingdom. The roads were the same pearlescent white as the buildings, although the roads had specific divots in them to prevent carriages from going off their course.

The buildings around him ranged from one to three floors. Many of them seemed to be stores on the first floor and living quarters on the second. The three leveled buildings seemed to be larger businesses such as merchants' stores or blacksmiths' shops.

Emile finally escaped the onslaught of overlooking buildings and entered a clearing. It was a roundabout for the carriages. At its center stood a magnificent fountain of some sort of winged women. Her thick feather-filled wings were wrapped around her body, protecting her from the onlooking stares of potential voyeurs.

Emile stepped across the street and onto the center median. Immediately he saw a white light reflecting on the surface of the statued woman. Turning around he witnessed a crimson explosion in the sky, much like a firework.

Emile turned around and started jogging the way he came. In a battle between archers, the most logical thing to do was hide and wait for an opportunity to strike, but Emile had low expectations of Ray. He didn't think Ray was particularly weak, but he expected Ray to sit in a tower and wait.

Block after block, through alleyways and up stairs, Emile had made it about halfway back to the start. That was until an arrow came flying from Emile's right. Emile pulled his shoulder back and barely avoided it.

Emile tried to look around for Ray, but three more arrows were already streaking across the sky. Emile ran and slammed his body into one of the boarded up windows. The boards snapped and cut against Emile's skin. Meanwhile the three arrows hit the marble just below the window's opening.

Emile stayed still, ducked below the window. His breath was ragged and his shoulders were cut and bruised. He looked around the building he dove into. Tables were scattered in the empty space, chairs were stacked on one side of the wall. He saw a door behind the bar counter. Crawling on his hands and knees he made it to the door and slowly pushed it open.

Immediately an arrow slammed into the door. Emile rolled in and shut the door behind him as he heard another arrow pierce it. Emile got on his feet and rushed up the stairs.

He stopped at the last step and took a deep breath. Then he shot his head out onto the second floor, looked around, and sucked his head back behind the wall. Luckily, there wasn't a window facing him.

Emile walked around the corner and into the second story space. This level had a window, but it was on the wall to Emile's right, while Ray had been firing arrows from in front of him.

Emile sat next to the staircase for a few minutes as his wounds closed. He needed to find where Ray was hiding, ideally without alerting him.

Emile slowly went back down the stairs to the back door of the building. He tried to push it open, but it had been boarded shut too. Instead he went to one of the back windows and pulled out his knife. He painstakingly cut through the boards and hopped into the alleyway.

He ran through the alleyways making sure to avoid being in the line of sight of the general direction Rays arrows had been coming from. At the same time, Emile was making sure to get closer and closer to where he thought Ray was.

Emile approached a three story building and cut the boards off the window again. Once inside, he rushed to the third floor and stood next to a window he hoped would be facing Ray.

Looking out the edge of the window, Emile first scanned the tallest points he could see. There were a couple other three story buildings, but Emile didn't see Ray in any of them. Emile kept looking out of the window, waiting for any indication of movement his eyes could catch. Eventually, something moved in one of the buildings.

Emile's eyes focused on the three story building, but he saw nothing. Were his eyes making things up? Had he seen nothing? But thankfully he was vindicated as he saw Ray hunched over walking up the stairs of the building. He was too far for Emile to comfortably shoot an arrow, but Emile knew where he was now.

Emile ran to the bottom of his building and out of the door. He took the back alleys again and stood behind the building Ray had been in. He found the window Ray had entered through and, after making sure the first floor was clear, entered the building.

Emile walked on his toes while he ascended to the second floor. He made sure to walk into every room on the second floor before advancing to the third. Emile knocked an arrow in his bow's string and gently went up to the third floor. He kept his bow cocked the whole time, ready to release an arrow at a moment's notice.

Emile's arrow came peeking around the corner onto the third floor, then his head followed. Inch by inch Emile fully stepped onto the third floor. His eyes continuously read the room, but Ray wasn't there. Emile checked another room and then another, but Ray was gone.

Emile lowered his bow and prepared to leave, but then he heard a low grunt come from above him. Emile's body tightened. He drew his bow.

"How the hell did he get onto the roof!" Emile lamented internally.