The Chase

He drew quite a few odd looks as he dashed across the plaza, brushing past people, and leaping over the decorative articles. His steps carried him to the nearest alleyway on the other side of the plaza. He soon found himself staring at the statue of an angel with spears going through her wings.

He felt his heart sink at this twisted turn of fate. How unlucky did he need to be to end up running to where Ava had died? He gritted his teeth and climbed on the statue. This was the fastest way to the rooftops, and he had lost enough time getting here already.

Just a few breaths later, he was standing on the tiled roof overlooking the statue below. He averted his gaze, instead looking around the area where he last saw the cloaked figure.

Was he mistaken, he wondered, as he walked over to the roof he saw that person. His doubts vanished from his mind as he noticed the muddy footprints on the tiled roof. They were leading south, towards the lower, poorer, and more crowded parts of the city.

Aoric didn't hesitate as he ran cross the rooftops, following the muddy footprints. It wasn't long before a distant figure walking on the rooftops entered his vision. The figure was taller than him, and they didn't seem to notice Aoric just yet.

The young man slowed his steps and made sure to always keep a rooftop or a chimney between him and the figure as he rapidly closed the distance between them. Where was the cloaked figure going to?

They didn't seem too used to walking on these tiled roofs as they constantly staggered and slid down the tilted surfaces, just barely catching a chimney or wall to regain their balance. Aoric found it difficult to believe such a person could murder such a young woman in cold blood and escape unseen.

The wind blew from behind, threatening to push Aoric forward. The young man lowered his body and caught his cloak to prevent it from fluttering around. The figure also paused as the wind tugged at his cloak and tried to push him around. Aoric noticed their gloved hand as they caught a chimney to regain their balance.

They tilted their head to the side, almost as if they were listening to the wind. Then, suddenly, they started running. The figure's sudden dash across the rooftops caught Aoric by surprise. He dashed after the cloaked person.

The distance between them began to close quickly as Aoric was much more used to running across rooftops. He leapt from one roof to the next, climbed the tilted surfaces quickly and sliding down the other side with little effort.

Yet, the cloaked figure was nearly as fast as him. They struggled, sometimes tumbled down a slope, sometimes barely caught and edge, but whenever there was a flat surface to run on, the distance quickly increased, making Aoric feel like he would never be able to catch up to him.

He gritted his teeth as he leapt over a gap and landed on the other side of a narrow alleyway. If his leg wasn't wounded, he would have a much easier time! The chase continued as they reached the lower sections of the city. Aoric's breathing had become shallow as his heart raced, trying to keep up with the effort he exerted.

He couldn't believe the cloaked figure was still running without slowing down even one bit. He was fairly athletic himself, and despite that he was feeling some exhaustion. He could feel his steps become heavier and his movements more rigid as his muscles began to protest at the continuous exercise.

He noticed the figure trip and fall again and sped up even more. All he needed was a glimpse at his face! The figure scrambled to get up and continued running. Aoric gritted his teeth, he wasn't going to catch up like this.

He noticed a particularly tall roof and dashed towards it. Risky, he reminded himself as he climbed on it, outside of the cloaked person's vision. As he reached the roof's highest point, he noticed the cloaked person run on the other side, just across a narrow alleyway. He gritted his teeth.

"Risky." He whispered to himself. But it was either this, or returning empty handed. And Aoric valued his life enough to take a few risks. He was not going to give that crazy woman any reason to kill him. Having decided, he drew a deep breath, and vaulted over the roof. He slid down the steep roof and as soon as he neared the edge of it, he kicked the roof, launching himself towards the cloaked figure.

They hit each other and rolled on the slightly tilted roof. Aoric held onto the person as tightly as he could until they slowly came to a halt. Aoric was the first to regain his senses. He reached for the person's cloak and pulled the hood down.

A woman's face stared at him in surprise more than anything else. Her brown eyes opened wide as she noticed his glare. Her lips curled down with an expression of disgust, and she slashed at his face. Aoric couldn't see what she held in her hand, but he did feel a sudden pain across his face. His grip on her loosened for a split second as he winced with pain.

She took that opportunity to immediately kick him and free herself. "Filthy human!" She shouted as she kicked him again. Aoric felt the roof slip under him, and plummeted to the alleyway below.