As Archie’s eye’s came into focus, they widened in horror. The troll was scrambling towards him at rapid pace, fury across its monstrous face.

“What the fuuuuu-” Archie gasped as a window shattered above him.

Like something out of a movie, Chris was leaping through the air. A red and silver axe raised overhead, timed perfectly he brought it down towards the troll's head. It struck cleanly, leaving a huge gash through its jaw, splashing thick dark green blood across the pavement.

The troll staggered and dropped to one knee, rounding on Chris who gripped onto the axe tightly, determination in his eyes. “Get inside Archie, I can’t explain”

The creature regained composure, the left side of its jaw hung loosely. With a guttural roar it began a frenzied assault on Chris. The blade of the axe swung with swift flashes, leaving deep gashes across the forearms of the troll. However, many of his attacks were deflected by its thick black talons, seemingly impervious to the blade.

Whilst Chris had speed on his side, the overwhelming strength and size of the Troll was proving too much. Glancing towards the cafe, filled with petrified onlookers, Chris leapt over the Troll once more and began to edge away, beckoning the creature towards him. As it turned, he noticed its jaw had begun to slowly reattach itself, the deep wounds on the forearm slowly beginning to close. Defeat flashed, momentarily, in his eyes.

Archie understood. Chris had gained some sort of power. Clearly something much better and stronger than him, that was for certain. The Troll too, clearly being otherworldly, also had its own innate abilities.

“I’m a thief that’s good at handling sharp objects and he gets a damn axe and that thing has super powers” he whispered to himself.

Archie rushed towards the coffee shop, shouting for everyone to get back away from the windows. Everyone was shell shocked, gripped in silent panic. Archie pushed his way through towards the kitchen, searching for the largest and sharpest knives he could find.

With a knife in every pocket and one in each hand, he braced himself for what was to come. When he emerged from the coffee shop, Chris was in a bad way. The sharp talons of the troll had raked across his back, losing blood, growing paler by the minute he was beginning to falter on his feet.

Archie sprinted down the street screaming as he went. The first blade he threw sailed through the air, as it did he shouted “TAKE THIS!” He waited as the blade continued to spin, then with a thud, it struck.

Landing handle first, the impact was nil and the knife bounced lamely off the back of the Troll’s head and onto the floor with a clatter.

Stopping in its tracks, with a frustrated grunt, the creature turned and once again locked eyes with Archie. Glancing back briefly at Chris, it deemed Archie the bigger threat and began to move back towards Drip Coffee.

“Oh no”. With shaky hands, Archie threw the second knife, nothing. A third and a fourth quickly followed with only one so much as scratching the Troll’s forearm which were adeptly blocking each blade as they moved towards it.

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

Feeling desperately in his pockets for anything, he was pricked by a small object in the front of his apron. Pulling it out, a long thin piece of metal, he glanced down to find his latte art pen. Something he used when bored and stretching the depths of his latte-making abilities.

The world turned black once more.

*******

— ARCHIE ELLIOT —

— Role: THIEF, Level 0 —

— Specialism: none. —

— Weapons: 1 —

— Abilities: 1 —

— Proficiencies: 3 —

New Weapon: Latte Art Pen | Ability to conjure them at will, you’ll never run out of your trusted Latte Art Pens again!

********

“You have to be kidding me… he got a bloody AXE!” Archie yelped out-loud.

The pen felt strange in his hand, almost like an extension of his body. He handled it with ease. Instinctively, Archie steadied his breath and waited. Thirty steps, twenty steps away…. The talons continued to scratch at the floor. Fifteen steps. Ten. NOW.

He flung the pen with such force and precision it was almost undetectable. Too fast to block at that distance it landed with a squelch. Piercing the Troll’s right eye it wheeled, whelping and thrashing the air manically.

Archie lept backwards, avoiding talons that lashed uncontrollably towards him. His timing was excellent, shifting his body weight he remained steady on his feet. “Evasiveness” Archie mumbled to himself, briefly thinking back on all the times he’d failed to ever be this coordinated in his life.

Archie wished he had another pen and just like that, one formed in his right hand. Gripping it between his index finger and thumb he examined it as it came into existence, faint blue wisps dispersing into the air. “Wow” Archie gasped.

Flinging it with accuracy and power it moved towards the Troll’s left eye, but it was moving too wildly, at the last minute it turned its head. The Pen landed deeply and stuck into its cheek.

Another. Another. Another. Another. The Troll now had six latte Art pens protruding from various areas of its face, head and neck. Covering its remaining eye with a bulky forearm it began to walk towards Archie, recomposing itself.

Unsure what to do, Archie continued to fling his pens. A large talon whipped towards his face. He dropped to one knee and pushed forwards through the legs of the creature and began to run towards Chris to get some distance.

The Troll had adapted its approach and continued to block every attack Archie had. Its arms now had dozens of tiny latte art pens deeply embedded. Smelling the panic it began to dash forwards.

Standing boldly between the beast and Chris. Archie grimaced and braced for impact. Warm dark blood showered him. Wiping at his eyes, he opened them to see Chris once more in front of him. His oversized axe dripping in blood.

A large gash down the side of the Trolls throat looked near fatal. It flailed and bounded into nearby cars, trampling them as it went. Chris quickly got to work, swinging his axe at the creature's achilles, it fell to its knees. Then with one more giant leap his Axe passed through its neck and crashed into the concrete.

The world once more turned empty. More words fused into his soul.

*******

— ARCHIE ELLIOT —

— Role: THIEF, Level 1 —

— Specialism: none. —

— Weapons: 1 —

— Abilities: 2 —

— Proficiencies: 3 —

* New Ability: Survivor. All damage from a fatal hit is negated. No stamina impact, cooldown: 365 days.

********