Chapter 72: The Chase

With a running start, Leo scaled up the alleyway wall, using the uneven bricks to grip onto as he climbed up. He swung his legs over the roof edge and landed lightly. The texture of the roof shingles made it much easier to grip onto—shingled roofs had been rare in Sindrey’s slums.

Straightening, Leo looked around. From his current vantage point, he could see the rest of the city sprawled out before him. He’d known Alnwick was large, but like this, with rows and rows of roofs forming a sea of buildings and the encircling wall so visible, that fact was made more clear than ever.

In the distance, plumes of smoke rose from various parts of the city. Several roofs were visibly damaged or torn completely apart while chunks of debris littered the streets, and that was just what he could see from here.

Leo’s lips thinned. Echoes must’ve landed in other areas of Alnwick as well. The whole thing was a mess.

Turning, hazel eyes continued to trace the lines of the building tops, searching for any trace of movement in the moonlight.

There.

A few blocks away, a lone shadow leapt silently from one roof onto the balcony of the next building. He was wearing a cloak, but Leo could see a bag bound tightly to his back that must contain the stolen mirror and fragment. The man began to climb. Leo surged forward.

He activated [Sprint] and leapt over to the next building, landing on the roof ridge and balancing atop it as he continued running in the direction of the man. He was experienced, Leo could tell, but his movements were careful. He was probably trying to make sure he didn’t drop the package.

In front of him, the roof sloped sharply. He didn’t stop, instead using his momentum to slide down, the rough shingles digging into his shoes as he did so.

He heard something crack, possibly a shingle snapping away from the friction, but he didn’t take his eyes off his target. The man had almost made it up the building. Leo pressed himself to move faster.

Ahead of him, the line of houses broke away into an open street. Ducking lower, Leo sped up and activated [Sprint] again. He didn’t have time to hesitate. The moment he reached the edge of the roof, he hurdled over the gap.

For a moment, his body was suspended in the air above the road, his blood roaring in his ears. Then all at once, gravity took hold and he was barrelling towards the opposite roof.

Leo twisted in the air, curling into himself in an attempt to soften the landing. It only half worked.

He landed hard, rolling across the shingles and cursing as they dug into his back. He dug a hand into the roof to try to slow himself down. His fingers burned, but he gritted his teeth and held on for dear life.

Finally, a foot away from the edge, he slid to a stop. Leo scrambled up to his feet. He could feel fresh bruises all along his arms and back and warm blood trickling down his fingers, but the sensations were dulled from adrenaline. His heart raced as he sprinted forward again. He was almost there. Just a little further.

Leo landed on the balcony and scaled up the wall at a record rate, completely ignoring the pain in his hand. By the time he swung his legs onto the roof, he could see the man about to leap to the next building.

Thinking fast, Leo slid out one of his throwing knives and hurled it at the man. In his haste, it flew wide, but it was enough to make him pause and turn around.

The moment of hesitation was all the [Fragmentholder] needed. Green eyes widened as Leo launched himself at the man, throwing both of them over the edge of the building.

He heard a gruff voice curse as they crashed down into the balcony below. The metal railing barely held on when they slammed into it, creaking dangerously.

Leo scrambled to remove the mirror from the bag, but it was closed with a complicated knot and tied securely down. He attempted to cut away the cloth with his dagger when, in the blink of an eye, the man disappeared.

Leo whirled around wildly, gaze finally landing on the man a few feet below running down the fire escape. Some kind of escape ability? Why hadn’t [Judgement] registered it?

“Shit!”

Leo took one second to assess the drop height, then leapt over the railing and down into the alleyway.

A cloud of dust and loose dirt rose around him from the impact. He rushed forward, the man’s back visible ahead of him as he ducked between crates and piles of garbage cluttering the narrow alley. He was fast, fast enough that Leo had to use [Sprint] to keep up with him.

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He tried to use [Judgement], but nothing appeared in his vision. His mind raced. Now that he thought back to it, with the passive ability gained from the skill reaching level 3, he shouldn’t have needed to activate the skill back at the masquerade. The man’s status screen should’ve simply appeared at a thought.

Now, as he felt his mana reserves depleting as they always did with the activation of the skill, it was confirmed. The man was somehow blocking the use of his abilities.

The fragment hunter veered around a sharp corner. Leo followed, using his hand to balance himself as his shoes skidded on the loose dirt.

Before he had a chance to straighten again, chunks of debris suddenly rained from above. The roof of the store next to him had been damaged during the Echo attack, and now it was crumbling down onto him. Leo ducked, barely managing to roll away in time to avoid getting crushed.

He’d just passed the bounds of the store when three barrels came tumbling straight at him. He yelped and jumped over, stumbling when he landed. In his peripheral vision, he saw the man turning back around to continue running, a hand outstretched where he’d shoved the barrels over. Leo fumed. Oh it was on.

With a fresh burst of energy, Leo raced forward, vaulting over overturned carts and stray debris. He was vaguely aware of his [Acrobatics] skill leveling up, but he was too focused on his target to give the notification more than a glance.

[The skill [Acrobatics] has leveled up! Current level: 3]

They were passing through Alnwick’s slums now, feet pounding on the dirt streets as they navigated around twisting, coiling alleyways. Whoever this guy was, he clearly knew the city well.

Leo kept a throwing knife on hand, but every time he thought he had an open shot at the man, he’d suddenly swerve to the side or duck behind something. The [Fragmentholder] narrowed his eyes and tried to activate [Visual Illusion].

He felt his mana draining, but the man didn’t react, certainly not seeing the false obstacle he’d projected out.

Leo cursed and activated [Mana Recovery]. That, like [Sprint], worked just fine. Whatever was causing his abilities to fail, it looked like it only affected skills and spells that directly targeted the man.

Up ahead, the number of houses dwindled as the road widened. They were fast approaching the wealthier sectors of the city, and the open space up ahead could very well be his last chance at a clean shot before the man disappeared into the maze of buildings in the center of Alnwick.

Heart pounding, Leo reeled his arm back and willed himself to focus. He ignored his aching lungs and took a deep breath.

The moment the man stepped onto the road, he hurled his knife at him and activated [Teleport Object].

Leo flicked his eyes towards his intended target, just like he’d practiced. The knife disappeared, then reappeared a centimeter away from the man’s neck. A few droplets of blood dripped down where it nicked flesh, but his aim hadn’t been accurate enough. It flew past, only managing a thin scratch.

“No no no,” Leo muttered to himself. He was quickly running out of mana; he only had enough for one more use of [Teleport Object]. He couldn’t afford to miss again.

The [Fragmentholder] veered sharply into the alley the man had turned into, coming to an abrupt halt when he was met with a dead end. He spun around, hazel eyes running over the solid brick walls surrounding him on all three sides. Where had he gone?

Then he felt it. A cold chill ran down his spine, the same icy sensation he’d felt at the masquerade.

Leo spun around just in time to see the man crouched on a neighboring roof, cloak billowing in the night breeze, bow drawn and a gleaming arrow pointed straight at him.

He let the arrow loose.

There wasn’t enough time to dodge or get out of the way.

Without thinking, Leo activated [Teleport Object] just before the arrow reached him and flicked his eyes haphazardly away from himself. The projectile disappeared, then reappeared to the side, embedding itself into the alleyway wall with a dull thud.

Leo gasped. He could hear his own breaths ringing loudly in his ears, his limbs shaking slightly from the close call. He forced himself to look up, but the man had vanished.

He tried to take a step forward, but his limbs suddenly felt weak. He nearly collapsed and just barely managed to grab onto the wall in time to steady himself.

All the adrenaline fueling him before was gone, and now exhaustion hit him like a brick. He was acutely aware of the stinging pain in his hand and the aching bruises covering him that he’d ignored during the chase. Even his leg felt wrong; he must’ve landed on it worse than he’d thought.

[Stamina: 6%]

[Mana: 4%]

Leo gritted his teeth and made one last attempt to try and see where the man had gone, but deep down he knew he’d lost both him and the fragment.

“Damnit!” Leo punched the wall in frustration. He was so close. He still didn’t even know the fucker’s name.

[You have gained experience! Experience shared with [2] other party members]

[You have leveled up! 300 points awarded]

[Progress towards next level: 11%]

Leo couldn’t even be happy about the level up. It felt like a consolation prize, like the System was taking pity on him even if logically he knew he’d gained experience from fighting the Echoes and the multiple skill and spell uses.

The [Fragmentholder] gave himself a few more moments to sulk, then forced himself back up.

He limped over to the arrow embedded into the wall and wrenched it out. It was sturdy and well made, with a jet black fletching and no other distinguishing characteristics. Leo looped the arrow into his belt for safekeeping.

This wasn’t over, he swore to himself. The man had clearly been skilled, and there couldn’t be that many people in Alnwick with an ability that neutralized skills. Someone would know him. He’d find out who the man was, chase him down, and get the fragment back.

Fist clenched in newfound determination, Leo spun around and made his way back to the auction hall.