Chapter 1: Betrayal

A crescent moon peeked above a narrow alleyway where three thieves ran in the night. One for fortune, one for freedom, and one for survival. They were on a mission to rob a prominent bank in Steam City, but one of them had something else in mind.

 

It was cold and damp like every winter. Eiichi’s breath fogged the air in his face and his view of the women ahead of him - Arti and Muriel. He listened to their light footsteps, pattering over the distant sound of cars sliding on pavement. He had collaborated with them for a year now. Under his guidance, they had become powerful thieves. He called them his friends, but friends were not what he held close to his heart.

 

When he was a little boy, his father, Takashi, brought back fortunes from his heists. He was a member of the moon cult. The goddess of the moon granted her servants magical powers associated with thievery.

 

Eiichi reveled in the gifts Takashi bought for him and lived in a prosperous family. Once he grew up, his insight on life changed. Working with Takashi as a thief was tough. When his father retired, the old man gave up his position as a moon servant and no longer shared in the fortune of it.

        

Spending pleasure followed by mediocre retirement wasn’t the future Eiichi wanted. Once he had the luxury of fortune, he never wanted to give it up, even if that meant giving up his life as a thief and his friends.

        

Muriel ran right in front of him. Now was his chance to change his future. He drew his sword, which was like a katana, and plunged it into her back. A blade of the moon goddess could stab through bones like they were made of cotton. It pierced all the way to her heart and killed her in an instant, even though she wore the armor of the goddess like the rest of them, which could not withstand a craft of its own kind.

 

The sound of the blade slicing through flesh reached Arti’s ears, followed by Muriel’s scream cut short. Adrenaline rushed through her body as she stopped and turned around. She saw Eiichi pull his sword out of Muriel’s back, blood pouring out of her friend’s body and a sickening look disgracing her mouth. The young woman collapsed in front of her.

 

Arti didn’t have time to process what had happened, instinct forcing her to run before he could focus on her. She could turn invisible but that would not hide her from the eyes of a fellow moon servant. Her bow was too risky in a close fight. Outrunning him was her only choice.

 

The alley crossed straight into a trafficked intersection. He was on her tail now. She spotted a motorcycle waiting at the light.

 

Jumping off both legs, she slammed her feet into the rider and then grabbed the bike’s handles to steady her landing. When he was on the ground beneath her, she climbed onto his vehicle and took off through the three-way intersection.

 

Before she could gain speed, Eiichi jumped onto her seat from behind. He tackled her off and the bike veered to a crash into the curb.

 

Tumbling onto the sidewalk, she struggled to break free. If he drew his sword with her in his grasp it would be too late, but the confusion helped her split away from him.

 

For a moment, they stood to face each other, blood pumping. Then, he drew his sword, and she was determined to disarm him.

 

He pulled back his arm and thrusted toward her heart, but she ducked to the ground, rolling sideways onto the grass. While he was unsteady, she sprang up and roundhouse kicked his wrist bone. The shock caused his hand to drop his weapon.

 

She lunged for his sword, seized its hilt, and kept running down the sidewalk. She didn’t know how to wield it but if she disposed of it her chance of survival would increase. She noticed a storm drain beneath the curb beside her.

 

Swiftly, she knelt and bent over to make a surefire toss of his sword into the opening. It clattered underground, safe from anyone’s reach.

 

Before she could stand, he locked her in his hold from under both her arms. She tried to resist and struggled to regain her footing, but his grip was tight, powerful and unyielding. He dragged her into another alleyway while she screamed for help.

 

He slammed her into a brick wall, and she tried to block the impact with her hands to prevent her skull from cracking in two. Her forehead still hit hard, emitting a sharp pain and almost knocking her out. While she was hindered by throbbing and vertigo, he turned her around, clutched her throat with his hands and tried to strangle her.

 

As she fought to breathe, her instincts kept her aware. She grabbed his arm and took a big step back to the left with her right foot, so she could push him away by rotating her position. It took all her strength to move him. Then, she punched his face hard, and he recoiled, his nose bleeding. Not taking any chance at unarmed combat, she fled back to the intersection.

 

She was still dizzy, her head bleeding and painful. The man she stole the bike from was gone along with it, but she perked up when she heard sirens fast approaching. She mentally cursed at the familiar sound of footsteps pattering behind her and turned around to face her pursuer, not wanting to leave the visible area.

 

She ran faster down the sidewalk toward the sirens, pushing herself to the limit, but her muscles were already fatigued; adrenaline could only get her so far. Luckily for her, she found the police before he could catch her again. Assuming she would die soon anyway, he ran back into the alley. He was shot at, only for his armor to bounce the bullets right off.

 

She knew she was in trouble, dressed and armed as she was. The police would recognize her as one of the wanted thieves. She could escape from them later though, using her goddess-granted abilities.

 

However, a stranger broke through the crowd and lifted her onto his shoulders. He ran away with her, the bullets bouncing off him too. That’s the last she remembered, before losing consciousness.

Reviews

[AJ]

I like this story as well. It's got good bones but it could use some more details. Like describing the moon if there was one that they could see. If there is have it play into their movements. Also some details of what the moon goddess's gifts are. what kind of powers she bestowed. Maybe add a brief paragraph of how they met. Just as a few examples. I will read the rest soon and give you more feed back if you like.

[TheYoungWriterII]

Awesome! Can't wait to see what's next.

[Silent Wolf]

Interesting chapter. I can't wait to read more. :)